10 Letters and Memorandums

10.01 Introduction

The underlying principle of all forms of communication, not just letter writing, is the following: say what you have to say clearly and succinctly (see Chapter 13 Plain Language, "Plain Language"). The layout of the document should be such that the reader can quickly determine who the sender and intended recipient are, when the document was written or sent, what it is about, and what follow-up, if any, is required of the recipient.

Since the first edition of The Canadian Style was written, the personal computer has replaced the typewriter. This has had an impact on not only formatting, layout and editing but also the method of communicating written information itself. Hence a section on Electronic Mail has been included at the end of this chapter.

10.02 Block style

Letters are laid out in two basic styles or variations thereof: the block style and the indent style. The one recommended by the Canadian government’s Treasury Board for administrative correspondence is the block style. (The Board recognizes that the full block style may not be suitable for all types of correspondence.) In it all lines begin flush with the left margin, including the sender’s address, the date, the complimentary close and the signature, as illustrated in the example found in section 10.26 Model letter.¹

_____________________

10.03 Indent style

In the indent style the sender’s address, if not given in the letterhead, appears at the top right-hand corner with the date below it. The complimentary close and signature block are at the bottom right. The first line of each paragraph in the body of the letter is indented. Some feel that this style lends a more personal touch.

10.04 Margins

Margins may be adjusted to make a short letter appear longer or a long one look shorter. The left margin must be absolutely straight and the right one as straight as possible without splitting words too often. Do not justify the right margin; otherwise distortions in spacing may occur.

10.05 Spacing

While recognizing that it may not be appropriate for all correspondence, the FIP Manual recommends five vertical spaces between the recipient’s address and the salutation, two between the salutation and the body of the letter and five between the complimentary close and the sender’s name. Leave one blank line between paragraphs.

Do not carry over fewer than three lines of text to a new page.

Names of people, numbers and dates should stay on the same line:

• Approval was given by Mr. Ranald A. Quail, Deputy Minister, Public Works and Government Services Canada.

not

• As regards implementation, approval was given by Mr. Ranald A.
  Quail, Deputy Minister, Public Works and Government Services Canada.

• Subject to the limitations clearly spelled out in section 92(1)(c)(i) of the Financial
  Administration Act, . . . .

not

• Subject to the limitations (. . .) clearly spelled out in section 92(1)(c)
  (i) of the Financial Administration Act, . . . .

10.06 Length

A letter should generally not exceed two pages. If three or more pages are required, consider preparing a separate report for attachment to the letter.

If a letter contains two or more pages, use page numbering: an indicator (. . . /2) at the bottom of each preceding page, flushed right, and page numbers themselves, centred at the top of each page.

The maximum length of an address is six lines.

10.07 Punctuation

Punctuation must be consistent throughout the document and should be used only where clarity demands it. Enter a colon after the salutation (see 10.16 Attention line) and a comma after the complimentary close (see 10.20 Complimentary close).

10.08 Consistency

For uniformity and consistency, put the parts of the letter, as applicable, in the order in which they are presented below (see 10.09-10.25 Letterhead to Postscript). Each part will start two-to-five lines below the preceding part.

10.09 Letterhead

The heading or letterhead identifies the department or agency that produced the letter. The identification of federal organizations and position titles in the letterhead should be in accordance with FIP guidelines.

If the sender’s address appears in the letterhead, there is no need to repeat it elsewhere. Otherwise, include a return address below the letterhead or below the signature.

10.10 Date

See 5.14 Dates for the representation of dates.

The date appears at the left margin in full block style (see example 10.26 Model letter), but it can be placed on the right-hand side of the page to help fit in all the pieces of information required and make it easier to find correspondence filed by date.

10.11 Delivery (mailing) notation

The logical place for notations such as Personal, Confidential, Registered or Hand-delivered is at the left margin, just below the date line, where the reader would probably look first upon opening the letter. Such notations may be in capital letters or with an initial capital and boldface.

10.12 Reference line

The reference line, on the right-hand side of the page, will give the sender’s file number and the line below it the recipient’s file number, as shown in the example, 10.26 Model letter.

10.13 Inside address

Place the recipient’s address below the date and at the left margin, unless it must be moved to fit properly into a window envelope. Except in purely personal mail, the addressee’s full address must be used. Unless using a window envelope, follow these conventions:

• There is no punctuation at the end of address lines.
• The address should be single-spaced.
• When both a street number and a post office box are provided, use only the box number.
• When the terms east, west, north and south are used with street addresses, they are written with initial capital letters.
• The postal code is the last item in the address; enter it two spaces after the symbol or name of the province or on a separate line below the names of the municipality and province:

  Ms. Vesna Souker
  Management Services
  Export Development Canada
  151 O’Connor St., Suite 901
  Ottawa, ON  K1A 1K3

  Mr. Jacob Devine
  Administration Branch
  Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
  664 Main Street
  Moncton, New Brunswick
  E1C 9J8

If using a window envelope, follow Canada Post’s guidelines¹ for addresses appearing on envelopes and parcels:

• Type the address entirely in capitals.
• Do not use any punctuation (other than that required in a proper name: e.g. ST. JOHN’S).
• Use the two-letter postal abbreviations for provinces and territories.
• Place the postal code on the same line as the province (or territory), with two spaces between them.

  VESNA SOUKER
  MANAGEMENT SERVICES
  EXPORT DEVELOPMENT CANADA
  151 O’CONNOR ST SUITE 901
  OTTAWA ON  K1A 1K3

  JACOB DEVINE
  ADMINISTRATION BRANCH
  ATLANTIC CANADA OPPORTUNITIES AGENCY
  664 MAIN ST
  MONCTON NB  E1C 9J8

_____________________

10.14 Official languages in addresses

Note the following points with regard to the use of official languages in addresses:

• Generally, words indicating a type of public thoroughfare such as Street, rue, Avenue or avenue are translated into the other official language because they do not form part of the official name of the thoroughfare. However, note that according to Canada Post’s Addressing Guidelines for mailing addresses, only the terms Street (rue), Avenue (avenue) and Boulevard (boulevard) should be translated.
• When the word is considered to be part of the official name of the thoroughfare, e.g. Avenue (1^re, 2^e, etc.), Chaussée, Chemin, Montée, Circle, Square, (Fifth, 25th, etc.) Avenue, do not translate it.
• When an address such as 100, boulevard de Maisonneuve is translated, capitalize it in accordance with English usage:

  100 De Maisonneuve Boulevard

• Enquiries concerning the official name of a thoroughfare should be directed to the appropriate municipality.
• Names of government buildings and complexes that do not lend themselves easily to translation should not be translated, e.g. Les Terrasses de la Chaudière, Place du Portage, L’Esplanade Laurier.
• The names of provinces and territories are translated. In English, a comma is used to set off a place name from that of the province or territory (see 7.20 Dates, geographical names and addresses), whereas in French parentheses enclose the name of the province or territory.

Note that an address can often be left untranslated.

See Chapter 15 Geographical Names, "Geographical Names," for further information on the translation and spelling of such names.

10.15 Name of person, title, name of organization

Put the person’s name on one line and his or her title and organization on the next line:

• J. Doe
  Chief, Co-ordination Division

10.16 Attention line

This line begins with Attention of, Attention or Attn., ends with a colon and is placed flush with the left margin. It specifies the intended recipient within the organization when the letter is addressed to the organization or to the intended recipient’s superior.

10.17 Salutation or greeting

The salutation will vary depending upon the person addressed and the nature of the letter. The following are some appropriate salutations for various circumstances:

• Sir or Dear Sir
  Madam or Dear Madam
  (for formal correspondence)
• Dear Mr. or Mrs.
  or Ms. Jones
  (for a more personal letter)
• Dear S. Jones
  (if sex of recipient is not known)
• Dear Sir/Madam
  Dear Sir or Madam
  (where a title is used but the
  person’s name is not known)

If the person’s name or title is not known, the expression To whom it may concern may also be used. It is not recommended that Mr., Mrs. or Ms. be used with a title as a salutation, as in "Mr. Premier."

The salutation begins at the left margin. For capitalization in a salutation, see 4.35 The salutation and complimentary close; for punctuation, see 7.27 The Colon, Miscellaneous.

10.18 Subject line

A subject line specifying the topic of the letter, if included, comes between the salutation and the body of the letter. The introductory word Subject may be used, but is not essential. The terms Re and In re should be reserved for legal correspondence. The subject line is entered either wholly in upper case or in boldface. It may begin flush with the left margin or be centred for emphasis. It is not used in personal correspondence, where the subject is usually referred to in the first paragraph.

10.19 Body of the letter

The body of the letter contains the message. Here, more than anywhere else, the general principle of communication applies: say it clearly and succinctly, so that the reader will understand the message properly and quickly. Letters are normally single-spaced, with one blank line left between paragraphs. If a letter is very short, it may be double-spaced. When double spacing is used, the first line of each paragraph must be indented. Avoid writing paragraphs of more than ten lines. By the same token, do not divide a letter into many very short paragraphs.

10.20 Complimentary close

The complimentary close consists of such expressions as Yours truly or Yours sincerely. It is followed by a comma.

10.21 Signature

The handwritten or stamped signature comes first, followed by the title of the sender and of the organization. If someone else signs for the nominal sender, the order is as shown below:

• J. Doe
  for F. Buck
  Chief, Publications Division

or

• F. Buck
  Chief, Publications Division
  per J. Doe

10.22 Reference initials

The initials of the sender and of the transcriber are separated by a colon or oblique. The initials may be all in capital letters, all in small letters, or, most commonly, as follows:

• AB:cd

The information is not always needed but may be useful at a later time.

10.23 Enclosure notation

The notations Enclosure(s), Encl., Attachment(s) and Att. indicate that the envelope contains one or more documents in addition to the letter or attached to the letter. The number of such documents, if there are more than one, should appear after the notation.

10.24 Carbon copy notation

Although carbon is now rarely used for copies, the convenient initials c.c.: (or cc:) followed by a colon and the names of the recipients of copies of the letter is still the preferred copy notation. An alternative is Copy to:. It corresponds to the distribution list of documents such as memorandums and minutes, and lets the recipient know who else is receiving the message.

10.25 Postscript

A postscript is useful if the writer wishes to emphasize some point in the letter or if a point worthy of mention arises after the letter has been written. The use of a postscript obviates the need to rewrite the letter. However, if the postscript sheds a completely new light on the message conveyed, the letter should probably be rewritten. Similarly, a postscript should not be used to attempt to compensate for a poorly organized letter. The notation PS: should be placed before the first word of the postscript and be indented if that is the letter format used. The postscript should begin on the second line below a carbon copy notation.

10.26 Model letter

10.27 Format

A memorandum is a short letter, note or report. The format most often used for memorandums within the federal public service is illustrated in the example (see 10.28 Model memorandum).

In the upper left part of the form appear the indications To, From and Subject. On the right are given the security classification (where applicable), the sender’s and receiver’s file references, if any, and the date.

If required, an indication of any attachments and a distribution list (Distribution or c.c.:) appear at the end of the document. This list can make communication more efficient because it tells the recipient who else is receiving the document.

10.28 Model memorandum

10.29 Introduction

With the widespread computerization of the workplace in the 1990s, more and more communications are being sent by electronic mail (often called e-mail). Given the advantages of this means of communication, its use is likely to increase, especially in administrative and business contexts.

In appearance an e-mail message is much like a memorandum, with a "From" field, a "To" field, and a "Subject" field, followed by the body of the message. Nevertheless, there are significant differences, which soon become evident when this form of sending messages is used.

10.30 Advantages

Speed

Communication by electronic mail takes much less time than writing and sending a letter or memorandum. E-mail can be delivered to all parts of the world in hours or even minutes. In addition, if you click on the "Receipt" or equivalent button, you will be automatically notified of the time your communication was read.

Versatility

Messages can be sent to specific individuals or to predefined lists of recipients within a local area network—all in the same amount of time. Moreover, it is possible to send attachments with your message, including files, programs, graphics, and audio and video material.

Efficiency

Not only can electronic letters or memorandums be delivered more quickly, but they can also be processed by the recipient in a fraction of the time required to receive, read, answer and send correspondence on paper. Even telephone and fax communication can involve more time and money.

Data sharing

With the spread of local area networks, employees can make use of shared storage locations. With this arrangement, it is possible to have access on your computer screen to a file for reviewing, editing or consulting purposes. Keep in mind that, when you have opened a document stored at a shared location, other users cannot work on it.

10.31 Disadvantages

Electronic mail can be received only by those who are connected to the "electronic highway" through a local area network or an international network (such as the Internet).

Despite advances in ensuring the privacy of electronic communications, e-mail is still easy to intercept and to forge, especially when coming across another network. Not all messages received can be assumed to be genuine. Do not send confidential or sensitive messages by e-mail.

A basic level of computer literacy is required for people to take full advantage of the electronic medium.

E-mail is more impersonal than traditional correspondence. In situations where an office memorandum would not be appropriate (for example, to congratulate an employee on 25 years’ loyal service), do not use electronic communication.

Note

When including attachments with your message, you should ensure that the recipient will be able to understand the format. It is also helpful if you specify in your communication the software and version that you have used (Ami Pro, WordPerfect, MS Word, etc.). This will ensure that it can be readily accessed.

10.32 Presentation

Subject (title)

All communications should have a subject. In choosing a subject line (a short one is usually best), bear in mind that it summarizes what the text is about. It may also determine whether your message will be read immediately or not.

Message

Most e-mail programs impose certain standards for physical and data format. These govern, in particular, width (the number of characters per line) and the length of the document. If your lines are too long, there is a risk that they will be split into partial lines, which complicates reading of the message. Longer documents should be segmented into several shorter ones in a logical, topic-based manner to facilitate access to information.

Characters

Since documents may be viewed on a variety of systems, avoid using special characters and complex tables which cannot be viewed by all potential readers of your message. When in doubt, keep to ASCII characters. Be consistent in the use of fonts and typefaces. Do not send messages entirely in upper case.

10.33 Guidelines

Organizations usually have their own guidelines governing the sending of electronic mail. These concern such matters as the following:

• the purposes for which e-mail may be used (no commercial or social notices, for example);
• projection of the corporate image and logo;
• languages to be used in official documents;
• standard of language used (grammar and style);
• legislative requirements (such as those of the Copyright Act, the Privacy Act and the Federal Identity Program, in the case of federal government documents);
• obtaining the necessary approvals (in the case of widely distributed messages); and
• avoidance of links to potentially controversial or politically sensitive sites, in the case of the Internet.

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