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MIT634602 Communications
Business lettersemail
memo
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Business Letters
• successful business letters elicit the
expected response
• good news letters
• bad news letters
• persuasive letters
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Business Letters - layout
• letterhead
• date
•
inside address (recipient)
• attention line
• salutation (form of addressing recipient)
• subject line
• body of the letter
• close (should compliment the salutation)
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Business
Letter
format
From: Dwyer, J. (2009) Figure 18.6
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Business Letters - planning
• clear purpose
• what is to be said
•
ideas in point form• order the ideas in appropriate
sequence for letter
•review the letter (critically assess whetherthe purpose of the letter is likely to be achieved)
• rewrite the letter if necessary
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Plain English
• readable writing style
• ‘you’ approach
•
positive language• clear expression (write to avoid misunderstanding)
• assertive courteous tone
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Plain English International
business letters
• avoid abbreviations, slang, acronyms,
jargon, local analogies (these should also be
avoided in any formal communication)• avoid words that trigger emotional
response (eg. anger, fear, suspicion)
•
use simple and specific terms• Internet translation tools*
* use with caution
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bad news business letters
Order refused; ‘no’ to a credit request; refusing a pay rise;
declining invitations or requests;
• open with a neutral buffer
• explain the situation
• give the refusal or negative news
• close with a positive paragraph
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persuasive business letters
Influence; change an attitude; persuade to take some
action; persuade to pay an account; persuade to buy aproduct; apply for work;
• catch the readers attention
• develop an idea which is in the reader’s
interest
• develop the idea and your persuasion to
the reader to take some action
• state the specific action to be taken by the
reader
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Common emails
•
request• instruct
• provide authorisation (official)
• provide acknowledgement• notice of decision
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email layout
• receivers name (email address)
• senders name (system setup, machine
owner)
• subject
• date/time (system clock)
•
body• email address
• alternative way to contact sender
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emails
• Privacy
• When will they be read?
•
junk mail/ spam• integral part of modern business
internal communications
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Uses for email
• contact someone who is not available
• send the same message to people simultaneously
• deliver a message inexpensively
• forward a message sent to you
• transfer sound, documents, video clips
• convey detailed information (rather than phone)
• speed – where a quick response is required
• where recording the communication is required
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Non -uses for email
• sensitive communication
• bad or injurious news
• messages that should be conveyed personally• if immediate feedback is required
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memoranda memos)
• day-to-day routine information• relatively brief (1/2 to 2 page)
• not usually private (for general
consumption and re-use)
• mass communication
• written record of rules/ policies
• detailed and difficult information
• official
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Memo format
From: Dwyer, J. (2009) Figure 18.7
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References
Dwyer, J. (2009). Communicationin Business: Strategies and Skills,4th Ed. Frenchs Forest, NSW:Pearson Education Australia.
Ch. 18.