Answer to Question 1
Since time and effort cost money, many companies look for acceptable ways to reduce the
amount spent in writing letters. A few ways to reduce writing costs are to use:
Form letters: Form letters are letters in which the same message is sent to many
addressees. Using form letters saves time in planning, dictating, and transcribing. Fewer
errors will result because the spelling, punctuation, and grammar have to be approved only
once. Form letters and paragraphs do not have to be retyped. They are simply selected and
printed.
Form letters with variables: These are used when similar, but not identical, responses are
needed. In addition to the date, inside address, and salutation, other details are changed
throughout the body of the letter. These changes are called variables.
Letters with form paragraphs: For similar writing situations that occur frequently but vary in
content, experienced business communicators use form, or boilerplate, paragraphs.
Boilerplate paragraphs and complete letters can be stored on disk and retrieved and altered
as necessary. Only the variables need to be typed. As a result, routine letters can be prepared
quickly and efficiently.
Merged letters: These letters save time when you need to send the same letter to a group of
people. Merging requires a data file, which contains the names and addresses of people on
your mailing list, and a form file, which contains the form letter and the codes to merge the
information with the data file. Merging the two files allows you to print letters that appear to be
individually typed and addressed.
Templates: Many word processing programs today come with templates of letters. A
template contains the format for a letter and can include the letterhead in addition to the
skeleton of a letter. To use a template, you either insert it into your blank document or you
open a copy of it, add the text in the places indicated, and print. This saves time and helps the
user who is unsure of the correct letter format.
Answer to Question 2
Executives often find that they are repeatedly writing the same content in response to
frequently occurringalmost identicalwriting situations. When this happens, they should
invest some time and effort in developing general responses that can be used and reused.
These general responses fall into the following three main categories:
Form letters: Form letters are used when you must respond to identical situations. The entire
body of the letter remains the same; the date, inside address, salutation, and reference initials
are the only changes.
Form letters with variables: Form letters with variables are used when similar, but not
identical, responses are needed. In addition to the date, inside address, and salutation, other
details are changed throughout the body of the letter. These changes are called variables.
Letters with form paragraphs: For similar writing situations that occur frequently but vary in
content, experienced business communicators use form, or boilerplate, paragraphs. Using the
word processing program on a computer makes writing letters with form paragraphs even
easier. Boilerplate paragraphs and complete letters can be stored on disk and retrieved and
altered as necessary. Only the variables need to be typed. As a result, routine letters can be
prepared quickly and efficiently.
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