Written Communication

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Written Communication
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• Whenever you want to make something official, put
  it in writing.
• Effective business writing is really more a
  matter of good organization than of literary
  talent.
• General Writing Etiquette
• First determine whether writing is appropriate.
• Its almost always best to write in the
  following cases
• when you are expressing thanks
• when you want to clarify or confirm a
  phone conversation, a plan of action, or
  an agreement
• when you are asking someone to study a
  matter before reaching a conclusion or
  taking action

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• 2. Organize your thoughts.
• Think about the person to whom you are
  writing to.
• Decide exactly what you want to say what
  you want the outcome of the
  communication to be.
• Think about what your central point is.
• 3. Be clear and concise.
• Get to the point as quickly as possible.
• Keep your language simple and your format
  brief.
• Eliminate extra words.
• If there are certain things you want to
  particularly emphasize, it is OK to underline
  them or use boldface type. But dont overdo it.

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Thank-you Notes

• The right occasions for thank-you notes
• When you receive a gift
• Following a meal with a client, prospect or a
  visit to someones home. Include the persons
  spouse, if appropriate.
• Following a job interview or sales call.
• two purposes served here
• a. to thank the interviewer or prospect for
  his/her time
• b. to restate your interest in the job or
  serving the client
• To thank your host after a business trip. Be sure
  to send this as soon as possible after your
  return.
• To praise an employee or vendor for a job
  exceptionally
• well done.

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Thank-you notecontd

• For maximum impact, thank-you notes should be
  sent within 24 hours.
• Thank-you notes should be handwritten if at all
  possible.
• Put your name and company name on it.
• Thank-you notes should not look too formal.
• Do not use stationery with cute pictures it is
  unprofessional.
• Make sure you use the recipients correct name
  and title.
• Never guess about the spelling.
• Your closing should not be overly familiar.
  Sincerely and Best regards are always safe
  choices.

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E-mail courtesy

• Keep your message short.
• Dont use all capital letters.
• In the world of cyber communication, capital
  letters scream at people.
• Pay careful attention to your spelling and
  grammar.
• Remember that e-mail isnt private. Dont write
  anything you wouldnt want someone else to see!
• Always use a subject line, and keep it concise.
  It could get your message read faster.
• Only send copies of e-mails to those that
  absolutely need it.