These are my Ch.14 notes from Public Relations Writing & Media Techniques

E-mail

• reduces the cost of employee communications
• increases the distribution of messages to more employees
• flattens the corporate hierarchy
• speeds decision making
• it is a good way for PR writers to send media advisories & news releases to the media
• it is not suitable for all person-to-person communication and should never be a substitute for face-to-face communication
• you can be somewhat informal in emails, but you still need to pay attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation, & sentence structure

Memorandums (Memos)

• is a brief written message, usually a page or less in length
• it can ask for information, supply information, confirm a verbal exchange, ask for a meeting, schedule or cancel a meeting, remind, report, praise, caution, state a policy, or perform any other function that requires a written message
• hard copies of memos are usually distributed even if it was sent via e-mail
• should be specific & to the point; the subject line should state exactly what the memo is about
• every memo should include 5 things:

1. date
2. to
3. from
4. subject
5. message

Proposals

• are a management technique to consider new programs and policies
• the purpose is to get something accomplished – to persuade management to approve and authorize some important action that will have a long-lasting effect on the organization or its people
• can be presented in a few or multiple pages
• proposals will be more compelling if these 4 things are included:

1. show a need
2. satisfy the need
3. show benefits
4. call for action