Business Correspondence

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Business Correspondence

• Meeting 1

• Presentation of Business Document
• Structuring your communication
• Language and Tone
• Email

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Presentation of Business Document

• Printed Stationery
• The examples of letterhead.
• The paper used by a company shows the personality
  of the company.
• Parts of letterhead
• A logo or graphic symbol identifying the company.
• The companys name
• The full postal address
• Contact numbers telephone, fax, email address.
• The website address.

3
Presentation of Business Document

• Fully Blocked Style with Open Punctuation
• There are various styles in correspondence.
• Fully blocked style is the most widely used
  because
• It has businesslike appearance
• It reduces typing time (no indentation).
• Open Punctuation usually comes with fully block
  style. It does not need any unnecessary full
  stops and commas.
• Example 24 July 2006

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Presentation of Business Document

• Continuation pages
• Is the sheets that are used for the second or
  subsequent pages of business letters.
• It should also include
• Page number
• Date
• Name of addressee

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BLOCK STYLE
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MODIFIED BLOCK
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Parts of a Business Letter

• REFERENCE
• DATE
• INSIDE ADDRESS
• SPECIAL MARKINGS
• SALUTATION
• HEADING
• COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE
• NAME OF SENDER AND DESIGNATION
• ENCLOSURES
• COPIES

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Reference

• Includes the initials of the writer (usually in
  upper case) and the typist (usually in upper or
  lower case). A file or a departmental may also be
  included.
• Examples
• GBD/ST GBD/st/Per1 GBD/ST/134
• Our ref DH/sa
• ? Daniel Horstmann wrote the letter and
• Sarah Andy, the secretary typed it.
• Exercises
• ...

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Date

• The date should always be shown in full.
• In UK ? it is usual to show the date in the order
  day/month/year. No commas are used.
• Example 24 July 2006
• In some countries the date is typed in the order
  month/day/year, often with a comma after the
  date.
• Example July 24, 2006

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Inside Address

• The name and address should be typed on a
  separate lines as it would appear on an envelope.
• For example a person signing as Smith
  Beckenbauer should be addressed as such in the
  inside address, preceded with the courtesy title
  Mr.
• To address him as Mr S Beckenbauer would not be
  appropriate.
• Exercises ...

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Special Markings

• If a letter is confidential it is usual to
  include special markings as part of the inside
  address.
• This may be typed in upper case or in initial
  capitals with underscore.
• Examples
• CONFIDENTIAL
• Miss Iris Tan
• Personnel DirectorSoft Toys plc
• 21 Windsor Road
• Birmingham
• B2 5JT

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Salutation

• If the recipients name has been used in the
  inside address, it is usual to use a personal
  salutation.
• For example
• Dear Mr Leighton
• Dear Douglas
• Dear Miss Tan
• If your letter is addressed generally to an
  organisation and not to a specific person, the
  more formal salutation Dear Sirs should be
  used.
• If your letter is addressed to a head of
  department or the head of an organisation whose
  name is not known, then it would be appropriate
  to use
• Dear Sir or Madam

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Heading

• A heading gives a brief indication of the content
  of the letter.
• It is usually also called as Subject of Letter
• It is usually placed one clear line space after
  the salutation.
• Upper case is generally used.
• Dear Mrs Marshall
• INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 24 AUGUST 2003

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Complimentary Close

• The two most common closes are
• Yours faithfully
• Yours sincerely
• Yours faithfully
• Used only with Dear Sir/Sirs/Sir or Madam
• Yours sincerely
• Used with personalised salutations such as
• Dear Mr Leighton
• Dear Caroline
• Dear Mrs Tan

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Name of Sender and Designation

• After the complimentary close 4 or 5 spaces
  should be left so that the letter can be signed.
• The name of the sender should be inserted (in
  whatever style is preferred Upper case or
  initial capitals only).
• The senders designation or department should be
  shown directly beneath his/her name.
• Examples
• Yours faithfully Yours sincerely
• PATRICK ASHE LESLEY BOLAN (Mrs)
• Chairman General Manager
• When a letter has to be signed on the behalf of
  the sender, it is usual to write for or pp in
  front of the senders printed name pp is the
  abbreviation for pre procurationem (on behalf
  of).
• Examples Yours faithfully
• Shirley Johnson
• for EDWARD NATHAN Chairman

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Enclosures

• There are many methods of indicating that an
  enclosure is being sent along with a letter
• Affix a colored enclosure sticker usually in
  the bottom left-hand corner of the letter.
• Type three dots in the left-hand margin on the
  line where the enclosures is mentioned in the
  body of the letter/
• Type Enc or Encs at the foot of the letter,
  leaving once clear line space after the senders
  designation. ? this is the most common form of
  indicating enclosures.
• Example Yours sincerely
• Linda Patterson (Mrs)
• Marketing Manager
• Enc

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Copies

• When a copy of a letter is to be sent to a third
  party (usually someone in the senders
  organisation) this may be indicated by typing
  cc (copy circulated or courtesy copy) or Copy
  followed by the name and designation or the copy
  recipient.
• If there are two or more copy recipients, it is
  usual to show these in alphabetical order.
  Example
• Ravi Gopal, General Manager
• Ashley Ow Yong, Company Secretary
• Candice Reeves, Accountant
• If the writer does not wish the recipinet of the
  letter to know that third person is receiving a
  copy of the letter, then bcc (blind
  carbon/courtesy copy) is used. This should not be
  shown on the top of the letter, only on the file
  copy and bcc copy/ies

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Try to identify this letter !
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Try to identify this letter !