BUSINESS WRITING

CORE QUALITIES OF BUSINESS WRITING

Clarity: It is distracted by unclear thinking and poor
language.
Conciseness: Once you are clear what you want to say,
just say it without beating around the bush. Once you
write it down go over it and see weather you can cut out
few words. Crisp writing makes the reader happy.
Reader will also find it easy to reconstruct your
message.
Unity: If a paragraph has unity it has a topic and all
sentences in the paragraph are about that topic.
Coherence: Linking of sentences in proper direction is
coherence.
Appropriate tone:
Reader friendliness:

BUSINESS MEMOS
Business memos are an internal method of communication
within one company.They are short messages.
Write the heading section of the memo. The heading
contains information about the recipient of the memo, the
sender, the date and the business memo subject. The subject
of the memo should be a short sentence that describes the
entire memo.
Compose the opening paragraph. The first paragraph of a
business memo should clearly state the intention of the memo
and an overview of what information is going to be presented
in the body of the memo.
Briefly describe the issue. Sentences used to define the
issue should be short, to the point and rely heavily on facts.
Explain the solutions in progress. If you are working on a
solution to a problem, or have an idea of how it can be solved,
the third paragraph is the place to describe it.
Summarize your findings in the fourth paragraph. If the
memo is short, this is an optional section. But if the memo
takes up more than one full page, a summary section
highlighting the main points discussed is helpful.
Finish the memo by including what the recipients need to
do and a deadline date for completing the requested
action. Include any information about follow-up
communication in the last paragraph.
Sign the memo. This is an optional step, but some
companies adhere to the practice of completing business
correspondence with the sender's signature appearing above
the sender's typed name.
Proofread the memo. Prior to sending the memo internally or
externally, be sure that the content is grammatically correct. If
the memo contains sensitive information, check your company
policy to see who can edit or read the memo for you.
EXERCISE
Situation:
You are the Personnel Manager at Hamp & Heath Ltd. and
have been approached by your IT Department to recruit a new
member of staff. You have received over 100 applications and
have selected 10 candidates for interview.
Task:
Write a memo to Miss Bhatt, the Manager of the IT
Department informing her of what you have done so far. Tell
her you will shortly be writing to the candidates inviting them
for interview. Ask her to let you know when the interviews
should take place. Suggest the initial interviews take place in
the Personnel Department and ask how many people form her
department will be attending so that you can arrange rooms
and anything else they may require.
Now write the memo and add any information you think
necessary.

BUSINESS LETTERS
Letters differ from memos in following ways:
Letter circulates outside the organization.
Letter can communicate sensitive message.
Letters can also be written with the purpose to
persuade or convince the reader.
BUSINESS LETTERS
Beginning the Letter
Know the format. Whatever the content of your letter,
there are a few business standards to follow regarding
the way it looks. Business letters should be typed and
composed in a common font such as Arial or Times New
Roman. Employ block paragraphing - i.e., to start a new
paragraph, hit "return" twice and don't use an indent.If
you're printing the letter to send, consider printing the
letter on company letterhead. This lends it a more
professional air and provides your company's logo and
contact information.
An emailed business letter should also be composed in
a common font. Don't use script or colors other than
black and white in a business email.

Include information about your company. List your
company name and the company address, with each
part of the address written on a different line. If you're
self-employed or an independent contractor, add your
name either in place of the company name or above it.If
your company has pre-designed letterhead, you can use
this instead of typing out your company and address.
If you're typing out the address, it should appear either
right or left justified at the top of the page, depending on
you and your company's preference.
Include the date. Writing out the full date is the most
professional choice. For example, write either "April 1,
2012" or "1 April 2012." This should appear left justified
a few lines below the sender's address.
Add the recipient's information. Write out the
recipient's full name, title (if applicable), company
name, and address in that order, with each piece of
information on a separate line. If necessary, include
a reference number. The recipient's information
should be left justified a few lines below the date.

Choose a salutation. The salutation is an important indicator
of respect, and which one you use will depend on whether you
know the person to whom you're writing, how well you know
them and the level of formality in your relationship. Consider
the following options:Employ "To Whom It May
Concern" only if you don't know whom, specifically, you're
addressing.
If you do not know the recipient well, "Dear Sir/Madam" is a
safe choice.
You may also use the recipient's title and last name, e.g.
"Dear Dr. Smith."
If you know the recipient well and enjoy an informal
relationship with him or her, you may consider a first-name
address, e.g. "Dear Susan."
If you are unsure of the recipient's gender, simply type the
whole name, e.g. "Dear Kris Smith."
Don't forget a comma after a salutation or a colon after To
Whom It May Concern.

PART 2 OF 4: COMPOSING THE BODY
Strike the right tone. Time is money, as the saying
goes, and most businesspeople hate to waste time. The
tone of your letter, therefore, should be brief and
professional. Make your letter a quick read by diving
straight into the matter and keeping your comments brief
in the first paragraph. For instance, you can always start
with "I am writing you regarding..." and go from there.
Don't concern yourself with flowery transitions, big
words, or lengthy, meandering sentences - your intent
should be to communicate what needs to be said as
quickly and cleanly as possible.
To tighten your copy, avoid passive verbs and try not to
editorialize.

Write clearly and concisely. Let your reader know
exactly what you are trying to say. Your reader will only
respond quickly if your meaning is crystal clear. In
particular, if there is some result or action you want
taken because of your letter, state what it is. Explain
your position in as few words as possible.
Be conversational when appropriate.Avoid form
letters if possible - you cannot build a relationship with
canned impersonal letters. However, stay away from
colloquial language or slang such as "you know," "I
mean" or "wanna". Keep the tone businesslike, but be
friendly and helpful.If you know the recipient well, it's
fine to include a friendly line sending good wishes.

Be courteous. Even if you are writing with a
complaint or concern, you can be courteous.
Consider the recipient's position and offer to do
whatever you can, within reason, to be
accommodating and helpful.
Wrap it up. In the last paragraph, summarize your
points and clearly outline either your planned
course of action or what you expect from the
recipient. Note that the recipient may contact you
with questions or concerns, and say thank you for
his or her attention to the letter/matter at hand.
PART 3 OF 4: CLOSING THE LETTER
Choose a closing. The closing, like the salutation,
is an indicator of respect and formality. "Yours
sincerely" or "Sincerely" is generally a safe bet; also
consider "Cordially," "Respectfully," "Regards" and
"Yours Truly." Slightly less formal but still
professional closings include "All the best, Best
wishes," "Warm regards," and "Thank you." Use a
comma after your closing.
Sign the letter. Leave about four lines empty for
your signature. Sign the letter after you've printed it,
or, if you're sending it via email, scan an image of
your signature and affix it to this part of the letter.
Blue or black ink is preferred.
Include your typed name and contact
information. Beneath your signature, type your
name, phone number, email address and any other
applicable means of contact. Give each piece of
information its own line.
If necessary, include "Enclosures." If you've
enclosed additional documents for the recipients
review, note this a few lines beneath your contact
info by noting the number and type of documents,
e.g. "Enclosures (2): resume, brochure."
PART 4 OF 4: FINALIZING THE LETTER
Edit the letter. Presentation is a key element of being
professional. Make sure that the recipient will easily be
able to see you as capable and in charge by editing your
letter for errors. Run spell check on your word
processor, but also give the letter a thorough read
before you send it.Ask yourself whether the letter is
clear and concise. Are any paragraphs more than 3-4
sentences long? If so, determine whether you can
eliminate unnecessary statements.
If the letter is extremely important, you might want to
have a friend or colleague look it over. Sometimes a
second pair of eyes can help you catch errors or
awkward wording you may not have noticed.

Post the letter. Send the email or, if you're sending
the letter via post, use a business envelope. (If
available, use one with the company logo printed
on it.) Neatly print your return address and the
recipient's address. Fold the letter into third parts,
such that the recipient will first unfold the top flap,
then the bottom flap. Make sure you affix sufficient
postage, and send it off.If you feel like your
handwriting is messy and doesn't match your
professional persona, type the addresses in your
word processor nx run the envelope through your
printer.

TIPS OF BUSINESS LETTERS
Organize your Material:
Consider your audience:
Write
Proofread
Edit your text
EMAILS:
Professionalism:
Effeciency:
Sensitivity:
Enatomy of Email
To
CC:
BCC:
Subject Line
Text
Signature

EMAIL ETIQUETTES
Use a short and accurate subject header.
Use a proper salutation.
Introduce yourself in the first paragraph (if
necessary).
Write the actual message.
Use the correct form of leave-taking.
Sign with your full name.
Proofread your message for content.
Proofread your message for spelling and
grammar.

Select Common font , Color should be black.
Punctuation should be proper.
Subject line should be shrot ,sweet and well
thought off.
5 to 7 words
Re: appearing too many times
Change the subject line if topic of conversation has
taken another direction.
Incorrect subject lines:
What to do??
????
Urgent
Very very urgent
Re:FYI
If Greetings are missing it seems you are sounding
bossy.