Business Letters Rules of good writing Parts of Business letter Categories of business letter Outlook Pertemuan 4

1

Matakuliah : G0374/Business WritingTahun : September 2006

Business Letters Rules of good writing

Parts of Business letter Categories of business letter

OutlookPertemuan 4

2

1. Remember your ABC

2. Methods of Writing

3. Organize

4. Set tone

5. Ensure quality

Rules of good writing

3

Remember your ABC:

A: Accuracy

B: Brevity

C: Clarity

4

Methods of Writing

• Letters• Memo• E-mail• Reports• Proposals• Press release• etc

5

Organize

• Format• Length• Outline

6

Set tone

Formal/Informal

b. Willingness

c. Respect/Directive

d. Logic/Feeling

7

Ensure quality

• Syntax/spelling• Grammar• Punctuation• Appearance

8

Format

1. Letterhead

2. Dateline

3. Inside address

4. Attention line

5. Salutation

6. Subject line

7. Body

8. Complimentary closing

9. Company signature

10. Signer’s identification

11. Reference initials

12. Enclosure reminder

13. ‘CC’ notation

9

1 Your addresstelephone - fax - email

Put your address + your telephone number, fax and/or email address at the top in the centre OR on the right.

Do NOT put your name here.

1 Your addresstelephone

faxemail

2 Date Do not write the date as numbers only, for two reasons: 1.It can be considered too official and therefore impolite All-number dates are written differently in British English (31/12/99) and American English (12/31/99). This can lead to confusion.

3 Destination name and address This is the name of the person to whom you are writing, his/her job title, the company name and address. This should be the same as on the envelope.

4 Reference This is the reference number or code given by the employer in their advertisement or previous letter. You write the employer's reference in the form: 'Your ref: 01234'. If you wish to include your own reference, you write: 'My ref: 56789'.

5 Salutation (Dear…) A letter in English always begins with 'Dear…', even if you do not know the person. There are several possibilities: Dear Sir Dear Madam Dear Mr Smith Dear Mrs Smith Dear Miss Smith Dear Ms Smith

6 Subject The subject of your letter, which for a job application is normally the Job Title.

10

7 Body The letter itself, in 3 to 6 paragraphs.

8 Ending (Yours…) Yours sincerely Yours faithfully Yours truly

9 Your signature Sign in black or blue ink with a fountain pen.

10 Your name Your first name and surname, for example: Mary Smith James Kennedy

11 (Your title) If you are using company headed paper, write your Job Title here. If you are using personal paper, write nothing here.

12 Enclosures Indicate that one or more documents are enclosed by writing 'Enc: 2' (for two documents, for example).

11

Some very basic letters

Confirmation To confirm arrangements made between sender and recipient

Acknowledgement To acknowledge receipt of a letter, order or other item

Enquiry To request information or prices

Reply To respond to an enquiry

Complaint To criticize poor service or goods.

Adjustment To respond to the complaint and hopefully make amends

Collection letters To obtain settlement of a debt

Sales letter To sell goods or services

12

Letter Styles

1. Full-Blocked2. Blocked3. Semi-Blocked or Modified Blocked4. Square-Blocked5. Simplified or AMS

13

Punctuation Styles

* Regardless of punctuation style, the only letter parts (outside of the body) to be followed by punctuation marks are the salutation and complimentary closing. Within the body, the general rules of punctuation apply.

* OPEN: No punctuation is used, except in the body.

* STANDARD: The salutation is followed by a colon;

the complementary closing is followed

by a comma.

14

Cover letter

• It is a sample of your work, and it is, as well, an opportunity to demonstrate, not just talk about, your skills and personality.

• It is written with flair and understanding and prepared with professional care.

15

Business English

16

Resume

• It is an OUTLINE of all you have to offer a

prospective employer.

• It a presentation of your qualifications,

your background, and your experiences

17

Sample Memo