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Business correspondence is an instrument of decision
making in the business world.
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Business correspondence includes all types of notes,
minutes, memos, letters as well as electronic mails
and messages.
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Correspondence does not exist in a vacuum nor does
it have a rigid format prescriptions.
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Correspondence provides a record of transactions in
business and industry that can be referred to and
checked.
PROCESS OF WRITING
Analyse your audience
Analyse your purpose
Gather information about your subject
Choose the type of document- letter, e-mail,
memo
Draft the document
Format the Document
Revise, edit and proof read the document
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Use the appropriate level of formality
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Communicate effectively
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Project the “you attitude”
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Avoid correspondence clichés
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Communicate honestly
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USE THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF FORMALITY
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Letters, memos and emails are legal property
of the organization; they are archived digitally. They may be read by
the president, appear in the newspaper or court of law. Therefore, use
moderate tone to avoid potential embarrassment.
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Informal- Our meeting with H&R Sons went south
right away when they threw a hissy fit, saying that
we blew off the deadline for the progress report.
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Formal- In our meeting, the H&R Sons
representative expressed concern that we had
missed the deadline for the progress report.
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COMMUNICATE CORRECTLY
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Correct writing is writing that is free of grammar, punctuation,
style, usage and spelling errors. These problems are often
highlighted in e-mails.
Letters, especially, represent the organisation to the public ;
therefore, inappropriate use of mechanics, grammar reflect
negatively on the organization's image. This is unprofessional
since it suggests a lack of respect for your readers and yourself. It
also causes your readers to think that you are careless about your
job.
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Ensure that your message is accurate and unambiguous. The
message should be concise and direct. Direct language should be
used in order to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.
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PROJECT THE “YOU” ATTITUDE
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This entails knowing your audience.
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Correspondence must always convey a positive tone. This is done
by using the “you attitude”, that is, looking at the situation from
the reader’s perspective or point of view. The content, structure
and tone should be adjusted to meet the readers’ needs. Your
explanation should be clear and polite.
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Speak directly to the individual, addressing their individual needs
and interests. This is achieved by using the personal pronoun
“you". The writer should use a professional ,courteous tone.
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Avoid correspondence
clichés- vague and
unclear
words/expressions
should be avoided
Letter clichés
Attached please find
“Referring to your letter
on March 19, the
shipment of pianos…”
“The writer believes
that…”
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Natural equivalents
attached is
“As you wrote in your last
letter on March19,2012
…”
“I believe…”
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Communicate Honestly
Communicating honestly show respect for your
audience. It is a clear sign of professionalism.
The message should be simple and clear for the
readers to understand so that they are able to
respond to it accordingly. Ideas within the
message
should be separated within paragraphs.
1.
It is with great pleasure that we acknowledge with thanks the
receipt of your letter, which you sent on 20/6/2004 and we
received on 06/06/2004.
2.
I am sorry to tell you that I have had nothing but trouble with
both my new Pajero and your firm since I bought my new car
from your firm in February,2008.
3.
In response to your letter datedMay4,2008, we are pleased to
inform you that consequent to the receipt of your cheque for no.
57223- we are sending you your HP Pavillion 1530 Desktop. As
promised , we are sending you several free gifts, which include a
HP Digital Camera P5435, Britannica Encyclopedia 2008DVD,
and a Photo Lab software.
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ELEMENTS OF LETTERS
Heading
Date
Inside address
(Attention line)- this is not always written
Salutation
Subject line- this is expressed in a phrase; it is not needed for every
letter
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Body
Complimentary closure
Signature
Enclosure
Copy line
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FORMATS
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Modified block format-
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Full block format- everything aligned along
the left margin
TYPES OF LETTERS
Letter of application
Letter of Recommendation
Letter of Resignation
Inquiry letter
Response to an Inquiry
Claim Letter “ good news” or “bad news” (polite
reasonable complaint)
 Adjustment letter “good news” or bad news”(
response to a claim letter)
 Transmittal letter
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TYPES OF LETTERS
Persuasive Messages
Letters urging action- these usually begin
with an attention line
Letter to Raise Funds
Request letters
Order letter
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Body of Letters
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Include subject line if possible
Organize material in direct and descending order
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INTRODUCTION- this states the purpose of the letter. The letter should
open with a clear statement that tells the reader why the letter is being
written.
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BODY- the body gives details that explains the purpose of the letter. It
may begin by justifying the importance of the main point, the next few
paragraphs may contain more information and supporting details.
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CLOSING- the purpose is usually restated. The letter may end with a
goodwill expression seeking an action- oriented response. The conclusion
states what action the writer wants the readers to take.
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Sample Business Letter (structure)
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Business Logo
Address
Phone, Fax, and/or Email
Website URL
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Date of Letter’s Mailing
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Name of Addressee
Address
Salutation
Subject line
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Opening ……………………………………………………………………………..
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Body…………………………………………………………………………………..
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Closing………………………………………………………………………………
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Complimentary closure
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Signature
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OC: mJ
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Enclosure
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C
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Dear Ms. Chopra,
I have gone through the letter sent by your office last week. Please be advised that our
company can accept the offer to which the letter refers because it would be beneficial for our
company in several ways. Infact, we have been looking for such innovation programmes for our
junior executives for a long time but no training and consultancy company came forward to send
us this interesting proposal.
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We have gone through the structure of the workshop and find it exhaustive and inappropriate.
However, the workshop may not be effective unless it includes some project work relating some
important areas of artificial intelligence. Moreover, our company may not be able to upgrade the
knowledge level in this regard on a continuous basis unless the project work is included.
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There is no doubt that you have worked hard to design the structure of the programme so that it
is suited for our needs. Nevertheless, we would not be able to take any action unless we receive
your final proposal. Send this positively by the end of May, 2012.
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With regards,
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Yours sincerely,
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Mr. Singh
Here the columnist uses linguistic structure resembling the Guyanese orthographical structure which bores much resemblance of the phonological
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Dear Mr. Chorpra,
Please refer to your letter no. HD(ELE) /176, dated March 29,2012, containing the proposal to
conduct a special workshop on Artificial Intelligence for the junior executives of our company.
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I have gone through the structure of the Artificial Intelligence module and find it exhaustive and
appropriate. However, you may consider including the initiation of some specific project work
relating to artificial intelligence. This may help us in continuing our efforts to upgrade the
knowledge level of our executives in this regard on a continuous basis.
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It gives me immense pleasure in acknowledging the effort that you have put in to designing the
structure of the module, which is appropriately suited to our needs. I would appreciate if you
could send us the final proposal by the end of May,2012.
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We look forward to hearing from you.
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Yours sincerely,
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Radseh Prasad
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Memos are the workhorses of business communication, used for the
routine, day to day exchange of information within an organisation for
internal communication.
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A business memo is a formal written message written in a conventional
form for someone within the organisation to meet a specific need. They
help solve problems and act as a means of decision making. (Rizvi, 2005)
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Business memos describe problems, inform employees, request
information or additional resources, explain actions and policies, provide
direction and give feedback. (Rizvi, 2005)
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Good memos discuss one topic.
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They are less private than letters.
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CHARACTERISTICS
I. describe problems
2. request for information or additional resources
3. contain proposals or request for proposals
4. explain policy statements
5. contain office instruction or guidelines
6. persuade the reader to take action
7. invite the reader to business meetings and
conferences
8. give feedback suggestions and recommendations
9. seek explanations and clarifications
10. polite reminders
There are usually
1. upward memos – subordinates to
supervisors
2. downward memos- supervisors to
subordinates
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Memos should be
clear- simple, specific and familiar words. Avoid
clichés and overused proverbs and phrases
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concise- essential information- Unnecessary
repetition of words, and explanation should be
avoided.
unified according to theme- ensure the memo
discusses one specific topic
informal tone- the tone is usually conversational
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HEADING
a) Date: (complete and current)
b) To (Name and designation of the recipient)
c) From: ( name and designation of the sender)
d) Subject: (Topic of the memo usually expressed as a
phrase)
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OPENING- states the basic purpose (central idea) of the memo.
BODY- contains the message of the memo. It describes, explains
and discusses the central idea of the memo.
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CLOSING- states what action the reader is required to take.
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SIGNATURE- (this is sometimes used)
HEADING
Date: March 6, 2012
To: Rakesh Singh, System Administrator
From: Roy David, Marketing Executive
Subject: Seminar on Telemarketing Strategies
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SYNDICATE
Consultancy Services Ltd.
234 South Road , Georgetown
Date: March 7,2012
To : All employees
From: Anil Marks, Director (sales and Marketing)
Subject: New Health Scheme
______________________________________
OPENING
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The company is introducing a new health scheme
called SCS Health Plan. You will receive your medical
card and a booklet outlining the terms and conditions of the
scheme by June 30,2012.
BODY
The main features of the SCS Health Plan include:
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Medical reimbursement for treatment at private hospitals and clinics.
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Direct payment of medical expenses to ALLMS and other important national hospital.
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Medical facilities for retired staff
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Token system at SCS Hospital.
SCS Health Plan is compulsory for all employees of the company. The use of the medical card is
mandatory.
CLOSING
I am sure the health scheme will improve the existing medical facilities and would benefit our company. We encourage you to use your
medical card you visit a health centre or the SCS hospital and follow the guidelines contain in the brochure. Your cooperation in this
matter will be greatly appreciated.
Anil Marks
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Write a memo to your office supervisor
explaining to him or her why you have been
coming to work late.
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Electronic –mail is the medium of
communication that sends and receives
messages through specially designed
computer networks.
It has become the most popular medium.
They help to enforce professional
relationships.
They are means to reach people both inside
and outside the organisation.
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NETIQUETTE
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Mediated Communication is a Tool:
Using new communication technologies such as listservs,
videoconferencing, discussion boards, and email will not solve a
group's problems. These technologies are simply tools that group
members can use to communicate with each other and those
outside the group.
 Netiquette
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It's likely that Internet tools will provide most of the mediated
communication in which your group engages. Netiquette refers to
etiquette on the Internet. The guidelines below generally apply to
email, listservs, chat rooms, and discussion boards.
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Read messages carefully to make sure that you understand them.
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Carefully read what you send in order to reduce
misunderstandings
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Desist from using label humor or sarcasm. One method for this is
using emoticons, such as 8) ;-) :-). These should not be used in
formal emails.
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Know your audience. Make sure that the people to whom you are
sending your message are members of your intended audience.
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Be patient with people new to listservs, discussion boards, email,
and other communication technologies.
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Keep messages as straight-forward and concise as possible. Recipients
may hit the "delete" button if they see a lengthy, cluttered, and unclear
message.
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Quote relevant parts of a message to which you are responding so the
original sender (or others who may read the email) understands the
context of your response.
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Make sure your name and the message's subject are included.
Focus on one topic in each message. If you try to cover multiple topics,
some of your points may be missed.
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Type in lowercase. Uppercase means that you're SHOUTING.
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Keep in mind that for many Internet users, and possibly members of your
small group, English is not their first language. Ask senders for
clarification before making judgments and jumping to conclusions.
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STEPS WHEN WRITING AN E-MAIL
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Before you write an email ensure that you are aware of the
organization’s e-mail policies. Most organizations have strict
policies that discuss circumstances under which you may or may
not use e-mail.
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When you write emails, adhere to netiquette standards.
Stick to business. Do not send jokes or other non-business
messages.
Don’t waste bandwidth. Keep the message brief; when you reply
to a former email do not quote long passages.
 Write correctly- you should edit, and proofread your e-mail before
sending them.
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Do not FLAME. To flame is to scorch the readers with scathing
criticism, usually in response to something that the person wrote
in a previous message. When you are angry keep your hands away
from the keyboard.
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Make your messages easy on the eyes. Use uppercase and
lowercase letters, and skip lines for paragraphing where
necessary.
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Do not forward a message to an online discussion forum without
the writer’s permission. Doing so is unethical and illegal; the email
is the intellectual property of the writer.
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Do not send an email unless you have something to say.
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CORRECT THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL
TO: METRO COPY CENTRE
SUBJECT:
LATELY WE HAVE BEEN MISSING LASER REPAIR FILES FOR OUR 16MEG WAFERS.
AFTER A BRIEF INVESTIGATION, I HAVE FOUND THE MAIN REASON FOR THE MISSING
DATA.
OCCASIONALLY SOME OF YOU HAVE WRONGLY PROBED THE WAFERS UNDER THE
CORRELATE STEP AND THE DATA IS THEN COPIED INTO THE NON PROD STEP USING
THE QRT PROGRAMME. THIS IS REALLY STUPID. WHEN DATA IS COPIED THIS WAY THE
REPAIR DATA IS NOT COPIED. IT REMAINS UNDER THE CORRELATE STEP.
TO AVOID THIS PROBLEM, FIRST PROBE THE WAFERS THE RIGHT WAY. IF A WAFER
MUST BE PROBED UNDER A DIFFERENT STEP, THE WAFER IN THE CHANGE FILE MUST
BE RENAMED TO THE ** FORMAT.
EDITING THE WAFER DATA FILE SHOULD BE USED ONLY AT THE LAST RESORT, IF THIS
BECOMES A COMMON PROBLEM, WE COULD HAVE MORE PROBLEMS WITH INVALID
DATA THAT THERE ARE NOW.
METRO COPY CENTRE: PLEASE PASS THIS INFORMATION ALONG TO THOSE WHO
NEED TO KNOW.
ROGER PRICE