Business writing

Letters

Memos

Before writing What is the exact message? How will it act upon the receiver? What would be the receiver’s reaction-

pleased/ displeased/ neither pleased nor displeased but interested/ not interested

Good news letters Which please the receiver- follows direct

organization of ideas. Pleasant news/ ideas / Details or explanations /

Closing message/ thought

Routine letter Received with interest Major ideas / details or explanations / Closing thought

Routine claim letters When the writer thinks that because of guarantee

or other terms and conditions, the request for adjustments will be automatically granted

1. Request action in opening sentence 2. Give reasons supporting the request/ action 3. End with an appreciation for taking action

requested. ( page 101)

Reply- yes First sentence expression of willingness

( page 102) But note words like grant and claim is not

used. View complaint positively Letter should be polite and with respect. Avoid negative expressions State facts and action desired.

Reply- no to a request Begin- general situation as a context in which the

request was considered. Assure reader that his/ her matter is considered

with great understanding and care. It’s the circumstances and not the merit of the

request. Agree with the reader in some way. Give a sincere compliment Give facts,reasons and factors for refusal Do not highlight the refusal. End- seek good business relations – suggest

alternative course of action/ or better deal in future.

Persuasive letter Letters which arouse reader's interest and induce

them to act as directed. Opening sentence-1. A startling statement of fact 2. A remedial measure to a problem 3. An alarming question. 4. A special product or scheme or plan feature. Middle section- details, benefits, why proposal

should be accepted. Request action- yes response to the proposed

request. Last- remind special benefits or gains

Differ

May not be dated No personal salutations Usually a post script\important information

( page 113, 114)

Memos Within organization/ office to

communicate routine matters, Less formal It directly states the subject ( page 115)

How to write a Memo Begins straight with the subject Short- friendly to solicit similar response Give necessary and sufficient info Do not assume everyone knows everything

related to issue Explain causes of problems or reason for

change Be clear, concrete and specific Be pleasant Ask for suggestions and feedback

Uses of memo To provide information To issue an instruction To convey policy decision To offer suggestions To record/ report an agreement ( page 117)

Form & layout of business letter Full block style Semi-block style Simplified style ( page 126-128)

Reference Insert a reference line. Includes initials of writer ( upper case) and

the typist ( in upper or lower case) A file or departmental reference may be

included E.g. GBD/ST GBD/st/ Per1 GBD/ST/134

Date Shown in full Day/ month/ year No commas E.g 12 July 2003 Or month/ day/ year often with a comma E.g. July 12, 2003

Inside address Name and address of recipient typed n separate

lines as on envelope. Address the person exactly as they sign E.g Mr Douglas Cowles General Manager Cowles Engineering Co Ltd 12 Bracken Hill Manchester M 60 8AS

Special markings If confidential, include as part of inside

address, one clear line above it. Inside address should have the name of the

recipient and full address. Typed in upper case

Salutation If name has been used in inside address,

use a personal salutation E.g. Dear Mr Leighton, Dear Douglas,

Dear Miss Tan, dear Rosehannah Letter addressed to head of the department

or whose name is not known then use Dear Sir or Madam

Heading Brief indication of content of letter. Placed one clear line space after the

salutation Upper case is generally used. E.g Dear Mrs Marshall INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE- 24

AUGUST 2003

Complimentary close Yours faithfully- used when Dear sir/

Madam is used Yours sincerely- for personalized

salutations

Name of sender and designation After complimentary close 4 or 5 spaces should

be left for signature Name can be in upper case or initial capitals Designation or dept.directly beneath name Title of Mr is never shown It is usual courtesy to add title for females Eg. Yours faithfully

LESLEY BOMAN( Mrs) General Manager

…contd. Signed on behalf of the sender, write ‘for’ or ‘pp’

in front of the senders printed name Pp is abbreviation for per procurationem means

‘on behalf of’ E.g. Yours faithfully

For EDWARD NATHAN Chairman

Enclosures Affix a colored ‘enclosure’ sticker usually

in the bottom left-hand corner of the letter Or Type three dots in the left hand margin

on the line where the enclosure is mentioned in the body of the letter

Or type ‘Enc’ or ‘Encs’ at the foot of the letter, leaving one clear line space after senders designation.

Copies When you need to send copy to a third

party ( usually someone in the senders organization) type CC or Copy followed by name and designation of the copy recipient.

If two or more- show them in alphabetical order

Case study Page 130