Professional Correspondence

Objective:
To equip students with the skills to write effective and professional emails, letters, and other forms of
formal communication in a business context.

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction to Professional Correspondence
   Goals:
    Understand the importance of professional correspondence.
    Identify different types of professional correspondence (e.g., emails, memos, letters).
   Activities:
2. Class Discussion:
   o Why is professional correspondence important in the workplace?
   o Share examples of professional communication scenarios.
3. Categorization Task:
   o Students classify given examples (e.g., email to a client, internal memo, job application
   letter) into correspondence types.
4. Components of Professional Correspondence
   Goals:
    Recognize the structure and tone of professional communication.
    Learn the standard components (e.g., subject line, salutation, body, closing).
   Activities:
5. Lecture/Explanation:
   o Key elements of an email: subject line, greeting, opening, body, closing, signature.
   o Tone and formality levels in different scenarios.
6. Interactive Activity:
   o Provide a poorly written email.
   o Students work in pairs to identify issues and suggest improvements.
7. Writing Effective Emails
   Goals:
    Write clear and concise emails.
    Avoid common mistakes (e.g., unclear subject lines, overly casual tone).
   Activities:
8. Example Analysis:
   o Share examples of well-written and poorly-written emails.
   o Discuss what makes an email effective or ineffective.
9. Writing Task:
   o Provide scenarios (e.g., requesting information, responding to a complaint).
   o Students draft professional emails based on the scenarios.
10. Peer Review:
    o Exchange drafts with a partner for feedback.
11. Writing Formal Letters
    Goals:
     Understand the format of formal letters.
     Write professional letters with appropriate language and structure.
    Activities:
12. Lecture/Explanation:
    o Standard formal letter format (e.g., date, recipient’s address, salutation, body, closing).
    o Discuss situations requiring formal letters (e.g., cover letters, complaint letters).
13. Group Activity:
    o In groups, students write a formal letter responding to a specific scenario (e.g., a job
    application or a service complaint).
14. Common Pitfalls and Best Practices (15 minutes)
    Goals:
     Identify and avoid mistakes in professional correspondence.

 Master proofreading and editing techniques.
Activities:

1. Error Spotting Task:
   o Present emails or letters with deliberate errors (e.g., grammar, tone, format).
   o Students identify and correct the errors.
2. Checklist Creation:
   o As a class, create a checklist for professional correspondence (e.g., clear subject line,
   proper salutation, concise message).
3. Final Task: Comprehensive Application
   Goal:
    Apply learned skills to write professional correspondence tailored to a specific audience and
   purpose.
   Activity:
4. Scenario-Based Writing:
   o Students choose one of three scenarios:
    Write an email to a client apologizing for a delay.
    Draft a cover letter for a job application.
    Compose a formal letter to a supplier requesting information about a product.
5. Presentation and Feedback:
   o Volunteers read their correspondence aloud.
   o Class and instructor provide constructive feedback.