The presentation slide provides a basic overview of communication in the business world. It is a conglomeration of several references.

1. BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION

2. Business Communication
 the transmission of information within the
business environment. The information may
be transmitted – sent and received – between
or among individuals
- Harcourt, Krizan, Merrier

3. Importance of Business
Communication (cont’d)
• Individuals spend most of their time
communicating
• promotions, salary increases, and productivity
relate directly to communication competence

4. Importance of Business
Communication
• Businesses depend on communication
• Business communicate:
• internally
• externally

5. Goals of Business Communication
• receiver understanding
• receiver response
• favorable relationship
• organizational goodwill

6. Patterns of Business Communication
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
Upward
Downward
Horizontal

7. Patterns of Business Communication
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
Worker A2
Worker A5Supervisor A
Worker B4 Supervisor B
Network

8. Patterns of Business Communication
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
FORMAL COMMUNICATION
 is planned by the organization
 flows in all directions
 is essential for effective
operation of the business
INFORMAL COMMUNICATION
 is NOT planned by the organization
 flows in all directions
 is essential for developing and
maintaining human relationships

9. The Communication Process

10. The Communication Process
SENDER’S ROLE
 type of message
 analysis of the receiver
 use of the you-viewpoint in
composing and sending the
message
RECEIVER’S ROLE
 listening or reading carefully
 openness to different types of
senders and new ideas
 making notes, when necessary

11. The Communication Process (cont’d)
SENDER’S ROLE
 provision for feedback
 removal of communication
barriers
RECEIVER’S ROLE
 providing feedback to sender
 asking questions for
clarifications if necessary

13. The Communication Process
Types of Messages
• written
• oral
• nonverbal

14. Business Letters

15. Business Letters
• formal paper communications between, to or from businesses
• also called snail mail

16. Business Letters
• the overall style of letter will depend on the relationship
between the parties concerned
• includes:
· Letter
· Memo
· Fax
· Email

17. Business Letters
• a way for businesses to communicate with other businesses or their
customers/clients
Nissan writes a letter
to their customers
informing them
of a sales promotion
Dove writes to their
delivery company
to inform them that
5 shipments in the
past month have
been late

18. Types of Letters
• Inquiry
• Special Request
• Sales letters
• Customer relations letters
– follow up
– claim
– adjustment
– collection

19. Classification of Business Letters
• Positive
– customer relations letters responding favorably to
a writer’s complaint or request
– sales letters

20. Classification of Business Letters (cont’d)
• Negative
– customer relations letters refusing a request,
saying no to an adjustment, etc.

21. Classification of Business Letters (cont’d)
• Neutral
– letters requesting information about a
service/product, placing an order, responding to
some action or request

22. Why write Business Letters?
· To persuade
· To inform
· To request
· To express thanks
· To remind
· To recommend
· To apologize
· To congratulate
· To reject a proposal or offer
· To introduce a person or policy
· To invite or welcome
· To follow up
· To formalize decisions

23. Benefits of Letters
represent company’s public image and
competence
more personal than a report, yet more formal
than memos or e-mail
more permanent than e-mail

24. Benefits of Letters (cont’d)
constitute an official legal record of an
agreement
follow up on telephone calls and other types
of oral communications

25. Benefits of Letters (cont’d)
provide a wide range of corporate information
can support action

26. Achieving the YOU Attitude
• Remember that the reader is a REAL person
– avoid writing cold, impersonal letters
• Keep the reader in the forefront
– make sure your reader’s needs control the tone,
message, and organization of the letter
• Be courteous and tactful

27. Planning a Business Letter
• Who am I writing this letter to?
• – Formal / Informal
• Why am I writing this letter? –
• Objective / Purpose
• Are there specific details I need to include? –
• Facts / Data
• Do I require a response? – A
• How can I organize my points logically?

28. Writing a Business Letter
• An effective letter in business uses short, simple
sentences and straightforward vocabulary.
• The easier a letter is to read, the better.
• You will need to use smooth transitions so that your
sentences do not appear too choppy.

29. Writing Effective Letters
• have a clear sense of your PURPOSE and theirs
• conduct appropriate research
• select the best communication strategy
• draft, revise and edit letter

30. Parts of a Letter
 Date
Spell out the month!
 Letter Address
Address that you are mailing to
 Salutations
Greeting!
 Body
Each paragraph is SS but DS between paragraphs
The body is typically 3 paragraphs in length

31. Parts of a Letter
 Complimentary Close
e.g. Sincerely, Cordially (NO COMMAS!)
 Writer’s Name and Title
e.g. Jessica Kline, Manager
 Signature
 Reference Initials
If you typed the letter but did not write it e.g. JST/lei
 Enclosure Notation
When sending something with the letter e.g. concert tickets, rough draft
of drawing plans, pictures, etc)

32. Heading – return address
Greeting
Body
Complimentary Close
Signature line
Inside Address

33. Business Letter Vocabulary
• Attachment
 Extra document / image that is added to a letter or email.
• Body
 The content of the letter; between the salutation and
signature.
• Bullets
 Small dark dots used to set off items in an unnumbered
list.
• Direct mail / Junk mail
 Marketing letters addressed to a large audience.
• Snail Mail
 A mail delivered by a postal system.

34. Business Letter Vocabulary
• Enclosure
 Extra document or image included with a letter.
• Logo
 Symbol or image that identifies a specific organization.
• Memorandum
 Document sent within a company (internal), presented in
short form.
• P.S.
 post script, additional remark at the end of a letter
• Tone
 The feeling of the language e.g. serious, enthusiastic

35. Business Letter Formats
• Some standards in formatting business letters
– Use A4 paper or letter sheet
– Use 2.5 cm or 1 inch margins on all sides
– Use a simple font such as Times New Roman or Arial
– Use 10- to 12-point font
– Layout the letter so that it fits the paper appropriately
– Single space within paragraphs

36. Business Letter Formats
• Some standards in formatting business letters (cont’d)
– Double space between paragraphs
– Double space between last sentence and closing (Sincerely)
– Leave three to fives spaces for a handwritten signature
– cc: (courtesy copy ) comes after the typed name (if necessary)
– enc:: (enclosure) comes next (if necessary)
– Fold in three (horizontally) before placing in the envelope

37. Letter Styles
Full Block

38. Letter Styles
Block

39. Letter Styles
Semi-Block

40. Sample

41. Letter Styles

42. Punctuation Styles
MixedOpen

43. Design & Spacing Rules
• Letter should be positioned just above the
center of your paper.

47. Letter Writing Steps
• Decide who you are writing to and find the
address
• Write the body without formatting until you
get the language perfect
• Handwrite the letter

48. Letter Writing Steps
• Once approved, type the letter
• Fold properly
• Address envelope

49. Writing Body Details
• You must have a real, sincere, concrete reason
for writing the letter.
• The letter must give precise details at every
step.

50. Writing Body Details
• If a compliment, it cannot be just general
adulation.
• If a problem, offer a detailed solution.
• If a complaint, extra effort must be taken to
give every piece of pertinent information.

51. 1st Paragraph
Introduce your REASON for writing. NOT
yourself.
 Please remember the person you are writing to is not your friend,
so keep it formal.
 Don’t ask him how he is, or tell him that you are pleased to be
writing to him.
He does not have time for chit chat.
He is the manager and time is money.
Writing Body Details

52. 2nd and 3rd Paragraphs
Give more details as to what you want
and your reasons for writing.
Writing Body Details

53. 4th Paragraph
What solutions
you will be happy with
to settle this situation
Writing Body Details

55. Types of Letters

56. Writing Inquiry letters
• simplest type of business letters
• seek information regarding
 product manufactured
 service rendered
 details of time-payment plan
names of dealers
retail or wholesale prices
policies on credit
 etc.

57. Writing Inquiry letters
QUALITIES
 Brevity
 Completeness
 Tact and Courtesy

58. Writing Inquiry letters
• I/ am interested /wish / to learn more about…
• I would be most grateful if you could supply us with the
following information.
• I would like to get a description of..
• Do you supply…?
• Does it include (dinner / equipment / activities.. ) ?
• What is the price of … per / day / week.. ?
• I would appreciate if you could….
• Would you kindly…

59. Writing Inquiry letters
STANDARD PARTS
 Subject
Justification for the request
Justification for the answer (optional)
Expression of appreciation
Enclosures

60. Response to an Inquiry
QUALITIES
Promptness
Friendliness and courtesy
Completeness
Helpfulness

61. Writing Complaint letters
• Tone must always be courteous and
professional – no anger or insults
• Must, of course, be real and not exaggerated
• Must give story line of exactly when, where
product was purchased

62. Writing Complaint letters (cont’d)
• Must tell exactly what the defect is and how it
was discovered or how it occurred
• Must tell all steps taken to remedy problem –
did you go back to the store? When? Why
didn’t that resolve the problem?

63. Writing Complaint letters (cont’d)
• Don’t be blatant or greedy or needy.
• Don’t ask for too much or for something big.
• You have to make the reader WANT to reward
you by being a sincere, devoted, polite
customer or fan.

64. Writing Reminders
• If you enclose something else in the envelope,
then below your signature line you type:
• Enclosure: (1) receipt
• If you send your letter to two people, then
below your signature line you type:
cc. (Other Name)

65. A quick and easy way to communicate within a
company- most are done electronically.

66. Formatting Business Memos
• Memos are short internal business letters, sent to other staff
within the same company.
• A memo (or memorandum) may also be posted somewhere
inside a company for all to see.

67. Formatting Business Memos
• In contrast to letters, memos do not usually contain
salutations or closings, and may be typed or hand-written.
• The text portion of the memo is generally in block format.
• Memos should include "From", "To", "Date", "Subject" and
the message itself

68. Formatting Business Memos
Company Logo
MEMORANDUM
Date
From: ( Name or Initials )
To: ( Name or Initials )
Subject: ( Short Description )
Message:

69. Memo Template

70. TO: The person, persons, or department the memo is sent to.
e.g. Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Elizabeth Swann
Captain Hector Barbossa, Planning Department
FROM: The person sending the memo.
CC: Courtesy Copy- an additional copy of the memo will be
sent out. (Delete completely if notation is not used!)
DATE: The day the memo is sent.
RE: Regards/Regarding. It is a short description about the
memo.
Parts of a Memo

71. Letters and Memos
 Heading or
Letterhead
 Date
 Inside address
 Salutation
 Subject line
 Body
 Closing and
Signature
 Enclosures or ‘CC’
All business letters should include

72. Letters and Memos
• Letters and memos are the basic vehicles of
business communication
• They should be brief and make a single point
(no more than 2 pages)
• Letters are for external communications
• Memos are for internal communications

73. Have you hit your target?
 In written
communication most
confusion & frustration
are caused by failing to
be specific

74. Have you hit your target?
 Make it clear, brief
and concise

75. “The greatest problem in
communication is the illusion that it
has been accomplished.”
- George Bernard Shaw

77. E-Mails
• fast, convenient and easy
• the dominant method of communicating in business
• convenient for communicating with people in
different places and different time zones

78. E-Mails
• easier to communicate with people who understand
written English, but don’t speak it well
• excellent mechanism for follow-up or action items
after a meeting
• messages can be saved and retrieved easily

79. E-Mails

80. E-Mails (Challenges)
USE WITH CARE….
Email is not always
confidential -- emails can
sometime be obtained from
central network even if
deleted from personal
computers

81. Watch Out!

82. E-Mails (Challenges)
• Email is often sent out without re-reading,
proof-reading and other standards applied to
written communications. We press the send
button too soon!

83. E-Mails (Challenges)
• Emails can be forwarded and sent to others
without your approval or knowledge

84. E-Mails
• Many users do not realize the potential
outcome of what is being sent through e-mails
• Business e-mails should be concise and to the
point
• The language used in business e-mails should
not be overly informal

85. E-Mail Manners
• Always include a subject or e-mail title
• Avoid the “ready, aim, fire” approach
• Avoid flaming
• Don’t be too casual

86. E-Mail Manners
• Consider if e-mail is the appropriate tool
• Make one point per e-mail
• Make the font user-friendly
• Don’t use all capital or lower-case letters

87. Common Errors & Tips
• Company name usage
• Shortened words (thru, condn, mgmt, ref, lib)
• Repetition of words
Example: file the file in the file folder.
• Use of ampersand (&)
• Use of bold
• UPPER CASE

88. Common Errors & Tips
Punctuation
• Use commas to separate elements in a series, and to
separate ideas or clauses.
• Use correct punctuation in abbreviations; e.g., for
example i.e., that is, etc., et cetera
• Do not use multiple punctuation marks, for example:
!!! ... ???, etc.
• Punctuation of lists and tables

89. Common Errors & Tips
• Hyphen and dash usage
• Confusion between its and it's
• Use of apostrophe
• Abbreviations and acronyms
• Use active voice
• Do not switch tenses very often
• Proofread for accuracy

90. 10 Commandments
1. Know what you want to say before you say it.
2. Keep it simple.
3. Use bullet points.
4. WIIFM (What's in It For Me?)
5. Don't get bogged down
6. Call to action
7. Edit
8. Spell check
9. Take 5 before hitting send
10. Follow up

91. REFERENCES
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 3rd Ed. by Harcourt, Krizan,
Merrier
BUSINESS ENGLISH TODAY by Masangya and Lozada
WRITING AND COMMUNICATING TODAY by H. Janis
ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS by Parkhurst
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/business.html
http://esl.fis.edu/learners/advice/mistakes.htm
http://www.wesleyan.edu/writing/workshop-old/editing.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/2/
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/business.html
http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000149.htm