WRITING CARDS AND MESSAGES by Samson Mwita

WRITING CARDS

A card is a piece of stiff paper that is folded in the middle and has a picture on the front of it, used for sending somebody a message with your good wishes, an invitation, condolence, etc. There are various kinds of cards depending on the occasion or event for which the card is written.

1.    Postcard; this is a card used for sending messages by post without an envelope, especially one that has a picture on one side.

2.    Greeting card; this is a card with a picture on the front and a message inside that you send to somebody on a particular occasion such as their birthday.

3.    Invitation card; this is a card or piece of paper that you use to invite/ request somebody to attend or do something or to go somewhere.

We have cards written for the purpose of;

Ø Invitation to wedding party, birthday party, graduation party, meetings, etc

Ø Expressing Sympathy for illness, loss of a family member (condolence), loss of a job, accident etc.

Ø Congratulations for promotions, accomplishments, graduation, a new baby, etc

Ø Farewell or best wishes for exams, journey, wedding, Happy Valentine, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, quick recovery, anniversary, etc

Ø Appreciation card for participation, caring, achievements, performance, etc.

Key elements to consider

Ø Design: Cards should have an attractive design since they carry special information.

Ø Date. It has to show the date of the event if it is an invitation card or the date of the day it was sent to the addressee if it is another type of card.

Ø Heading/title. As we saw there are various kinds of cards. It is better to specify the kind of the card you are sending.

Ø Sender. Indicate the name of the person who is sending the card.

Ø Receiver. Indicate the name of the receiver.

Ø Subject matter (the content of the card). Here you show the reason why you are sending the card. It should be short, precise and to the point.

Ø Venue. Especially for invitation cards show where the event will take palace.

Ø Time. Indicate the time when the event is expected to begin and when it is expected to end.

Ø R.S.V.P. Please reply (from French ‘répondez s'il vous plaît’). This is special for responses for confirmation of attending or excuses.

Look at the following samples of cards

CARD	SAMPLE
INVITATION CARD	The family of Mr &Mrs Marwa Mwita of Tarime-Mara has a pleasure of inviting Mr/Mrs/Mr&Mrs/Prof/Dr./Pr/Sir/Madam Chacha Ryoba to a wedding party of their beloved daughter Ghati Marwa that will be held on 22nd September 2018 at CMG Motel from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00pm. YOU’RE ALL WELCOME R.S.V.P. 0765656565
FAREWELL CARD	16th February 2018 BEST WISHES Dear Bhoke, I received your letter informing me that you will be sitting for your NECTA exam in November this year. May I take this opportunity to wish you all the best in your exams. May God help you to pas with flying colours. Your friend, John.
CONGRATULATION CARD These acknowledge someone’s good fortune	16th February 2018 CONGRATULATIONS Dear Peter, Congratulations for your achievements that led to your promotion. I wish you all the best as you undertake the new responsibilities of your new post as a CEO of Samwiterson Company. May God be with you forever and ever, Amen. Your Friend, Janeth.
SYMPATHY CARD	16th February 2018 CONDOLENCE Dear Mariam, Please accept my sincere and heartfelt condolence for the loss of your dear father. I will always remember him for his wisdom and generosity. Your friend, Rhobi.
APPRECIATION CARD.	13th July 2018. APPRECIATION Dear Juma, I really appreciate your loving kindness and a sympathetic heart for taking care of my sick mother when I was away. Mother has greatly improved over the past few weeks and her health is recovering faster than we expected. All this is partly due to the care you gave her and the encouraging words you uttered to her. I have nothing to pay you back but suffice it to say I really thank you so much. God will pay you someday. Remember what goes around comes around.  May God bless you abundantly. Yours, John.
POSTCARD	STAMP Dear Samson, I hope God is on Your side. SAMSON RYOBA P.O.BOX 1111 MUSOMA I wish to inform you that this year in September I’m inaugurating my new hotel at Gongo la Mboto. I hope you will be there to accompany me. Please bring your camera with you. Please respond when you get this message. Paul Mwita.

WRITING MESSAGES

A. WRITING TELEPHONE MESSAGES FROM CALLERS

The telephone is one of the fastest ways for one person to get an important message to another. If the message cannot be given directly, however, a third person must see to it that it gets through. That is why you should know how to take telephone messages clearly and completely.

Tips for taking telephone messages from callers.

1.    Don’t depend on your memory. Write the message on a sheet of paper.

2.    Ask the caller to spell or repeat anything you don’t understand.

3.    Write clearly. Read the message back to the caller to be sure it is correct.

4.    Be sure the message contains the following points;

a.     The name of the person who gets the message (to whom? = Recipient)

b.    The name of the caller (From whom?)

c.     The time of call

d.    The reason for the call (message)

e.     The phone number of the caller

5.    Sign the message with your name.

The format of a telephone message from the caller

FORMAT	EXAMPLE
TO: FROM: PHONE NO: MESSAGE: DATE & TIME: RECEIVER:	TO:             Managing Director From:          Mr Samson Marwa Phone No: 0765656565 Message:  Mr. Samson has found out that the printer he bought here does not work. So he wants to be refunded or the printer changed. He asks you to call him back on the number above. Date & Time: 23rd June 2018 at 11:00 am  Received by:  Jane.

B.  WRITING MESSAGES ON MOBILE PHONES

Ø Mobile phone can be used to make phone calls or to send short text messages commonly known as SMS. Writing a mobile SMS is largely dictated by the kind of the phone you are using. If it is a screen-touch Smartphone then you will have to touch the Message icon on your screen to lead you to the SMS page. If you are using a phone with buttons you will have to press the Menu button then use a navigation key to lead you to the message icon, and then press ok to get the message page.

Ø Some phones require you to write the number of the recipient before you go to the message page. Others allow you to finish drafting the message before inserting the number of the recipient. You can insert the number either by typing it manually if you have it by heart or by inserting it from the phone book. In either way when you have finished drafting the message and inserted the number, you will have to press or touch OK/SEND button or icon to get your message through. Then you will receive a MESSAGE SENT feedback.

Ø If you have set a delivery report feedback, then you will receive a delivery report when the recipient gets the message.

Ø You don’t need to type your name if the person on the other end has your number saved in his/her phone book. You can only type your name if you are using a new or unfamiliar number, or you are contacting that person for the first time.