BussinessWriting.doc

Other examples include:

• fax
• e-mail
• e-mail attachment (EA)
• memo
• reports
• in-house forms
• minutes of a meeting

1.      Applying for a job
� letter / e-mail attachment (EA)
2.      Booking a conference room at a hotel
� fax
3.      Telling colleagues to attend a meeting
�e-mail
4.      Ordering stationery
�fax / e-mail
5.      Telling colleagues about a new member of staff
�e-mail
6.      Complaining about a delivery service
�e-mail / EA / fax
7.      Thanking a customer
�e-mail / letter
8.      Sending out a meeting agenda
�e-mail
9.      Resigning
�letter
10.  Apologising to an important business contact
�letter

More and more business correspondence is being sent by e-mail nowadays. It is possible to use e-mails for all the correspondence listed above: jobs are offered and accepted by e-mail, and you can a book hotel room by e-mail too.
However, in future e-m@il lessons you will consider whether or not this is appropriate.

Many of the answers to this activity can be found in the letter above in the previous activity. Look at it first before reading the answers below.

True / False?
1. It is normal to write Mr John Tan in the first line of the receiver’s address, and underneath to write Dear Mr Tan without the initial.
true
2. The subject heading usually comes after Dear Mr Tan.
true
3. In a modern business letters Dear Mrs Lee and Yours sincerely are followed by a comma.
false
4. Even if you know the person’s name, you don’t have to use it, you can still use Dear Sir/Madam.
false, use the name if you know it
5. You should not use abbreviations in letters and emails.
false
6. Short, simple sentences are better than long complex ones.
true
7. Memos have a different structure to letters.
true
8. Bullets and numbers can’t be used in letters, as they’re too informal.
false
9. Enc is used when you are sending something in addition to the letter e.g. a cheque.
true
10. In modern business documents punctuation is not used in the receiver’s address.
true
11. You should always, when possible, copy someone else’s letter or memo. It will save you time!
false

How you address somebody is also important. Look at the letters below to different people and decide what is the correct way to start the letter. The first one has been done for you as an example.

Addressee
British English
American English
Company
Man (name unknown)
Woman (name unknown)
Name and sex unknown
Man
Married woman or widow
Unmarried woman
Woman (the modern way)
Woman (marital status unknown)
Married couple
Unmarried couple
Friend / acquaintance
Dear Sir or Madam
Dear Gentlemen

Dear Mr / Mrs / Ms Jones
Dear John
Family and close friends
Dear Sir or Madam
Dear Sir
Dear Madam
Dear Sir / Madam
Dear Mr Blair
Dear Mrs Blair
Dear Miss Blair
Dear Ms Blair
Dear Ms Blair
Dear Mr and Mrs Blair
Dear Mr Cain and Ms McAvoy
Dear Jackie
Yours faithfully
not appropriate

Yours sincerely
(With) Best wishes /regards
(With) love
Dear Gentlemen
The rest is the same as British English

not appropriate
Sincerely yours
(Very) Truly yours
Yours sincerely / truly
The rest is the same as British
English

Note the modern use of 'Ms' which is becoming increasingly popular. Also never write Dear Sir if you are unsure if the addressee is a man or a woman - a woman could be very offended!

Differences
Similarities

�         Letters are usually written to just one person
�         E-mails can be sent to many people, and both internally and externally at the same time
�         Letters are usually external (but not always)
�         Letters are usually more formal with complete sentences
�         Letters are more appropriate as an official record
�         E-mails can be very informal
�         E-mails can be linked to internet services
�         Letters have an original signature
�         A fax is usually external
�         Sending a fax is a lot quicker than posting� a letter but e-mails are immediate
�         A fax is usually used to confirm or arrange� a business transaction (reserving a hotel / ordering books / organising transport)

�         E-mails can be used to do everything a letter or a fax does. How this is done makes the difference (and this is looked at in more detail in lesson 3)

A letter

1. What is the purpose of the letter? To ask Mr Conran to present awards at an annual
conference
2. Which day is Mr Conran asked to attend the conference? October 15
3. Who should Mr Conran contact if he needs more information? Sara Hewson or Andrew McDonald
4. Who does Andrew McDonald work for? CCB
5. What is his job? Conference organiser

A fax

1. Who is the fax to? The manager of the Hotel Cosmopolitan
2. What is the purpose of the fax? To ask for a quote
3. Where is the conference taking place? The Riverside Conference Centre
4. How many participants are there for the conference? 150
5. How many nights are the participants staying at the hotel? One

An e-mail

1. Who is 'Chris'? Christopher Eames is a work colleague of Andrew McDonald
2. Who does Chris work for? CCB
3. What does Chris have to do? To check if any of the participants have any special dietary requirements
4. Who is 'Andy'? Andrew McDonald

Dear Ms Smith
4 July 2004

I am writing to invite you to be the BWE guest speaker at our annual conference. Your expertise and professionalism in our field of work makes you an ideal choice.
The conference takes place on September 27 at the Hotel Intercontinental. We would very much like you to be part of the opening ceremony which starts at 9.00 am.
If you could let me know as soon as possible whether you can come or not that would be much appreciated. You can contact me, or my colleague Vinay Dudakia, for further details.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Susan Cain
BWE Conference organiser

A fax (10 mins, 70 words)

To:������ Hotel Intercontinental������������������������������������� From:� Susan Cain BWE
Attn:���� The manager������������������������������������������������� Date:�� 4 July 2004
Re:����� Conference booking��������������������������������������� Pages including this one:������� 1

BWE are considering holding their annual conference at the Hotel Intercontinental. Details as follows:
�         Date��������������������������������� 27 September 2004
�         Conference room������������� big enough for 250 participants
�         Time��������������������������������� 8.30 am to 7.00 pm
�         Buffet lunch ��������������������� at 12.30
�         two coffee breaks
I would be very grateful if you could give me a quotation based on the above. Could you also tell me what facilities you provide (microphones, overhead projector, white board etc).
Best regards
Susan Cain
BWE Conference organizer

An e-mail (5 mins, 40 words)

In this lesson you have:

looked at the structure (layout and letter writing conventions) for a modern business letter

identified different letter types and considered their appropriacy for different tasks

had model texts for letters, faxes and e-mails

written three forms of correspondence (which you will keep for future lessons)

The next e-m@il lesson looks at writing styles - tone (formal and informal) and writing clearly.

Keep the letters you wrote in the last lesson to look at while you answer the other activity questions.
In the last lesson we recommended keeping a selection of business letters. Look at these while you are doing the course, but remember - they are not always a good example!

Which of the above is

• complaining about something C
• advertising F
• giving a personal message D
• apologising B
• providing information A
• asking someone to do something E

Read the six types of correspondence again and decide which of the above is

• very informal
(the two people know each other very well) D
• very formal
(it is written to an individual the writer does not know) C
• neutral
(the two people are work colleagues) A
• informal
(it is written as if the writer knows who they are writing to) F
• formal
(it is written to an individual the writer knows but not very well) E
• very formal
(the two people know each other well) B

1 Which message is written to somebody the writer knows well, and has an informal tone? A
2 Which message is written to a stranger, and has a very formal tone? B
3 Which message is more personal? A
4 Which message uses standard phrases? B
5 Which message uses the passive B and which uses the active? A
6 Which message uses contractions? A
7 Which message does not have complete sentences? A
8 Which message uses a lot of exclamation marks? A
9 Which message uses less phrasal verbs? B
10 Which message uses the first person singular more? A

Formal letters
use standard business expressions (I am enquiring if it would be possible...)
are written to people the writer does not know
do not have a personal tone
Neutral letters
can be written to your boss, work colleagues and external clients
can be written to people the writer knows a little
can have a personal tone
Informal letters
can be written to friends and work colleagues you know well
have a personal tone
are written in a conversational style
do not always have complete sentences
If you have a selection of business letters (including e-mails if possible) look
at these now and see if the tone is appropriate .

She is thanking him a) for his help for her presentation, and b) for showing her around Liverpool

The tone is formal.

It is too formal: they have met and spent some time together. Although he is her boss she needs to write using a more neutral tone. This will make the e-mail friendlier.

Formal
Neutral
Dear Mr Harrison
Dear Paul
It was a great pleasure
It was very nice
I trust you have fully recovered
I hope you're feeling better
I am writing to thank you
Many thanks
These will be very useful indeed
These will really be useful
If you are ever in Delhi please do not hesitate to contact me.
If you come to Delhi please let me know
Yours sincerely
Best wishes

In this lesson you have:

identified the different tones found in correspondence (formal, neutral and informal)

identified the reason for writing different correspondence

looked at how the style of writing changes the tone

rewritten a formal e-mail so that it sounds more neutral

Used well, e-mail can boost productivity and save time. However, because it is so easy and quick to do many business people now spend too much time writing, sending, checking for and reading messages.

This answer depends on you. Make sure that the e-mails you send are relevant. Don’t send too many e-mails to colleagues or friends as this can take up too much of your, and their, time. Many companies say that their systems crash due to e-mail overload.

It is difficult to recognize business e-mail. How to write and send one is looked at in this lesson, but you should not write in the same way to a business contact as you would to a colleague or friend.

It is a good idea to set aside certain times during the day to check your e-mail. Some computer systems tell you when have a new e-mail - why not turn this off?!
Think about other people’s time too – do you really need to send so many messages? Sometimes speaking to someone is better.

1. cc
(carbon copy) You can send a copy of the message to someone else.
2. bcc
(blind carbon copy) You can send a copy of the message
to someone else without the receiver knowing. Be careful, many companies do not allow their employees to use this feature.

3. Format
plain text
the text looks like a typewriter: This is plain text.
html
(hypertext markup language) allows you to change the typeface style on a web page (including e-mail)

4. A draft
The computer can save a copy that you can send later.
5. Threads
This is a way of linking several, connected e-mails. When the person replies to your e-mail by clicking ‘reply’ instead of
creating a new message the original subject line is kept so it is
easier to follow the thread of a discussion.
6. Forward
You can send a message you have received to someone else.
7. Insert a file
This is the same as sending an attachment to a ‘normal’ letter.
8. Signature
This is the ‘letterhead’ of your e-mail. It should include your name, title, e-mail address, company name, phone and fax numbers and website address.
9. Abbreviations
ASAP, BTW and FYI are examples of abbreviations
10. Emoticons
are examples of emoticons

1.      No, these should have a friendly but business-like tone (see Lesson 2)
2.      Yes, and �digital signatures� are acceptable.
3.      They can be, but is this appropriate when writing to your boss?
4.      This is wrong. It is still important to use openings and closings.
5.      No. If you are using your employer�s equipment they have a right to read your e-mails. Even if you delete a message a computer expert will be able to find it

Who is the e-mail to? Frank Sony
Who is it from? Unclear, somebody called Pete
Is there a signature? No, no mention of the company name
Who has received a copy? Nobody (but that may not be necessary)
Is there a clear subject heading? No
Why was it sent? To inform arrival of computers (how many?)
What action is required of the readers? To say when the computers can be delivered
Is the tone appropriate? (See Lesson 2) No, too informal and unprofessional

Here is a good example of the same e-mail. It is also written in html format and not plain text.

Regional Director visit 12/12/0 is the best. It clearly states who is coming and when.
1. Leave request for next month.
2. Information on Sony Vaio PCG-K215B
3. Working hours – new policy
4. Training course next week for everyone.

The second one is much better because:
• The subject heading is clearer
• The typeface uses html and is easier to read, and more professional
• The style is more formal with openings, closings and paragraphs
• The signature only appears on the second one
• The tone is businesslike but friendly, and again more professional.
Remember: the first one may seem friendlier but which one would you prefer to receive?

1. I don’t know what the answer is at the moment. I’ll tell you as soon as possible.
2. Thank you very much for the proposal.
3. By the way, I’m going away on holiday next week so see you when I get back.
4. …so it’s quite difficult, you see.
5. I’m busy now. Please can we call me later?
6. All right, see you later.
7. For your informat