Chapter 8 - Business document writing. On completion of this chapter students will know how to: write a formal business letter using the full block format; differentiate between letters of inquiry, letters of complaint, response letters and sales letters; recognise the features and purposes of communicating via email; construct a standard email; use a range of practices to ensure successful business email communication.
Chapter Business document writing Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 8-1 Learning objectives On completion of this chapter students will know how to: • write a formal business letter using the full block format • differentiate between letters of inquiry, letters of complaint, response letters and sales letters • recognise the features and purposes of communicating via email • construct a standard email • use a range of practices to ensure successful business email communication Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 8-2 Business letters Business letters are written for many reasons: • to initiate action • to inform • to request • to persuade Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 8-3 Steps to a successful business letter • To write a successful business letter follow these steps: – – – – Determine the purpose of your letter Write a plan Draft and redraft the letter Edit and proofread Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 8-4 Qualities of a business letter • A business letter should have the following six qualities: – – – – – – clarity concreteness completeness conviction conciseness courtesy Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 8-5 Standard components of a business letter • • • • • • • • The letterhead (sender’s address) The date Receiver’s address Salutation Subject heading Body of the letter Sign off Personal signature and name/title of sender Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 8-6 Body of the letter • The body of the letter should relate to the subject heading • It should provide information logically (i.e in a sequence) • Different issues should be discussed in separate paragraphs Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 8-7 Style of letter • Although there are several recognised styles for a business letter, the full block style is widely recognised • When working for an organisation ensure that you are familiar with the in-house style of the organisation, which may be a variation of the full block style Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 8-8 Types of business letter • • • • Letter of inquiry Response to letter of inquiry Purchase orders Sales letter Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 8-9 Letters of inquiry • Provide a clear, specific question • Give a reason for the inquiry • Are polite, but not servile Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 10 8-10 Activity • Complete activity on pp 184–185 of your textbook Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 33 8-33 Five parts to an email Emails can be divided into five main parts: Subject line • Use a verb phrase to briefly summarise the content of the email message • Too wordy: ‘We will have our monthly meeting on Wednesday to discuss the new occupational, health and safety policy.’ • Too brief: ‘Meeting’ • Appropriate: ‘Meeting on Wednesday to discuss OH&S policy’ Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 34 8-34 Five parts to an email (cont.) Salutation • Simple salutations are still important, even when you know the recipient well (e.g Dear Kim, Hi John) • Once an email ‘conversation’ has started, you may omit the salutation • Salutations in emails still require some acknowledgment of status (e.g use titles such as Dr) • Salutations assist the reader to find the beginning of messages in long email threads Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 35 8-35 Five parts to an email (cont.) Opening • State the main idea immediately in the first line • This is known as ‘frontloading’, where the key information is given immediately after the salutation • Also referred to as a ‘direct opening’ Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 36 8-36 Five parts to an email (cont.) Body • Provide any necessary background information and logically explain the main idea • Use short paragraphs, dot points and headings • For complicated or very formal information, provide an attachment • Sales letters are usually incorporated into the body of the email Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 37 8-37 Five parts to an email (cont.) Close • Summarise key points • Request action or provide a closing thought • Include a ‘goodwill message’ • See the annotated examples of emails provided in Chapter 6: Writing genres Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 38 8-38 Activity • Complete activity on p 186 of your textbook Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 39 8-39 Common email errors Hasty responses that have not been carefully thought out Responses that not take into account the computer knowledge of the receiver A discourteous or overly familiar tone Traditional routine letter openings that sound insincere Obscure, unfamiliar words or jargon Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 40 8-40 Common email errors (cont.) Lengthy sentences, or text with no paragraph breaks Negative, pessimistic content A closing that does not reiterate the key purpose of the email An assumption that the receiver checks their email inbox as often as the sender does 10 A sender who does not give a name and can only be identified by a meaningless email address (e.g xxx@hotmail.com) Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 41 8-41 Email guidelines • Make the subject line short and meaningful (never leave it empty) • Always include a salutation • Make your message inviting (use short line lengths and paragraphs; edit typographical errors) • Be brief Use only one screen • Place key information first • For business emails not use emoticons, initials or SMS abbreviations (e.g ; FYI, R U ok?) Use attachments carefully Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 42 8-42 Email guidelines (cont.) • Hold your temper Avoid using capitals for emphasis, as this is like SHOUTING • Do not use email as a way of avoiding contact • Resist using humour • Assume that all business emails are monitored • Proofread carefully, as in all business communication • Choose ‘reply’ or ‘reply all’ carefully Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 43 8-43 Email guidelines (cont.) • Use identifying labels such as ‘urgent’ or ‘action’ with caution • Set the context for your email • Respect confidentiality • Never send spam • Email threads encourage brief responses • Always close your email appropriately • Create a standard signature block for all emails Include your full name and contact details Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 44 8-44 Activities and • Complete Activities 10 and 11 on pp 188– 189 of your textbook Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 45 8-45 Summary • Formal business letters remain an important medium for business communication • Most businesses prefer the full block style of letter, which incorporates easy to remember standard features • All business communication documents need clarity, concreteness, completeness, conviction, conciseness and courtesy • Business writers need to consider the psychological needs of the receiver Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 46 8-46 Summary (cont.) • The AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) model is useful for persuasive letter writing • Cultural sensitivity is important for all business communication • Email has replaced many traditional business documents but still needs to follow basic principles of effective communication, including following a standard format • Always consider the advantages and disadvantages of email before using it over traditional business documents Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 47 8-47 ... spoken and written communication (Wood & Smith 2001, p 9) Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 28 8- 28 Email communication (cont.)... Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 27 8- 27 Email communication • Email is a new form of business communication • Communicating... they are doing the right thing Copyright 2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Communication Skills, by Bretag, Crossman and Bordia 18 8- 18 Receiver’s psychological needs • Letters cannot