Preparing Correspondence PDF

Preparing Correspondence Some Basics for Writing to Audiences Worldwide  Objectives Identify the different types of correspondence letters; Apply basic concepts in writing proper correspondence letters; and Writing effective routine workplace correspondence ...

Preparing Correspondence Some Basics for Writing to Audiences Worldwide  Objectives Identify the different types of correspondence letters; Apply basic concepts in writing proper correspondence letters; and Writing effective routine workplace correspondence  Preparing Correspondence Business correspondence includes letters and memos. Letters are among the most important writing you will do on your job. Businesses worldwide take letter writing very seriously, and employers will expect you to prepare and respond to your correspondence promptly and diplomatically. Your signature on a letter tells readers that you are accountable for everything in it The higher up the corporate ladder you climb, the more letters you will be expected to write.  Letters in the Age of the Internet 1. Letters represent your company’s public image and your competence. 2. Letters are far more formal—in tone and structure—than any other type of business communication. 3. Letters constitute an official legal record of an agreement. 4. Unlike emails, many businesses require letters to be routed through channels before they are sent out. 5. Letters are more substantial and secure than emails. 6. A letter is the official and expected medium through which important documents and attachments (contracts, specifications, proposals) are sent to reader 7. A letter is still the most formal and approved way to conduct business with many international audiences. 8. A hard-copy letter is confidential. A formal hard copied letter is more formal than sending an email Parts of a Letter A letter contains many parts, each of which contributes to your overall message. The parts and their placement in your letter form the basic conventions of effective letter writing. Readers look for certain information in key places. Parts of a Letter 1. Heading 2. Date Line 3. Inside Address 4. Salutation 5. Body of the Letter 6. Complimentary Close 7. Signature 8. Enclosure Line Heading The heading of a letter may be either your company’s letterhead or your full return address. It typically contains the Date and Inside Address Date Line Spell out the name of the month in full—“September” or “March” rather than “Sept.” or “Mar.” The date line is usually keyboarded this way: November 12, 2014. Month/Day/Year Avoid Abbreviations when writing the date, it looks less formal  Inside Address Address of the recipient It contains the name, title (if any), company, street address, city, state, and zip code of the person to whom you are writing. Single-space the inside address, and do not use any punctuation at the end of the lines.  Salutation Two spaces below the inside address includes your salutation or greeting. Begin with Dear, and then follow with a courtesy title, the reader’s last name (unless you are on a first-name basis), and a colon (Dear Mr. Brown:). Avoid the sexist “Dear Sir,” “Gentlemen,” or “Dear Madam” and the stilted “Ladies and Gentlemen” or “Dear Sir or Madam.” Sometimes a first name does not reveal whether the reader is male or female. If you aren’t certain, you can use the reader’s full name: “Dear Terry Jones.” Avoid casual salutations such as “Hello,” “Hi,” “Good Morning,” “Greetings,” or “Happy Tuesday”; these are best reserved for emails or IMs. And never begin a letter with “To Whom It May Concern,” which is old-fashioned, impersonal, and trite.  Body of the Letter The body of the letter, two spaces after the salutation, contains your message. Some of your letters will be only a few lines long, while others may extend to three or more paragraphs. Keep your sentences concise and try to hold your paragraphs to less than seven lines. For you to have more concise writing, use the 5 W’s: Who, What, When, Where, Why.  Complementary Close A close, two lines below the last line of your message, is the equivalent of a formal goodbye. Capitalize only the first letter of the first word. The entire close is followed by a comma Sincerely, Respectfully, Sincerely yours, Cordially, Best wishes, Regards. Avoid these closes: Forever yours, Devotedly yours, Faithfully yours.  Signature Allow four spaces between the complimentary close and your typed name and title so that your signature will not look squeezed in. Always sign your name in black ink. An unsigned letter indicates carelessness or, worse, indifference toward your reader. Some firms prefer using their company name along with the employee’s name in the signature section  Making a Good Impression on Your Reader Writing letters means communicating to influence your readers, not to alienate or antagonize them. Keep in mind that writers of effective letters are like successful diplomats; they represent both their company and themselves. You want readers to see you as courteous, well-informed, and professional. To send such effective letters, adopt the “You Attitude,” in other words, signal to readers that they and their needs are of utmost importance.  Ask yourself these questions when writing a letter 1. Will my readers receive a positive image of me? 2. Have I chosen words that convey both my respect for the readers and my concern for their questions and comments? No attitude letter Attitude Oriented Letter  Achieving the “You Attitude”: Four Guidelines 1. Never forget that your reader is a real person 2. Keep the reader in the forefront of your letter 3. Be courteous and tactful 4. Don’t sound pompous or bureaucratic  Formal Communication in Organizational Communication Can be divided into four (4) sub – categories: Downward, Upward, Horizontal, and Crosswise Downward – refers to the highest position sending a message to the lower position till the lowest. Upward – refers to the lowest position sending a message to the higher position till its highest. Horizontal – Equal communication between people in the hierarchy Crosswise – Crosses all units and hierarchal levels just to send a message. PRESIDENT  Informal Communication in Organizational Communication Also known as “Grapevine” These are unofficial channels of message flows coming from all different levels in the hierarchy. This can happen due to dissatisfaction of a staff member with the current situation they are faced in. Some employees would even spread gossip about something, be it person or work environment and most of the time their point of origin is almost undetectable. Preparing Correspondence Four Most Common Types of Business Letter Four Most Common Types of Business Letter 1. Inquiry Letters 2. Cover Letters 3. Special Request Letters 4. Sales Letters  Inquiry Letters An inquiry letter asks for information about a product, service, or procedure. Businesses frequently exchange such letters. As a customer, you too may write a letter asking about a service or a special line of products, the price, the size, the color, delivery arrangements, or recent technological changes. The clearer your letter, the quicker and more helpful your answers are likely to be.  How to write an Inquiry Letter 1. States exactly what information the writer wants 2. Indicates clearly why the writer requests the information 3. Keeps questions short and to the point 4. Specifies when the writer must have the information 5. Thank the reader Inquiry Letter Example  Cover Letter A cover letter accompanies a document that you send to your readers. It identifies the type of document you are sending and prepares your audience to read it.  How to write a Cover Letter 1. Provide a written record that you have transmitted a document. 2. Tell readers why you are sending them the document. 3. Briefly summarize what the document contains—number of sections, visuals, statistics, appendices, etc. 4. Explain why the document is of interest to readers. 5. Express a willingness to answer questions about the document. 6. Thank readers for their time. Example of Cover Letter  Special Request Letters Special request letters make a special demand, not a routine inquiry. For example, these letters can ask a company for information that you as a student will use in a paper, an individual for a copy of an article or a speech, or an agency for facts that your company needs to prepare a proposal or sell a product. Make your request clear and easy to answer. Supply readers with an addressed, postage-paid envelope, a URL (if necessary), an email address, and fax and telephone numbers in case they have questions  How to write a Special Request Letters 1. Address your letter to the appropriate person. 2. State who you are and why you are writing—e.g., student doing a paper, employee compiling information for a report, and so on 3. Indicate clearly your reason for requesting the information. Mention any individuals who may have suggested you write for help and information 4. Precisely and succinctly state your questions; list and number them. 5. Specify exactly when you need the information. Allow sufficient time—at least three weeks. Be reasonable; don’t ask for the impossible. 6. Offer to forward a copy of your report, paper, or survey in thanks of the anticipated help. 7. Thank the reader for helping Sample of Special Request Letter  Sales Letter A sales letter is written to persuade the reader to buy a product, try a service, support some cause, or participate in some activity No matter what profession you have chosen, there will always be times you have to sell a product, a service, a community or charitable program, a point of view, or yourself. The Four A’s of a Sale’s Letter 1. It gets the reader’s attention—with a question or a how-to statement (e.g., “We can show you how to save $100 on your next credit card purchase”). 2. It highlights the products or service’s appeal—emotionally or financially, or both. Focus on benefits to the reader. 3. It shows the customer the products or service’s application— descriptions, special features, guarantees. 4. It ends with a specific request for action—call, visit, participate, register online. Motivate reader to act promptly Sales Letter Example  International Business Correspondence After emails, letters are the most frequent type of communication you are likely to have with international readers. Formal letter writing is a highly prized skill in the global marketplace. The conventions of letter writing— formats, inside addresses, salutations, dates, complimentary closes, signature lines—are as diverse as international audiences are.  Ten Guidelines for Communicating with International Readers 1. Use common, easily understood vocabulary 2. Keep your sentences simple and easy to understand 3. Avoid ambiguity 4. Be careful about technical vocabulary 5. Avoid idiomatic expressions 6. Delete sports and gambling metaphors 7. Don’t use unfamiliar abbreviations, acronyms, or contractions 8. Watch units of measure 9. Avoid culture – bound description of place 10. Use appropriate salutations, complimentary closes, and signature lines.  Use common, easily understood vocabulary Write in basic, simplified English. Choose words that are widely understood. Whenever you have a choice, use the simpler word. For example, use stop, not refrain; prevent, not forestall; happy, not exultant.  Short, direct sentences will cause a reader whose native language is not English the least amount of trouble A good rule of thumb is that the shorter and less complicated your Keep your sentences sentences, the easier and clearer they will be for a reader to process. simple and easy to Long (more than fifteen words) and complex (multiclause) understand sentences can be so difficult for readers to unravel that they may skip over them or simply guess at your message. Do not, however, be insultingly childish, as if you were writing to someone in kindergarten.  Avoid Ambiguity Words that have double meanings force non-native readers to wonder which one you mean For example, “We fired the engine” would baffle your readers if they were not aware of the multiple meanings of fire Be especially careful of using synonyms just to vary your word choice. For example, do not write quick in one sentence and then, referring to the same action, describe it as rapid. Be careful about technical vocabulary While a reader who is a non-native speaker may be more familiar with technical terms than with other English words, make sure the technical word or phrase you include is widely known and not a word or phrase used only at your plant or office. Double-check by consulting the most up-to-date manuals in your field, but steer clear of technical terms in fields other than the one with which your reader is familiar. Avoid Idiomatic Expressions Idioms are the most difficult part of a language for an audience of non-native speakers to master. As with the example of fire, the following colorful idiomatic expressions will confuse and may even startle a nonnative reader: Delete Sports and Gambling Metaphors These metaphors, which are often rooted in U.S. popular culture, do not translate word for word for non-native speakers and so can interfere with your communication with your readers.  Don’t use unfamiliar abbreviations, acronyms, or contractions Remember that not everyone understands the abbreviations you use. Some might misinterpret the abbreviations you use which would lead to miscommunication Watch units of Some countries use different units of measure Be mindful of these things and always convert measure them to the person you’re sending this letter to. Avoid culture – bound descriptions of place Be mindful that how you perceive certain places may not be applicable to people outside of culture or the country.  Use appropriate salutations, complimentary closes, and signature lines. Find out how individuals in the recipient’s culture are formally addressed in a salutation (e.g., Señor, Madame, Frau, Monsieur). Unless you are expressly asked to use a first name, always use your reader’s surname and include proper titles and other honorifics (e.g., Doctor, Sir, Father). For a complimentary close, use an appropriately formal one, such as Respectfully, which is acceptable in almost any culture  Respecting Readers’ Nationality and Ethnic/Racial Heritage Do not risk offending any of your readers, whether they are native speakers of English or not, with language that demeans or stereotypes their nationality or ethnic and racial background. 1. Respect your reader’s nationality 2. Observe your reader’s cultural traditions 3. Honor your reader’s place in the world economy 4. Avoid derogatory stereotypes 5. Be sensitive to the cultural significance of colors 6. Be careful, too, about the symbols you use for international readers  Activity 1. Choose a type of letter you want to write. (Except Cover Letter) 2. Compose your own letter following the parts of a letter Here are some scenarios you can follow: a. You are advertising your product to a shareholder b. A student inquiring about their application to a different school c. A journalists securing an interview schedule with a famous artist d. An employee asking HR about their salary deduction if they were to take a vacation e. You are a financial advisor asking your clients about their annual purchases