Business

Correspondence
Business Communication vs General
Communication
•Business communication takes place within a firm. Information is shared
among staff members, management, and customers.
•General communication occurs outside of a particular organization.
Information is exchanged and shared between people, families, friends, and
other social/interpersonal groups.
•The differences between business communication and general
communication are their styles, aims or objectives, and areas where they
are applied.
  BUSINESS COMMUNICATION GENERAL COMMUNICATION
FORMAT It uses a specific formal format for communicating. There is no set formal for communicating. The format
depends on the circumstances.

PERSONAL Personal opinions, emotions, or feelings have no Much of the content of general communication is
TOUCH place in professional letters, emails, or documents. comprised of personal feelings, thoughts, and
opinions.

SCOPE It is concerned with factual knowledge that is It may contain imaginative material or opinions, and
impartial and objective. its reach is limited or arbitrary.

PRESENTATION It adheres to organizational and corporate policies. There are no rules for informal communication; you
can utilize whatever approaches you want.

OBJECTIVE The business message is intended to elicit a specific The general message is created to alert the recipient
business action. to specific issues.

TYPE Official or corporate communication is business Every conversation you have, regardless of the topic,
communication. is personal.

FEEDBACK Feedback is crucial for business development. Feedback is not very significant; you are free to
express your own opinions, and you are also free to
ignore feedback.
7 C’s of Effective Communication

Completeness Conciseness Consideration Clarity

Concreteness Courtesy Correctness

Types of Business Correspondence

•• Letters
•• E-mails
•• Memoranda
•• Instant messages
•• Microblogging
•• Routine Requests
•• Claims and Adjustments
•• Goodwill Messages
Business Letters

Used to communicate externally

– from one company to another,
Formal and official
or from a company to a person
outside of the organization

Flexible - some examples of when

business letters are used: formal
Highly structured
requests, cover letters, letters of
recommendation
 Structure of a
Business Letter
Letters of Transmittal
What is a Letter of
Transmittal?
• This is a brief cover letter that explains the
purpose of a longer, more complex
document. It is generally one page long.
• .The purpose of the document or report is
made clear in this letter so that readers
will know what the main document
contains and why they are receiving it.
• Transmittal letters may also include
specific information and the major ideas of
the document, as well as any
requirements or directions regarding the
attached document.
Format of a
Letter of
Transmittal
1. Include a heading with the date and recipient's address
• Include a heading with your full name and company address, located in the top left corner
of the page. One line below your name and address put the date you wrote the letter.
Then, one line below the address put the recipient's full name, official title, organization
and address.
2. Greet the recipient appropriately
• Begin your transmittal letter with a short greeting addressed to the recipient of the letter.
3. Write the body of the letter
The body of the letter will normally include four sections:
• The purpose of the letter
• Details about the attached document
• Request for follow-up or further instructions
• Contact information
4. Include a short closing paragraph
• In the conclusion, include final remarks about the attached document, a thank you to the
recipient and a closing salutation, such as "Sincerely, [your name]" or "Regards, [your
name]."
Jen Henderson
Digital Drive Inc.
123 Fall Avenue
Madison, WI 53716

Hannah Richardson
Owner
Richardson Organic Farm
456 Summer Lane
Lodi, WI 53555

Dear Mrs. Richardson,

Within the attached R.O.F. Marketing Report, you will find information on the feasibility of
marketing your organic products through the Organic Nature website and our recommendations
for a specific plan of action.
Our analysis included researching the organic market in Wisconsin and the success of similar
businesses marketing their products online. We have spoken directly with the team at Organic
Nature to gather data and insights into how their website will increase your market visibility and
online sales. Based on our research, we concluded the online market will be a beneficial space
for your business. We have provided an outline for a marketing plan in the attached report for
your review.
Thank you for trusting us to complete this market research for you. We appreciate your business
and look forward to working with you. Please review the official report and respond with your
thoughts.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact me anytime at

jen.henderson@digitaldrive.com or (608) 123-4567. I look forward to speaking with you further
on this project.

Sincerely,

[Signature]
Jen Henderson
Emails
Four Questions You Must Ask Yourself
1. Who is my audience?

2. What is the purpose of my email? BLOT – Bottom Line on Top

3. Is this email necessary?
4. Is email the most appropriate medium to communicate my message?
Parts of a Great Email

• Subject line – gives a brief overview of the email’s purpose in about three to eight words
(not too brief or too long)
• Salutation - should be professional and brief. Although using the recipient's name when
addressing them is generally preferred, it might not always be practicable.
• Opening pleasantry
• Purpose – BLOT – Bottom Line on Top
• Call to Action – clearly indicate what you want the reader to do
• Closing message
Memoranda
Singular: memorandum
What is a
Memorandum?
• A memorandum is a short, informal report that is used to
create records
• Messages sent over email frequently take the form of
memoranda
• A memorandum is used for internal communication within
an organization – external communication is done via a
letter
• Memoranda are used to make inquiries, announcements,
policy statements, and meeting minutes available
• Memos are essential for keeping track of choices, requests,
responsibilities, outcomes, and concerns of the company
Instant
Messaging
(IM)
Benefits of
Using IM
• Offers real time communication
• Improves the quality of
communication
• Builds trust with remote workers
• Promotes social connections
• Replaces several communication
tools
Microblogging
What is Microblogging?

A BRIEF BLOG TIME SENSITIVE USES AUDIO, POSTED ON

VIDEO, TEXT SOCIAL MEDIA
Benefits of Microblogging

Businesses can quickly Individual posts can be Businesses can quickly Businesses can
share short content generated quickly create quite a bit of improve productivity
with clients website content
Routine Requests,
Claims and
Adjustments,
Goodwill Messages
Routine Requests
• One of the most typical types of writing is a routine
request, for information, for example.
• You are not requesting a particular/special favor;
therefore, your request is expected to be granted.
• You don’t need to persuade your reader to agree to
your request because they are expected to do so.
Claim and Adjustment Letters
The claim letter, also referred to as a "letter before action," is a
straightforward written communication intended to inform a third party that
their service is deficient.

These formal letters are helpful in situations where one party is dissatisfied
with another and requests reimbursement for their expenses.

An adjustment letter or claim adjustment letter is a written response to a

customer's claim letter from a representative of a company. It outlines how
a product or service issue might (or might not) be fixed.
Goodwill Messages

These are messages that appeal to the human aspect of the corporate world

Some examples of goodwill messages: thank you notes, congratulatory

messages, messages of sympathy, etc.

Remember: a good response to these messages is a simple “Thank you” –

don’t just leave the message alone – you’ll weird everyone out