Business

Communication

Assignment

Submitted To: Ms. Ankita Mandoliya Submitted By: Aliya Sheikh

M.B.A (1 sem)
 Business Letters
Business letter is a professional, formal letter which is used by
organizations to communicate with companies, business clients,
employees, shareholders, investors, etc. Business letter uses
formal language and a specific format. It is used to convey
important information and messages.
Types of Business Letters-
 Cover letters – A cover letter is a business letter typically
sent with resume when someone is applying for a job.
Cover letters are often one page and include:
 Contact Information
 Salutation
 Purpose of the letter
 Brief overview of skills and experience
 Conclusion
 Offer letters – An offer letter is one that employers send to
inform a jobseeker that they want to hire them. These
letters often accompany a verbal offer. Within the letter,
you find key details about the position, including salary,
start date, benefits and other employment terms. Candidates
respond and choose to accept the offer, negotiate terms or
decline. Parts of an offer letter include:
 Job description
 Job title
 Salary
  Projected start date
 Benefits
 Requested acceptance timeline
 Letters of recommendation – Written on behalf of another
professional to verify their qualifications and work ethic. A
letter of recommendation can strengthen an application for
employment, higher education or another professional
opportunity. Some jobs require recommendation letters
from two to three people who can discuss your
qualifications for potential roles. Letters of
recommendation include:
 Relationship of recommendation
 Evaluation of the candidates qualification
 Closing statements
 Complaint letters – Consumers most often send complaint
letters to businesses when they are unhappy with a service
or product. Businesses may also occasionally need to write
a complaint letter if a vendor or service failed to meet their
expectations. Components of a complaint letter include:
 Formal greeting
 Expectations at the time of purchase
 Description of the issue
 Expected resolution

Other business letters – Inquiry letters, Termination letters,

Apology letters, Letter of resignation, Sales letter, etc.
Common Components of Business Letters

The common components of business letters –

 Heading: Heading contains the return address with the date
on the last line. Sometimes it is necessary to include a line
before the date with a phone number, fax number, or e-mail
address. Often there is a line skipped between the address
and the date. It is always necessary to include a header with
the sender’s information.

 Recipients Address: The Recipients address, also called

the inside address, includes the name and address of the
recipient of your letter. The first line in the address block
should include the recipient's name and title, and the
second line should state the recipient's company or
business. The third and fourth lines are designated for the
actual address. It comes after heading and before the
salutation.
 The Salutation: The salutation in a business letter is
always formal. It often begin with Dear and ends with a
colon. Use the same name as the inside address, including
the personal title. If you know the person and typically
address them by their first name, it is acceptable to use only
the first name in the salutation. In all other cases, however,
 use the personal title and last/family name followed by a
colon. Leave one line blank after the salutation.
 Body: The body is the longest part of the business letter
and is usually divided into three sub-categories:
 Introduction – The introductory paragraph states
the purpose of the letter.
 Main Content – The main content conveys all
necessary detailed information
 Summary – The last paragraph summarizes the
information provided, restates the letter intent and
offers either instructions or an enquiry regarding
follow-up correspondence
 Complimentary Close: The complimentary close is a short
and polite remark that ends your letter. “Sincerely” is the
most common closing remark. Others include “cordially”,
“best wishes” and “best regards”. A comma should follow
the closing.
 Signature: Signature plays an important role in business
letter. It includes name, contact and designation. Type your
full name and title four spaces below your complimentary
close. Signature indicates your approval of and
responsibility for the letter.
 Enclosures: It is the process of enclosing the required
documents. It is indicated by typing “Enclosures” one line
below the listing. In case of very important document name
them.
 Writing Effective Memos
Memos – A memo is a short official note that is sent by one
person to another within the same company or organization.
A business memo is most effective when it connects your
purpose with your reader’s interests. While each memo should
be written to address its unique needs, there are a few steps you
can follow to create a clear, highly readable document. The steps
include-
 Start with a header that clearly indicates that the
communication is a memorandum, the intended recipients,
the sender, the date and the subject.
 Write an introduction that uses a declarative sentence to
announce the main topic of the memo.
 Include a body paragraph with discussion points that
elaborate or list the main ideas associated with the memo's
topic.
 Conclude your memo with any remaining information
following the body paragraph.
 Close with your name, email address and phone number in
case anyone needs to contact you.
 Insure any necessary attachments are included if your
intended recipients will need to refer to other information,
 such as a graph, image or chart, below the end of your
memo.
Writing effective memos-
1. Keep your subject line concise but also precise – Avoid
general subject lines like “Upcoming Meeting” in favor of
something more specific, such as “Notice of Date Change
for Upcoming Marketing Department Meeting.” This way,
even busy readers who are only skimming the document
will understand what issue is being addressed.
2. Lead with the main topic of your memo. It should be
clear from the very first sentence what this memo is about.
If your memo is on the long side, your first paragraph
should briefly summarize the following content.
3. Keep your audience top of mind. Tailor the content of
your message to your primary audience’s priorities.
Consider what matters most to them and emphasize that
element early in your message to grab your reader’s
attention. For memos distributed across multiple teams, be
sure to use language familiar to all.
4. Include only relevant information. Some supporting
information may be helpful, even necessary, to illustrate
specific points. However, if you can remove a sentence or
paragraph without losing the meaning of your message, it is
usually better left out.
5. Choose the right tone. All memos should be confident and
direct, but be sure to consider your content and audience as
well. Evaluates the tone of your memo and its
 appropriateness for your message, ensuring it’s delivered
effectively and sounds exactly as intended.
6. Choose the right communication channel. There are
subtle but important differences in sharing a memo via
email versus posting it in a chat channel or on a private
messaging platform. Be sure to choose your channel
carefully when sending your message.
7. Avoid potentially confusing or misleading mistakes. No
matter how simple the message, it’s always important to
reread what you’ve written to eliminate typos and other
issues that could lead to a misunderstanding.
An effective memo improves productivity by getting the
right information to the right people as quickly and
efficiently as possible. Good memo writing can also
improve employee engagement, as team members typically
feel more connected to a company when they are kept “in
the loop.”
Meetings: Procedure – Preparing Agenda,
Minutes and Resolutions.
A meeting is a gathering of two or more people that has been
convened for the purpose of achieving a common goal through
verbal interaction, such as sharing information or reaching
agreement. Meetings may occur face-to-face or virtually, as
mediated by communications technology, such as a telephone
conference call or a videoconference.
Meetings Procedure-
 Clarify aim /purpose
 Assign roles
 Review agenda
 Work through agenda
 Review meeting record
 Plan next steps and next agenda
 Evaluate
1. Agenda – A meeting agenda is made up of a list of topics,
talking points, action items, and any activities you’re looking to
discuss during the meeting.
It includes a clear and comprehensive outline of what should
happen over the course of the meeting. It’s essential to the
success of your meeting that this information is shared with all
of the meeting participants in advance of the meeting.
Preparing Agenda –Agenda is prepared by the meeting
facilitator.
 Define the meeting goal
 Build a template with specific sections and topics
 Ask participants for their inputs
 Estimate time slots for each section
 Attaching documents related to the topics in the agenda
The following elements are included in the agenda −
 Meeting Agenda Title
 Meeting Information
 Objective
 Date
 Location Time
 Meeting Type
 Attendees
 Other notes or information to be taken down.
2. Minutes - Meeting minutes are a written record of the
conversation and decisions that are made over the course of a
meeting. It is brief but a complete record of all discussions held
in the meeting. It is also defined as the official record of the
proceeding of a meeting that should be needed to approve by the
participating members of the meeting. This type of meeting
notes can actually be written for any kind of meeting that
requires an official record.
 The following elements are usually included in most meeting
minute documents:

 Meeting basics like name, place, date and time

 List of meeting participants
 Meeting purpose
 Agenda items
 Next meeting date and place
 Documents to be included in the meeting report

3. Resolution – Resolution is a record of final decision taken at

the end of meeting. A resolution is a proposed course of action
that is presented to meeting participants for their consideration
and discussion, and then voted upon.

It is written at the time of the meeting. It is also refers to the

outcome of the meeting.
i. Format the resolution by putting the date and resolution
number at the top.
ii. Form a title of the resolution that speaks to the issue that you
want to document.
iii. Use formal language in the body of the resolution.
iv. Continue writing out each important statement of the
resolution.
v. The last statement of the resolution should state the final
resolution.
vi. The bottom of the resolution should list the names of the
board members voting on the resolution and spaces adjacent
to their names where they can indicate a “yes” or “no” vote.
vii. There should also be a place for the board president to sign
and date the resolution.