Unit 1: Introduction to Business Writing

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Unit 1Introduction to Business Writing

• 1.1 Overview
• 1.2 Principles of Good Business Writing
• 1.3 Letter Format and Styles

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1.1 Overview

• Questions to ask
• Will readers understand your message?
• Will readers like the tone the message is
  delivered?
• Will readers do what you suggest in the letters?

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1.2 Qualities of Good Business Writing

• Clarity
• Correctness
• Completeness
• Courtesy

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Claritytips for word usage

• Use simple and concise words.Examples ?
  approximately ? about ? pursuant to your
  request ?as you asked? at the present time
  ?now ? enclosed herewith ? here is/here are?
  at your earliest convenience ? as soon as
  possible (ASAP)? a substantial segment of the
  population ? 25 of people

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Claritytips for sentence construction

• A Sentence should contain only one complete
  thought.Example ? Thank you for your letter of
  October 25, 2005, complimenting on our companys
  reputation and giving us your order, which we
  will take very good care of. ? Thank you for
  your order of October 25, 2005. We are happy to
  have this opportunity to serve you.
• Strong Sentence use active voice. Example
• ? Your reservation of a double room at our hotel
  has been taken care of.? We have reserve a
  double room for you.
• Sentences should fit together naturally.Example
  
• ? We agree with many of the points in your sales
  report. We shall put some of them into effect
  immediately. We shall delay action on the
  remainder and get reports from other sales
  representatives. ? we agree with many of the
  points in your sales report. With the ones we
  can agree upon, we will put them into effect
  immediately but with the others, we shall decide
  what to do after we have studied reports from
  other sales representatives.

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Claritytips for paragraph arrangement

• Opening and closing paragraphs are usually
  shorter than the body paragraphs.1. In opening,
  we usually state the reason or set the scene for
  the communication.2. In closing, usually a
  simple one-liner is all that you need.
• Use inverted pyramid structure.The benefit for
  using the inverted pyramid structure is that it
  allows your readers to get the most important
  information early.

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1.3 Letter Format and Letter Styles

• Parts of a Business Letter1. Heading2. The
  Opening3. The Body4. The Closing

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1. Heading

• Return Address (usu. omitted if it is printed on
  a stationary)
• Date line

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2. The Opening

• Inside address should include name of the
  addressee, job title of the addressee, company
  name, and complete addresse.g. Ms. Sophie
  LinMarketing ManagerRacauto Company110
  Chieh-Shou Rd., Taoyuan 330, TaiwanR. O. C.
• Attention Line (optional, only used when you do
  not know the name of the person to write
  to/)e.g. Attention Marketing Department
• Salutatione.g. Dear President Lei/ Dear Sir/
  Dear Madame, etc.

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3. The Body

• Subject line (optional, but its use is increasing
  as it helps both reader and writer)
• Message
• Tips for compiling the body of the letter
  Usually the first and the last paragraphs should
  be no more than four lines long. All other
  paragraphs should be no more than eight lines
  long.

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4. The Closing

• Complimentary closing
• Writers Name and Title
• Signature e.g. Sincerely yours/Faithfully
  yours/Truly yours,Sophie LinSophie
  LinMarketing ManagerRacauto Company

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4. The Closing

• Reference initialsUsually include the initials
  of the dictator and the transcriber. e.g.SME
  PRG or MVL/ef
• Enclosure NotationAnything included in the
  envelope with the letter.e.g. Enclosure/
  Enclosures 2e.g. Enclosures 1. Catalog2.
  Reply Card
• Copy Notationused to inform the address of the
  letter that a copy of the letter is sent to a
  third person.e.g. Copy to Gary Lei/ cc Gary Lei
• PostscriptUsed to give strong emphasis to an
  important idea (not something you forget) e.g.
  PS. Please mail the return slip before December
  8, 2005.

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Styles of a Business Letter

• Modified-Block StyleParagraphs are either
  indented/not indented.the date line and the
  complimentary closing starts from the center
  (Example 1)
• Block StyleAll the information starts from the
  left margin. (Examples 2)

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Stationary Design

• Company Logo
• Company Name
• Address
• Contact details (including telephone number, fax
  number, e-mail address, and website)

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Stationary Example