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UNIT iii BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Principles of Business correspondence or communication:or points to be kept in mind while

drafting a letter.

1. Simplicity - Any kind of business correspondence should always be simple . Simple wordsreach the intelligence and feeling more surely and naturally.Pompous and superfluous

words should be avoided.For example rather than saying we are endeavouring to procure

it is advisable to say we are trying to obtain.

2. Conversational style Modern day executive likes to use friendly and conversational stylein preference to the dull and stiff style of correspondence that was in fashion a fewyears

ago.He likes to follow the soundest principles of communication that demand a letter , like

face to face- taking, to be interactive.All writing like all speaking should be interactive.

3. Clarity of Goal Both in thought and expression we have to be clear in our correspondence.Every letter is a reflection of the writers mind. He should therefore be clear about what

information he is seeking or wishingto give. This is his primary goal , and he must have all

the facts and figures about that information ready at hand.

4. Public relation aspect Besides aiming at the immediate goal, business correspondence isalso deeply concernedwith the image of the company in the eyes of public. People form

images about companies from many sources, and correspondence is a major factor among

them. The letters flowing out of a company make strong impressions.All effective

correspondence has therefor e, the broad objective of enhancing the companys public

relations.

5. You-attitude The most effective business letters are those that show the writers interestin the receiver. It means that the writer has to view things from the readers point of view

so as to get a favourable response from him. Every human being is interested in himself

and in furthering his own interest. Communication experts , therefore advise us to shift

our focus from I and we to you and your. As a result the drafting of the letter will be

reflected in generous use of second person pronouns and will show genuine concern for

the receiver

6. Courtesy. When we adopt the you- attitude for mutual benefit it is but natural that ourtone becomes courteous.It must also be kept in mind that the overall tone of courtesy

excludes the element of anger and preaching that very often spoil communication.

7. Sincerity Sincerity means that our readers must believe what we say. They must beconvinced that we are genuinely interested in mutual well being.But it also means that we

do not sound insincere or hypocritical through words of questionable value. Words of

exaggeration like extraordinary, sensational, revolutionary , greatest amazing etc must be

avoided in letters.

8. Positive language- U se of positive language becomes all the more important in businessleter, the primary aim of which is to build up the best of human relations and to earn

business. Positive words stir up positive feelings. Needless to say that negative words

have exactly opposite effect. That is why it is advisable to avoid using negative words like

failure, refuse, do not loss, damage etc.It should be our effort o find positive substitutes

for them.

So we can sum up by saying that: The main principle of business communication is about

choosing words. Always choose understandable, concrete and strong words. Positive words are

the strength of any business communication. The other important principle is about developing

sentences. Compose clear and short sentences. Prefer active voice and give the sentences the

right emphasis. Then comes forming paragraphs.Develop short and clear and logical

paragraphs. There must be a unity in all the paragraphs.

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

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The Heading or Letterhead - Companies usually use printed paper where heading or letterhead is specially designed at the top of

the sheet. It bears all the necessary information about the organisations identity.

Date - Date of writing. The month should be fully spelled out and the year written with all four digits October 12, 2005

(12 October 2005 - UK style). The date is aligned with the return address. The number of the date is pronounced as an ordinal

figure, though the endings st, nd, rd, th, are often omitted in writing. The article before the number of the day is pronounced but

not written. In the body of the letter, however, the article is written when the name of the month is not mentioned with the day.

The Inside Address - In a business or formal letter you should give the address of the recipient after your own address. Include the

recipient's name, company, address and postal code. Add job title if appropriate. Separate the recipient's name and title with acomma. Double check that you have the correct spelling of the recipient 's name.

The Inside Address is always on the left margin. If an 8 1/2" x 11" paper is folded in thirds to fit in a standard 9" business envelope,

the inside address can appear through the window in the envelope.

The Greeting - Also called the salutation. The type of salutation depends on your relationship with the recipient. It normally begins

with the word "Dear" and always includes the person's last name. Use every resource possible to address your letter to an actual

person. If you do not know the name or the sex of of your reciever address it to Dear Madam/Sir (or Dear Sales Manager or DearHuman Resources Director). As a general rule the greeting in a business letter ends in a colon (US style). It is also acceptable

to use a comma (UK style).

The Subject Line (optional) - Its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing successfully with the aims of your letter. Normally the

subject sentence is preceded with the word Subject: orRe: Subject line may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or all

captial letters. It is usually placed one line below the greeting but alternatively can be located directly after the "inside address,"before the "greeting."

The Body Paragraphs - The body is where you explain why youre writing. Its the main part of the business letter. Make sure the

receiver knows who you are and why you are writing but try to avoid starting with "I". Use a new paragraph when you wish to

introduce a new idea or element into your letter. Depending on the letter style you choose, paragraphs may be indented. Regardlessof format, skip a line between paragraphs.

The Complimentary Close - This short, polite closing ends always with a comma. It is either at the left margin or its left edge is in

the center, depending on the Business Letter Style that you use. It begins at the same column the heading does. The traditional

rule of etiquette in Britain is that a formal letter starting "Dear Sir or Madam" must end "Yours faithfully", while a letter

starting "Dear " must end "Yours sincerely". (Note: the second word of the closing is NOT capitalized)

Signature and Writers identification - The signature is the last part of the letter. You should sign your first and last names. The

signature line may include a second line for a title, if appropriate. The signature should start directly above the first letter of the

signature line in the space between the close and the signature line. Use blue or black ink.

Initials, Enclosures, Copies - Initials are to be included if someone other than the writer types the letter. If you include other

material in the letter, put 'Enclosure', 'Enc.', or ' Encs. ', as appropriate, two lines below the last entry. cc means a copy or copies are

sent to someone else.

Business Letter Format

Your Street AddressYour City, State Pin code [Heading ]Date

First and Last Name of the Person to whom you are writing [Inside Address]Their Street AddressCity, pin code

Dear Mr./Ms. Full Name: [Salutation]

You do not want to indent when you are using this format. This is the best format to

use when you are writing a persuasive letter. You want to introduce yourself andthe topic you are writing about to the reader. Remember that the first rule of writingis to know your audience. In a persuasive letter, you state your opinion or yourfeelings about something that is important to you after you have introduced yourself.You must sound as professional and passionate as possible. You do not want to [Body]belittle the reader or they will not finish reading your letter. Your letter needs tohave the facts, reasons, and examples to support your position. Address issues thatyour reader may have in their argument.In a second paragraph, you must have solutions. Without solutions, you are onlycomplaining. Offer assistance in solving the problem. Remind the reader where theycan contact you.

Sincerely yours,A. Student [Signature]

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KINDS OF BUSINESS LETTERS

Business Letters

Information letterSales letter Problem letter Goodwill letter