Chapter 8

TYPE OF BUSINESS
CORRESPONDENCE
(CHAPTER 8)
• INTRODUCTION:
The effectiveness of your communication

relates directly to your understanding and
application of the principles, processes
and goals of business communication.
Business professionals are frequently

called upon to prepare or draft written
documents such as letters, memorandum,
reports and business proposals to their
bosses or senior executive.
COMPOSING EFFECTIVE WRITTEN
DOCUMENTS
• Effective business communicator requires

competent writing skills.
• The word that you choose as well as your

writing style, tone, sentece length and how
you express yourself.
THE FACTOR THAT SHOULD BE
CONSIDER IN THE PROCESS OF
COMPOSING AN EFFECTIVE WRITTEN
DOCUMENT:
• Who are the audience or receivers
• What is the message
• Your reasons for writing
• The outcome you expect

GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE BUSNESS
CORRESPONDANCE
• Pre Writing
• Deciding the objective of the message
• Picture the receiver’s interest
• Choose ideas to appeal to the receiver and to
achieve the objective
• Gather facts to support and strengthen ideas
• Organise the information to be include
• Draft and create the outline
• Edit and revise the draft
• Review final draft
BUSINESS LETTERS
• The medium that is used most often for
written message.
• It coveys messages and nonverbal
impressions that affect a readers attitude.
• It written from one business firm to another
or from a business to an individual client.
• Personal business letter are written by
individuals to business organisation.
STANDARD PARTS OF BUSINESS
LETTER
1. Heading or letterhead
2. Date of the letter
3. Receiver’s address
4. Sender’s address
5. Salution
6. Body (content)
7. Closing
8. Signature of the sender
9. Designation
10.Reference initials
MEMORANDUMS
• Known as memos, interoffice memos and
interdepartmental communication are
another form of written communication
within companies.
• The advantage of written memo is that it
provides a consise, rapid and convenient
means of communication.
• MEMO FORMATS:
- A heading
- Body and Closing
• THE HEADING CONSIST OF:

- TO
- FROM
- DATE
- SUBJECT
ADVANTAGE OF MEMO:
- Memos can be used to communicate with
many people in an organisation for a
specific purpose.
- Memos can convey detailed information and
complex messages to gain immediate
feedback.
- Memos can be used to document, explain or
provide details of discussion to be
formalised.
- Memos provide a written record of oral
conversation that may be subject to
misinterpretation.
THE PURPOSE OF MEMORANDUM
• Make an announcement
• Provide instructions
• Clarify issues
• Propose new regulations or ideas
• Recommend a course of action
• Remind people of an issue
Understanding the categories of
messages sent: Letter, Memo and
Email
All message have three parts:
opening, body and the close.
Informative and Positive Messages
• In the opening, state your main idea directly.
• The body of your message provides all
necessary details.
• The close is cordial, emphasis your good news
or making a statement about the specific
action desired.
Negative Messages
• Successful communicators take a little extra
care with their negative or bad-news and your
audience will be disappointed.
• Open with a neutral statement that acts as a
transition to the reasons for the bad news.
• In the body, give the reasons that justify a
negative answer before stating or implying the
bad news.
Persuasive Message
• Useful when you know that your audience will resist
your message (will be uninterested in your request or
unwilling to comply without extra coaxing)
• In the opening, mention a possible benefit, referring
to a problem that the recipient might have, posing
question, or mentioning an interesting statistic.
• Once you have them thinking, can introduce main
ideas.
Organising information and Positive
Messages
Guidelines Descriptions
Give any Good news Include the date policies begin, the percent of a discount
and Summarize the etc. If the reader has already raised the issues, make it clear
Main Points that you are responding. Share good news immediately.
Give details, Do not repeat information that already given. Answer all the
Clarification and questions reader is likely to have: provide all the information
Background necessary to achieve purposes. Present details in the order
of importance to the reader.
Present any A policy may have limits, information may be incomplete the
negative elements, reader may have to satisfy requirements to get a discount or
as positively as benefit. Make these negatives clear, but present them as
possible positively as possible
Explain any reader Show that the policy or procedure helps readers not just the
benefits company. Give enough detail to make benefits clear and
convincing.
Subject lines
• Travel plans for Sales Meeting
• Your proposal accepted
• Reduced prices during February
• Your funding request approved
Format for Email Messages
• indicate to whom you are sending the
message to and what the subject line is.
• Puts in the date, time of the day and name
and address
• Do not need a close “sincerely”
• Put name after message, some email systems
strip out the automatic header.
Email Etiquette
• Use full capsnonly to emphasise a single word
or two.
• Never send angry message by email
• Send people only message they need
• Find out how your recipient’s system works
and adapt your messages to it.
• Use short line length
Varieties of informative and positive
message
• Transmittals – attach memo or letter and
explain what you sending
• Confirmation – messages that short and give
only information shared orally
• Summarize – a document start with the main
point
Writing thank you and congratulatory
notes
• Encourage people to be more willing to help
you again in the future
• Need to be sincere
• Avoid language that may be seem
condescending or patronising
Organising negative messages in
written communication
• Convey the bad news
• Gain acceptance for it
• Maintain as much goodwill as possible with
your audience
• Maintain a good image for your organization
• Reduce or eliminate the need for future
correspondence on the matter
How do you organize negative letters
• Putting the bad news first (though pairing it
immediately with an alternative) makes it
more likely that the recipient will read the
letter.
• If it opened with the good news that the
premium was lower, recipients would read the
letter carefully but many would not read it all.
Organising negative memo
• Giving bad news to superior
• Giving bad news to peers and subordinates
– Desribe the problem
– Present an alternatives or compromise, if one is
available
– If possible, ask for input or action
The parts of negative messages
• A) buffer – statement related to the topic of
the message without indicating
whether good or bad news.
• B) Explanation – the writer clearly and
honestly presents information designed to get
the reader to accept bad news.
• Transitional words such as unfortunately/
however signal bad news or change from
positive tone of opening to bad news
Bad news
• Implied bad news hints at the no expressed
bad news is more specific
• If you must use negative words, choose them
carefully
• Be tactful, not blunt
Counter proposal/resale
• It is the place where the writer shows genuine
concern and interest in helping the receiver.
• Example: I can’t do everything you ask, but
here’s what I will do.
Organising Persuasive Messages
The Aim of Persuasive Message
• Get the other person who receives your message
understand what you try to convey.
• Get the receiver to agree with the idea.
• Get the receiver to take action and accept the

idea proposed to them.
• Receive positive feedback from the receiver.

Persuasive Strategy
• What do you want people to do ?
• What objections, if any, will the audience have ?
• How strong a case can you make ?
• What kind of persuasion is best for the

organization and the culture ?
What Do You Want People Do ?
• Identify the specific action you want and the

person that have power to do it.
What Objections, if any, will the
Audience Have ?
• You need to show your audience that your proposal
meet their needs; you need to overcome any
objections.
• The easiest way to learn about objections your
audience may have is to ask.
• Phrase your question non-defensively, in a way that
does not lock people into taking a stand on an issue.
How Strong is Your Case ?
• The strength of the case is based on the aspects

of persuasion:
• Namely argument, Credibility and Emotional

Appeal.
1. Argument
• Refers to reasons or logic you offer.
• The argument must be strong and confidently to

persuade audience.
2. Credibility
• Audience’s response to you as the source of the

message.
• People will easily be persuade by someone that

are look expert, powerful or trustworthy.
• When you don’t have any credibility that
comes from being an expert as yet, build
credibility by the language and strategy that
you use.
3. Emotional Appeal
• Make the reader want to do what you ask.

What Kind of Persuasion is Best for the
Organization and the Culture ?
• Different cultures also have different preferences
for gaining compliance.
• Role models and advice are two ways

organizations communicate their culture to
newcomers.
Three Categories of Brief Messages
Correspondence
• Writing Direct Requests
• Writing Problem-Solving Messages
• Varieties of Persuasive Messages

1. Writing Direct Requests
• Save the reader’s time.
• It’s suitable for busy person.
• Consider asking immediately for the information or
service that you want.
• Give the readers all information they will need to act
on your report.
• Ask for the action you want.
2. Writing Problem-Solving Messages
• Catch the reader’s interest by mentioning a

common ground.
• Define the problem you both share.
• Explain the solution to the problem.
• Present your solution without using the words i

or my.
• Show that any negative elements are
outweighed by the advantages.
• Summarise any additional benefits of the

solution.
• Ask for the action you want.

3. Varieties of Persuasive Message
• Involves collection letters, performance

appraisals and letters of recommendation.
• Telephone switches carry along the most

common varieties of persuasive messages.
Collection Letters
• Collection letters ask customers to pay for the

goods and services they have already received.
• Three types of collection letters :
• Early letters
• Middle letters
• Late letters
Performance Appraisals
• Supervisors evaluate or appraise the performance

of their subordinates.
• Appraisal must protect the organization and
motivate the employee.
• Good supervisor try not only to identify the
specific problem in subordinates’ behaviour but
also discover the causes of the problem.
Letters of Recommendation
• Must be specific.
• A document in which the writer assesses the
qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the
person being recommended in terms of that
individual's ability to perform a particular task or
function.
Conclusion
• Effective business writing is to demonstrate

understanding, knowledge, professionalism and
efficiency.

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TYPE OF BUSINESS

The effectiveness of your communication

Business professionals are frequently

• Effective business communicator requires

• The word that you choose as well as your

• What is the message

• Your reasons for writing

• The outcome you expect

• THE HEADING CONSIST OF:

• Get the receiver to agree with the idea.

• Get the receiver to take action and accept the

• Receive positive feedback from the receiver.

• What objections, if any, will the audience have ?

• How strong a case can you make ?

• What kind of persuasion is best for the

• Identify the specific action you want and the

• The strength of the case is based on the aspects

• Namely argument, Credibility and Emotional

• Refers to reasons or logic you offer.

• The argument must be strong and confidently to

• Audience’s response to you as the source of the

• People will easily be persuade by someone that

• Make the reader want to do what you ask.

• Role models and advice are two ways

• Writing Problem-Solving Messages

• Varieties of Persuasive Messages

• Catch the reader’s interest by mentioning a

• Define the problem you both share.

• Explain the solution to the problem.

• Present your solution without using the words i

• Summarise any additional benefits of the

• Ask for the action you want.

• Involves collection letters, performance

• Telephone switches carry along the most

• Collection letters ask customers to pay for the

• Three types of collection letters :

• Supervisors evaluate or appraise the performance

• Effective business writing is to demonstrate

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