INTRODUCTION

Welcome to your Business Correspondence course. Lets begin by looking at the differences between the 3 types of correspondence. Take a few moments with a partner and identify what you think are the differences between business letters, E-mails and memos. LETTERS: E-MAILS: MEMOS: -

Business E-mails and Memos are, for practical purposes, only different in the means of transmission. Memos are paper based and delivered by hand whereas E-mails arrive via the Internet. E-mails provide a more manageable paper trail once saved and filed. Both are less formal than business letters and are written to individuals or groups in the company (internal) or to established suppliers and known contacts (external). In this course we will focus on E-mail, but exactly the same principles apply in writing memos. Business letters are clearly more formal than E-mails or memos. Letters provide a permanent record and a statement of responsibility for the contents on the part of the writer who attaches a signature. As such they require the writer to use greater care in the writing process and they allow the writer a format to present a more complex, logical argument. So, although there are similarities, the style of writing, language choices and layout of the three types of business correspondence need to be kept in mind.

THE 5 KEY POINTS

To write effective business correspondence, there are 5 key points that must be constantly kept in mind:

ORGANIZATION CLARITY CONCISENESS READERSHIP ACCURACY

1. ORGANIZATION
IDENTIFY YOUR PURPOSE FOR WRITING. To: INFORM REQUEST Why are you writing? RECOMMEND

When you are clear about this, you will be able to organize your writing according to the basic principle:

** PUT THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION FIRST**

2. CLARITY Include all the relevant information that the reader needs in order to act appropriately. This information should be written as clearly and directly as possible.
You want to ensure that the reader reacts in a way that achieves your purpose.

3. CONCISENESS AVOID IRRELEVANT INFORMATION Do not include anything that the reader does not need to know to react appropriately.

BE CONCISE Keep your writing as short as possible without losing clarity. You need the complete message clearly written in as few words as possible.

This will save you time writing and also save your readers time understanding your message. 4. READERSHIP
WHO IS THE AUDIENCE?

Once you decide who will read your correspondence you will be able to decide WHAT TO WRITE What does the reader know already? What does he/she need to know? HOW TO WRITE The style and degree of formality you choose will vary if you are writing to a customer, your boss, a colleague or one of your employees. Below are some rough guidelines to help you decide on an appropriate style for your reader. Less Formal Within the company Someone you know well Single reader Equivalent status or Subordinate More Formal Outside the company Someone you do not know well Multiple readers Superior status

Once again, it should be remembered that these are very approximate guidelines. Even in the left hand column above, writers may adopt a more formal style when conveying unpleasant information eg some kind of reprimand, or making a particularly time-consuming or difficult request. 5. ACCURACY Business E-mails are practical documents. Their main aim is to ensure that business runs smoothly and efficiently. Most readers will forgive odd mistakes in vocabulary choices, grammar or punctuation provided the message is easy to read and clear so the reader can act appropriately after reading your document.

Business letters, on the other hand, are more formal and permanent documents and require a greater degree of accuracy in all areas. WRITING E-MAILS AND MEMOS MAIN PURPOSES FOR WRITING: eg. Event Announcements, Temporary Positions, Policy and Procedure Changes, Reply to a Request. eg. For Material, Information, Assistance or Authorization. eg. A course of Action, A Solution, Changes to Policy or Procedure. E-MAIL STRUCTURE All E-mails should follow a basic structural plan which will make your writing task easier and your E-mails more effective in getting you the results you want from the reader. This structure is based on the principle of putting the most important information first. It is made up of 3 component parts:

INFORM Policy a

REQUEST

RECOMMEND

1. 2. 3.

WHAT WHY CLOSING

THE COMPONENT PARTS IN DETAIL:

1.

WHAT This is your message, the most important part of your E-mail. It comes at the beginning of the E-mail to save your reader's time.

Your reader should be able to understand and act on your E-mail by reading only this initial part. 2. WHY. This gives the reason or reasons to support your message: 3. CLOSING. Closings are not meaningless phrases. They are included to ensure that you get: - what you want - when you want it - why you need it then (optional).

(There are E-mails, particularly ones that inform, where the closing is omitted.) INFORM
1. What I want to inform you about 2. Why I need to inform you about it 3. Closing: action required; deadline

REQUEST
1. What I want to request 2. Why I request it 3. Closing: action required; deadline

RECOMMEND
1. What I recommend 2. Why I recommend it 3. Closing: action required;

PROCEDURE FOR WRITING A SUCCESSFUL E-MAIL

Even when writing business correspondence in your native language it is very rare that the first draft says exactly what you want to say in the most clear and concise manner. The task is even more difficult when it is in a foreign language. The best way to deal with the problem is to have a series of steps that you work through each and every time you write an E-mail. ** READ THIS PROCEDURE NOW AND REFER TO IT ** EACH AND EVERY TIME YOU WRITE AN E-MAIL

1. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS E-MAIL?

CATEGORIZE YOUR MESSAGE:

Analyze the situation and decide on the type of E-mail you need to write. Do you want to: - INFORM (includes replies and instructions) - REQUEST - RECOMMEND

Think carefully, especially if your first decision is that your e-mail is to inform. Are you sure you do not want your reader to take any action?

DEFINE YOUR MESSAGE:

WHAT IS MY MESSAGE?

Write the answer to this question in note form on a blank piece of paper. This will be the first structural component of your E-mail: The WHAT. Keep everything in note form. Do not write full sentences at this stage.

CHECK THAT YOU HAVE INCLUDED ALL ESSENTIAL DETAILS

Do not include any information that is not necessary. 2. WHY ARE YOU INFORMING, REQUESTING OR RECOMMENDING?

Write down all the reasons WHY you are writing the message. Use note form. Do not try to order or edit at this point. Identify any irrelevant reasons and delete them. Group reasons that logically go together. Order the reasons logically starting with the most important. Develop your own system (numbering, arrows etc) for reorganizing notes.

3.

CLOSING If your e-mail requires a closing, write note form answers to these questions:

WHAT do you want the reader to do? WHEN do you want the reader to do it? WHY do you give a deadline? (optional).

Action Required; Deadline;

4.

START WRITING FULL SENTENCES Up to this point in the process you should have written in note form only. No Full Sentences. This avoids the problems of sentence building and grammar and focuses your attention on the task of determining the content or message. In addition, it is much more economical to edit and re-order the information you want to convey when it is in point form. Now that you have thoughtfully and systematically developed and ordered the content of your message, it is time to begin the focused task of putting that message into clear and concise sentences.
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Using the notes that you have edited and ordered, write the first draft of your e-mail. FIRST CHECK STRUCTURE AND CONTENT Check your first draft. STRUCTURE CONTENT

WHAT WHY CLOSING Have you included all the essential information? Are all the details correct eg dates and numbers? Is there any irrelevant information that should be deleted?

6. 7.

WRITE SECOND DRAFT. SECOND CHECK GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY AND PUNCTUATION Read through your second draft several times checking for grammar, vocabulary and punctuation problems. Subject and verb agreement Vocabulary use Articles (the/a/an) Punctuation, capitalization, spelling Singular/Plural/Uncountable Nouns

8.

FINAL DRAFT Add a suitable subject heading and write your final draft.

STYLE AND LAYOUT GUIDELINES

BE DIRECT. - Don't waste your time or the reader's time. Make the message EASY TO FIND. - Put the important information first.

Make your e-mail EASY TO READ. -Use new paragraph for each new idea. -List and number where possible.

AVOID trying to impress the reader with BIG WORDS. - Dont fill your E-mail with meaningless words, phrases or sentences. -This is not the place for literature.

COMPARE E-MAILS Which of the following E-mails do you prefer, and why. Work in groups of two or three. Write down all the reasons for your choice and then discuss your decision with other groups.

Nur Wawolumaya Students Who Have Been Absent When we had a meeting on Monday before the course started, you said that you wanted all the instructors to tell you the names of students who do not come to class regularly or who miss more than two sessions. I am teaching Level 3 writing course and I have noticed from the register that a couple of students have not yet turned up, so they have been absent for three sessions. I thought I had better tell you about this. Their names are Parlyn S and Sukarmin and they both work in the Accounts Department. Parlyn is employment number is 1740 and Sukarmin's 0715. Thank you for your kind attention to this matter. Didi Mulyono