ES2002 Business Communication

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ES2002 Business Communication

• Letter Writing Style and Tone

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Style and Tone

• Style words and sentences a writer chooses to
  produce a desired response in readers
• Tone the unwritten or unspoken message the
  message between the lines

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The parking lot is sparsely used at 8 a.m.
likewise at 5 p.m. As managers you either do
not know what your EMPLOYEES are doing or YOU do
not CARE. You have a problem and you will fix
it or I will replace you. What you are doing,
as managers, with this company makes me SICK.
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The 4 Ps

• Be polite
• Be positive
• Be personal
• Be professional

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Be Polite
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Be Polite

• Write in a style that
• Reflects appropriate reader-writer relationship
• Doesnt convey sense of superiority/anger/condesce
  nsion
• Doesnt embarrass reader

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Reflect appropriate reader-writer relationship
(a) With effect from 14 July, I suggest your
goods be delivered at 7.00 am sharp instead
of the usual 6.30 am. I seek your cooperation in
this respect. (b) My suggestion is that we
deliver your goods promptly at 7.00 am instead
of the usual 6.30 am. I hope this arrangement
is convenient for you.
Reflect appropriate reader-writer relationship
Be Polite
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Avoid sounding superior, angry, condescending

• 1(a) How do you expect us to send you the forms
  you requested if you carelessly omitted the
  identifying numbers.
• (b) If you will send us the form numbers, we
  will be glad to send you all the papers you
  requested.

Avoid sounding superior, angry, condescending
Be Polite
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Avoid sounding superior, angry, condescending
2 (a) Although money for your grant is
unavailable this semester, we hope you
will reapply next semester.
Avoid sounding superior, angry, condescending
(b) We are sure you recognise the fact that
we cannot grant everyones request for a
grant.
Be Polite
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Dont embarrass reader
Dont embarrass reader
(a) As you did not respond within ten days, it
should be clear to you that you did not
qualify for the free gift. (b) You probably did
not notice that your order was mailed after our
special gift order had expired.
Be Polite
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Be Positive
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Be Positive

• Use positive words/phrases
• Stress what can be done

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Use positive words and phrases
Use positive words and phrases
(a) There are no more places for the May 15
seminar and there will be no similar seminar
organised until October.
(b) Due to its popularity, all places for the
May 15 seminar have been filled. A similar
seminar will be organised in October and we
will be happy to reserve a place for you, if
you like.
Be Positive
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Stress what can be done
Stress what can be done
(a) The problem will be resolved if you connect
the wires according to the instructions
given.
Be Positive
(b) The problem would not have happened if you
had connected the wires properly.
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Which is better?
(1) You will have to wait for Mr Suppiah to
handle your complaint. (2) As soon as Mr
Suppiah returns, he will answer your
enquiry.
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Be Personal
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Be Personal

• Adopt a you attitude
• Use personal pronouns
• Avoid pompous language / attitude

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Definition of you attitude
a style of writing that looks at things from
the readers perspective and expresses genuine
consideration for the reader
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Adopt a you attitude
Adopt a you attitude
(a) We are happy to announce that we have
increased the size of our store building.
So?
(b) Now you will find a wider choice of
merchandise in the greatly enlarged building.
Be Personal
Oh great!
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Adopt a you attitude
Adopt a you attitude

• Instead of
• We call to your attention
• I am sending the enclosed check

• Use
• You will be interested to know
• You will be happy to receive

Be Personal
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Use personal pronouns
Use personal pronouns
(a) If there should be any questions concerning
the matter, please call the number listed on the
letterhead above.

(b) We look forward to working with you.
Meantime, if there is anything further that we
can do for you, please let us know.
Be Personal
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Which is better?
Use personal pronouns
(1) The full payment of the housing loan is
due.
(2) You must pay the full amount of your loan
immediately.
Be Personal
There are instances when the omission of
personal pronouns is appropriate.
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Avoid pompous words/phrases
Avoid pompous words/phrases
1(a) I, as a frequent borrower, wish to inform
you that I am pleased with the improvement in
quality of the National Library over the years.
(b) As a regular user of the National Library, I
would like to express my appreciation for the
improvements made in the last 10 years.
Be Personal
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Avoid pompous words/phrases
Avoid pompous words/phrases
2(a) I want to cogitate further on the
matter before giving a definitive answer.
(b) I want to think about the matter a little
more before giving a final answer.

Be Personal
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Be Professional
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Be Professional

• Generalise experiences simplify examples
• Be objective
• Maintain dignity
• Be sincere

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Generalise experiences simplify examples
Generalise experiences simplify examples
(a) For example, I once waited 40 minutes for a
service 197 bus because two previous buses
passed without stopping.
(b) There was one time where I spent nearly 40
minutes waiting for two buses on Service 197
which drove past without stopping. And then
there was another time when
Be Professional
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Be objective
Be objective
(a) On top of that, the bus drivers of such
on-coming buses would seize the opportunity to
steer right and bypass the bus stop.
Be Professional
(b) Furthermore, the bus drivers who tailgate
other buses also tend to bypass the bus stop.
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Maintain dignity
Maintain dignity
(a) As a valued customer, you can rest assured
that we will take every precaution to ensure
that you get the best service in the future.
Be Professional
(b) Since you are a valuable customer, we hope
you will give us another chance to prove that we
can do a good job.
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Be sincere
Be sincere
(a) Your phenomenal contribution to our
understanding of tax laws is remarkable. (b) We
would like to thank you for helping us gain a
better understanding of tax laws.
Be Professional