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BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

LANOEL S. LAJA

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TOPICS COVERED

• Business Correspondence, Concepts &

Principles

• Business Letters

• Kinds of Business Letters

• Other Forms of Business Correspondence

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SUB TOPIC 1.

BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE,

CONCEPTS & PRINCIPLESDefinition of Terms

• Correspondence means communication on matters of

personal, official and business interest.

• Business correspondence is the communication or exchange of information in a written format for the

process of business activities. It can take place between

organizations, within organisations or betweencustomers and the organisation.

• Business letters are formal messages following specificformats. They may be addressed to a particular person

or organization.

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Business Correspondence, Concepts

and Principles ContinuedHow we communicate or various types of Business correspondence

• Business letter , agreements

• Business reports

• Memos

• e-mails , websites

• Agendas• Minutes

• Sales letter

• Inquiries

• Orders

• Letters of complaint

• Claims and adjustments

• Notice and tenders

• Circulars letters of application and résumé.

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Purpose and uses of Business

Correspondence

• It becomes a record

• It becomes a legal document

•

It can be used for future reference.• It cut short distance between parties

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Importance of Business

Correspondence

• To keep in touch with customers

• Help in maintaining proper relationship: It isonly through correspondence the parties in a

business come into contact with each otherand conduct a business activity of their choice.

• Cheap and convenient mode: The

correspondence helps to bridge the distanceand bring people close together.

• It reduces disputes and quarrels

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Importance of Business

Correspondence

• Create and maintain goodwill: Businessmen at times sendletters to inquire about complaints and suggestions of their customers. Also, to inform customers about the availability of a new product, clearance sale etc

• Serves as evidence : Keep records of all facts

• Help in expansion of business : through Correspondence,

actors can make all enquiries about products and markets.

• That is why correspondence is the backbone of any business.

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SUB TOPIC 2- BUSINESS LETTERS

• Letters are the oldest form of business communication

• Business letters are formal messages following specific formats. They may beaddressed to a particular person or organization.

• Companies use them to request payment, thank customers or to solicit business.

• Examples, e-mails, ordinary letters, agreements

• All business letters should follow a fairly standard format:

Date, the name, and address of the recipient as well as your own name and address,Greeting ( Dear sir ) body and a compl imentary close ( Sincerely yours )

SO WHEN SHOULD WE WRITE

• most formal

• Usually sent to someone from a different company than yours, or a different

• Other organisations

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Qualities of a Business Letters

• Simplicity: simple and easy language should be used

• Clarity : the language should be clear with properpunctuation

•

Accuracy: statements should be accurate – no errors• Completeness: provide all the necessary information

• Relevance: contain only essential information

• Courtesy: courtesy wins the heart of the reader; use

words like please, thank you etc• Neatness: a neat letter is always impressive

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PARTS OF BUSINESS LETTER

• Heading-This contains the return address (usually two or three lines) with the date on the last line.Sometimes it may be necessary to include a line after the address and before the date for a phonenumber, fax number, E-mail address, or something similar.

• Dateline- Indicates the date of origination/writing.

• Inside Address- This is the address you are sending your letter to. Make it as complete as possible.Include titles and names if known. This is always on the left margin. If an 8½" x 11" paper is foldedin thirds to fit in a standard 9" business envelope, the inside address can appear through thewindow in the envelope. An inside address also helps the recipient route the letter properly andcan help should the envelope be damaged and the address become unreadable.

• Greeting or Salutation-The greeting in a business letter is always formal. It normally begins with theword "Dear" and always includes the person's last name.

• Body-Contains the message desired to be conveyed

• Closing/ Complimentary Close-This short, polite closing ends with a comma.

• Signature Line- full name of the person/officer who will signed and his signature

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Parts of Business Letters Illustrated

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SUB TOPIC 3- KINDS OF BUSINESS

LETTERS

• General Classification

1. Business to Business Type- intended for

company to company communication

2. Business to Client Type-intended for business

to client communication

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1. Business to Business Type

1. Appreciation Letter - a letter of gratitude and appreciation for helpextended, or a good business deal.

2. Thank you - is a letter of gratitude.

3. Congratulations - is a letter that praises the recipient for a jobwell- done

4. Letter of Recognition - a written statement of recognized effortssimilar to an appreciation letter.

5. Letter of Reference - is a character reference letter. It is a letterbuilding up the character of a person to be accepted in a job.

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Business to Business Type

6. Recommendation - is an endorsement letter to hire a certainperson.

7. Sympathy letter - is a letter of condolences to a person or family.

8. Invitation letter - is a letter persuading a person or a company to join an event or an occasion.

9. Letter of credit - is a way of endorsing a certain business to beconsidered a credit loan.

10. Letter of interest - a reply to an invitation that confirms presenceon the event/occasion.

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Business to Business Type

11. Business memorandum - notices that are distributed tothe staff. They are reminders of company activities, orimminent changes in the company. Business introduction -is done to introduce a new business to the readers.

12. Business letter - a letter that talks about the plans for thebusiness.

13. Donation letter - a letter asking for donations.

14. Termination letter - more popularly known as aresignation letter. It signifies someone's desire to leave a

job permanently.

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2. Business to Client Type

1. Welcome Letter - welcomes the client and thanking him forchoosing the company.

2. Letter of Appreciation - thanks the client for having business withthe company.

3. Apology Letter - asking the client for reconsideration, andapologizes for failing to deliver.

4. Collection Letter - notice outstanding payments due.

5. Invoice Letter Template - this is asking the clients to state theinvoice number of their transactions.

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2. Business to Client Type

6. Letter of Invitation - inviting a client to join acertain gathering.

7. Marketing Letter - is stating the newestproducts that the company will provide soonor is presently providing.

8. Rejection Letter - is stating the rejection of the client's request.

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SUB TOPIC 4. OTHER FORMS OF

BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

• Memoranda (Memos)

• E-mail

•

Agenda• Minutes of the Meeting

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Memos

A memo is a document sent within a company.

They should be brief and to the point, highlighting certain aspects.

• Memos should include: To, From, Date, subject, department andlocation

• You should provide a very brief explanation on the exactinformation you are conveying


• Less formal than letters, yet more formal than e-mails

• Often filed as business correspondence

• Use short sentences, less formal language,

and bullet points to convey important information

• Contains a header that tells who it is from,

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E-mail

An e-mail is a communication sent from onecomputer

to another, usually via a network. The use of emailhas become widespread

• Email has become a mainstream form of businesscommunication


•

Less formal - written in a conversational style• Sent to your work colleagues or fellow

students/professors from the same school.

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E-mail

Email use has grown because it:

• Eliminates telephone tag

• Saves time

• Facilitates fast decision

•

Is cheap• It provides written record

Disadvantages

• It is not confidential

• Does not show emotions (death of the conversation)

•

May be ignored or delayed• Information overload

Note: e-mail is writing; treat it as you would any other kind of writing.Plan , write, edit etc

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Agenda

Agenda is a document that outlines the contents of a

forthcoming meeting.

It is usually sent along with the notice of the meeting.Sometimes agenda is prepared after the circulation of

the notice in order to enable the members to

get included in the agenda any item that they would like

to be discussed at the meeting.

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Agenda Example

The next quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors of LakasLoob Kawawa Mining Corp., will take place on Thursday,4th April 2013. At 11:am, in the conference room .

AGENDA1. Minutes of the last meeting.

2. Matters arising from the minutes.

3. Financial irregularities in the Faculty of computing.

4. Reorganization of work in the Faculty of computing.

5. Any other business

6. Date of next meeting.

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Minutes of the Meeting

Minutes are the official record of the proceedings of a

meeting.

• All organizations, whether commercial or

social, attach great importance to maintaining a proper record of the business transacted at their various

meeting.

• Once minutes are approved and signed, even a

court of law accepts them as evidence of the

proceedings.

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Purpose of Minutes

• Provide information about the background and current status

of a case

• Provide information about an outstanding problem

• Gives instructions

• Make requests

• Note action taken ; or

• Suggest a course of action

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Importance of Minutes

The main uses of minutes are as follows:1. They serve as a permanent record for future reference.

Minutes contain a record of the business transacted anddecisions taken at a meeting.

2. Minutes serve as a reminder of the actions to be taken toimplement the decisions arrived at a meeting.

3. In case of joint stock companies, law requires maintenanceof minutes. The interested parties are allowed to inspectthe minutes.

4. Serves as evidence: Minutes can be produced as evidenceof the proceedings in a court of Law.

5. Minutes help in the efficient conduct of business. If properminutes are not kept, the decisions arrived at meeting maybe questioned by any member or Auditor and these cannotbe proved in a Court of Law.

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Types of Minutes

1. Minutes of resolutiona. In this type of minutes only the resolutions passed atthe meeting are recorded

b. It always begin with the words Resolved and then,

followed by the exact resolution

2. Minutes of narration

a. In this type of minutes, the resolutions passed at the

meeting are recorded. b. In addition, a brief account of the business discussedand transacted and the voting pattern are also recorded

c. Minutes of narration are somewhat similar to areport.

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Contents of Minutes

1. The kind of meeting

2. Date, time and place of the meeting

3. The name of the person in the chair.

4. Name of directors, secretary and persons inattendance

5. Reading and confirmation of the minutes of the

last meeting and their signing by the Chairman,together with any matters arising from theminutes

6. Brief subject heading of each minute with theresolutions adopted

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Contents of Minutes

7. Financial statements and reports presented andapproved in the meeting. These may be put in the formof Appendix‘

8. Appointment made, if any.9. In the case of special resolution, the number of votes

for and against.

10. Names of persons dissenting with any resolutionpassed at the meeting

11. Instructions given by the meeting to the secretary orother officers.

12. Chairman‘s signature and date of verification of minutes as correct.

SUB TOPIC 5 COMMON MISTAKES TO

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SUB TOPIC 5- COMMON MISTAKES TO

AVOID IN WRITING A BUSINESS

CORRESPONDENCE.A. Don’t use acronyms, technical jargon or industry buzzwords thatthe reader may not know. There’s nothing more frustrating thanreceiving a letter, report or proposal that is full of language thatyou don’t understand.

B. Don’t use vague, sweeping or ambiguous statements. Be as clear

as possible in your business writing. Avoid phrases like “Thiswould suggest,” or “It is advisable,” and similar preambles thatavoid taking responsibility for a statement or recommendation.You’ll be perceived as a much more confident and knowledgeableprofessional if you take ownership of your analysis andrecommendations. Also avoid statements that could leave the

reader wondering who or what you’re talking about.C. Avoid jokes, humor, sarcasm and anecdotes. Using humor or

sarcasm in your writing sets your tone, and you may come off assounding unprofessional, uninformed, or just plain ridiculous.

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Common Mistakes Continued

D. Avoid clichés. While it is tempting to use the current, trendyphrases in your communication, don’t do it. You’ll just end upsounding clumsy and even insincere. When you’re done writing aletter or other communication, read it back to yourself out load soit would be easy to weed out the clichés and clumsy language.

E. Don’t use slang or language that may be offensive to thereader. This mistake is unprofessional and can even be insulting.

F. Don’t send any communication without proofreading andrunning a spelling and grammar check. This should also includemaking sure that you are using the correct word for yourmeaning.

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G. Don’t pad your writing with unnecessary or flowery words that don’tadd anything to the point you are trying to make. Two things happenwhen written communications are padded with unneeded words. First,the writer sounds like he's trying to embellish the facts; and second, thereader’s valuable time is wasted because he has to sift through frivolouswords to get to the point the writer was trying to make.

H. Avoid the use of uncommonly used words. While using an extensivevocabulary in writing may make you sound highly educated, it’sfrustrating for the reader to have to figure out what it is you’re trying tosay, especially if he has a more limited vocabulary.

I. Use passive voice wisely. In business writing, the use of passive voice isfrequently used to avoid specifically naming a person or group of people.

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J. Don’t be overly casual in email communications. Make sure to use a clearsubject line and start the email with the person’s name and end it by signingyours, just as you would a formal letter. Also, try to avoid the jargon that’s beendeveloped for texting unless you know you’re reader will understand

K. Don’t use fonts that are hard to read, or may not be compatible with another

person’s computer equipment. Many seemingly attractive fonts can be hard toread, or your reader won’t have access to the font on their equipment so thecomputer will substitute a font that can alter your formatting and make yourcommunication difficult to read. Just about every computer has Arial and TimesNew Roman, making either of these wise choices.

L. Don’t use multiple fonts or typefaces. In addition to making sure your chosen

font is easy to read, you should also avoid the use of too many typefaces. Themost common reason that people use multiple fonts is to differentiate betweenpoints or to make a particular statement stand out. However, what ends uphappening is the reader doesn’t know where to look or what to pay attentionto. A better practice is to use the italic, bold or underline styles of a standard,easy-to-read font.

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M. Don’t use type that is too small or too large. In general, youshould always use a font size between 10 and 12 point. Anythingsmaller can be difficult to read and anything larger makes it looklike you’re trying to fill up a page and conveys an unprofessionalimage.

N. Never hand-write a business letter. As casual as society hasbecome, it is still proper and presents a much more professionalimage to write business communications using a computer. Onthe other hand, it is perfectly acceptable to hand-write a quickthank you note or other acknowledgment.

O. Don’t skip proofreading. Even professional writers need editors toensure that their writing is understandable and conveys itsintended meeting.

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End Notes

THANK YOU…. HAVE A NICE DAY….

LSL

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