business letter's & report writing

8/17/2019 Business Letter's & Report Writing

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Business Letter

&Report Writing


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Introduction to businessletters

• A business letter is usually a letter from one company toanother, or between such organizations and their customers,clients and other external parties

• !he o"erall style of letter depends on the relationship

between the parties concerned• Business letters can ha"e many types of contents, for example

# !o re$uest direct information or action from another party,

# !o order supplies from a supplier,

# !o point out a mista%e by the letters recipient,

# to reply directly to a re$uest, to apologize for a wrong, or to con"ey goodwill

• A business letter is sometimes useful because it produces apermanent written record, and may be ta%en more seriously bythe recipient than other forms of communication


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Writing Business Letter

• Purpose of a Business Letter# A business letter is a formal way of communicating between two or

more parties

# !' ()*'R+ tell or explain something to your reader

# !' R-./-0! or 1-R0/A2- # to call the reader to action 3Re$uest4

suggests that the re$uired action is easy or usual5 3persuade4 suggestthat more moti"ation and con"incing is needed for the reader to act

# !' B/(L2 6''2W(LL # create a good image of yourself and yourorganization5 particularly an image that would ma%e people want to dobusiness with you

# Business letters can be informational, persuasi"e, moti"ational, or

promotional# Business letters should be typed and printed out on standard 789 x ::9

white paper


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Elements of a Good Letter

• (dentify and write to your audience• ;our ob


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Principles of writing letters• Courtesy and Consideration: (t softens the

flow of an unpleasant piece of information,creates goodwill and produces a fa"orableresponse

• !he following sentences may help you word yourbusiness letter in a polite manner @# +any than%s for your letter of

# !han% you "ery much for your letter of

# We are glad to note that you are now in a position to pay our bill

# We appreciate your writing to us so promptly# We regret to inform you that we cannot meet your order

immediately

# We are sorry that you did not recei"e the order in time


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Principles of writing letters

• Clarity and Precision: Whene"er you write a letter, be clearabout what you want to say and say it clearly

• /se short, simple words and language to relate whate"er youwant to tell in the letter

• /se concrete words two words in -nglish will ha"e similarmeaning in such cases, use the word which is commonlyunderstood

• *'R -A+1L-@ house C=0 residence

• A"oid long winded sentences >running into fi"e lines and

more?• !o ma%e your letter clear, brea% it into different paragraphs

when you ha"e to discuss more than one main point


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1rinciples of -ffecti"eWriting

Effecti!e written communication is ac"ie!ed by t"e following principles:

#ccuracy $ A message should be communicated correctly in terms of grammar,punctuation, and spelling

!o achie"e accuracy, the writer should chec% and doublechec%@

All facts and figures!he choice of words

!he language and tone

Bre!ity $ A writer should follow bre"ity in writing only what needs to be said and

lea"ing out unnecessary words or details

Clarity $ A writer should con"ey a message clearly with the use of simple words

and phrases


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1rinciples of -ffecti"eWriting

Language% tone and le!el of formality $ A writer should ma%e use oflanguage that is easily understood De=she should also de"elop an

effecti"e tone in written communication (t is also essential that the tone

used reflects the appropriate le"el of formality for a particular context

&tandard Englis" $ (ncludes the most commonly used and acceptedwords, rules of grammar, sentence construction, punctuation, spelling,

paragraph construction, etc

'one $ Refers to feelings created by words used to communicate a

message !he tone in writing sets the le"el of formality and reflects theattitude of the writer toward the sub


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&tructure of a business letter

• !o ma%e your letter effecti"e, the presentation of theletter also has to be effecti"e

• /sually, the letter is drafted in two styles Bloc%ed and0emi Bloc%ed

• Bloc(ed ) -"ery line in this style begins flush with theleft hand margin 1aragraphs are differentiated bylea"ing a blan% space in between them

• &emi bloc(ed ) !he first line of each paragraph isindented in this style of writing letters


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-lements of Business Letter• *eading:

# +any organizations use their letter head for writing businessletters

# !his co"ers one fifth of the total space of the page

# !he name and address of the organization is centered at thetop and other information li%e the telephone numbers,

telegraphic address, etc

• Date:# !his is "ery important as it might act as a proof that you

wrote on a particular date

# !ype the date two spaces below the last line of the heading atthe left hand margin of the letter

# (n Britain it means :Eth of 0eptember >first date and thenmonth is written?

# whereas in /0A, people understand it as Fth of 'ctober >first

month and then date is written?


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-lements of Business Letter• &alutation:

# !his is the "ital part of the letter which is as good as wishingthe person

# (t is important that you address the name of the person if you%now it

• -g 2ear 1ersonnel 2irector,

• 2ear 0ir or +adam@ >use if you dont %now who you arewriting to?

• 2ear 2r, +r, +rs, +iss or +s 0mith@ >use if you %now who you are writing to, and ha"e a formal relationship with +E,- I.P/,'#0' use .s for women unless as(ed touse +rs or +iss?

• 2ear *ran%@ >use if the person is a close business contact orfriend?

• 0alutation is written two line space after the last line of

the address


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-lements of Business Letter• '"e ,eference:

# !he ad"antage of writing a reference is that it helps totrace the letter at a later date

# Writing reference number is of two types # one indicatesthe reference number that you allot for the letter that you write

# !he other indicates the correspondentGs pre"ious letterto which you are replying now

# !his is placed on the left hand side, two lines after thesalutation Dowe"er, some prefer to write it in the body

of the letter# -g With reference to your ad"ertisement in the !imes,your letter of HI rd +arch,

# your phone call today,

# !han% you for your letter of +arch 8th


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-lements of Business Letter• Inside #ddress:

# '"e complete address of t"e person w"om you are writingto s"ould be written

# ;ou should place it two linespace after the date

# 2o not abbre"iate or spell wrongly the name of the personAdd +r before the name of a man,

• &ub1ect:# !his indicates to the reader of the letter what the letter is

about (t sa"es the time of the reader

# !he sub


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-lements of Business Letter

• Body: !his contains the text of the letter that you write• ;ou should organize the body of the letter into paragraphs

depending upon the matter of your communication

• A good business letter is concise

• !he body of a letter should be single spaced with double spacesbetween paragraphs

• *ollowing are "arious sentence openings for different types ofletters @

# '"e ,eason for Writing:

# ( am writing to in$uire about

# apologize for

# confirm


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-lements of Business Letter

• Conclusion: !he conclusion is also %nown ascomplimentary closeG• !he close should agree with the salutation that you ha"e

written

• (t should be typed two spaces below the body of theletter

• -g ;ours faithfully, >(f you dont %now the name of theperson youre writing to?

• ;ours sincerely, >(f you %now the name of the person youre writing to?

• Best wishes, Best regards, >(f the person is a closebusiness contact or friend?


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-lements of Business Letter• &ignature: ;ou should place your signature below the complimentary

close• ;ou should place your signature below the complimentary close M line

spaces are left after the complimentary close to write your name in full

• 2o not write any title >+r +s +rs? before the name

• Dowe"er, a woman may put a title after the name in brac%ets -g@ >+rs?

Niran Beneath the name you may specify your position # J-', +anager etc

• Enclosure: (f you ha"e to enclose any documents along with theletter, you must mention it

• !he word in abbre"iated form encl is typed two line space belowthe name = position that you had specified after the signature

• (f the documents are important you can specify the names of thedocuments or only the number of documents is indicated


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Letter Writing: &tructure

;our address

Date

Recipient

Recipient’s add

Salutation

Title

Introduction

Explanation of problem

Give suggestions

Ask for action.Seek common understanding.

alediction

Signature

!ull "ame

Status

Dear Sir

Yours faithfully

Salutation Valediction

Dear Sir #ours fait$full%

Dear &name' #ourssincerel%


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Writing Routine and 6ood)ews Letters

6oodnews letters are those letters that please the

recei"er

Routine letters, on the other hand, are those which

are recei"ed with interest but they neither pleasenor displease the reader

Both follow the same se$uence of presentation of ideas

and ha"e a deducti"e pattern, which is %nown as

direct organization of ideas


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Writing Routine and 6ood)ews LettersJontd

!he basic plan of presenting ideas can be used indifferent business situations such as@


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Writing Routine and 6ood)ews Letters Jontd

,outine claim letters and 3yes4 repliesA claim letter is a re$uest for ad


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,outine re2uest letters and 3yes4 replies

,outine order letters and 3yes4 replies

Routine orders s$ould be explicit and t$oroug$. In addition to t$is( t$e% s$ould be

ver% clear about )$at t$e% expect b% giving complete details of t$e desired product.

T$e time of deliver% and t$e mode of s$ipment s$ould be specified clearl% in suc$letters.

A letter to( sa%( a vendor( re*uesting information about a product( s$ould state clearl%

and completel% )$at information is desired. A re*uest for information s$ould not

suggest t$at t$e )riter )ants to place an order.

W iti R ti d 6 d


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6uidelines for a 3yes4 replyBe it a routine claim% re2uest% or order% t"e guidelines a writerneeds to follow are:

!he beginning should state the reason for writing the letter

and the main idea !he middle paragraphs should gi"e details of the good news,

describe the product offered, and explain why the

replacement would satisfy the recei"er

!he end should draw the readerGs attention to the conditions,if any, attached to the positi"e response and the letter should

close on a positi"e note of than%s


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Guidelines for a 3no4 reply

A writer must be able to write 3no4 while minimizing the readerGs

disappointment !o achie"e this ob


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Writing 1ersuasi"e Letters

1ersuasi"e letters are those that arouse

the readerGs interest and induce him or

her to act as directed !hese lettersessentially sell ideas to others !he

persuasi"e pattern is also %nown as

persuasi"e organization


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Writing 1ersuasi"e Letters

Persuasi!e letters in!ol!e t"efollowing se2uence of ideas:

After arousing the readerGs interest in theproposal, the letter then re$uests action suchas a 3yes4 response to the proposed re$uest

!he last paragraph reminds the reader ofthe benefits and re$uests action within the

gi"en deadline

!he opening sentence should catch thereaderGs attention

!he middle section gi"es details about theproduct or scheme that is being promoted


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'ypes of business letters

• Letters ha"e to be drafted differentlyfor different reasons

• !he different letters@# complaint letter

# (n"itations

# Apology letter and

# Jo"ering letter for


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Co!er Letter Writing

• W"at is a co!er letter5• A co"er letter is a brief one page letter sent along with the

resume to potential employers

• !he purpose of the co"er letter is to present yourself to potential

employers and• !o let them %now what position you are interested in and why youd

be a good fit for their company

• Co!er Letter 6ormat• !he co"er letter format should be almost identical to the regular business

letter format• 6enerally the co"er letter will consist of three paragraphs

# !he first paragraph is an introductory one which introduces yourself

# !he second paragraph should pro"ide information on your s%ill, strengths,education, $ualifications and=or experience


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• !he final paragraph should close up the letterby re$uesting an inter"iew and possiblysuggestion times that are con"enient for youor stating that you can come in at a timethats con"enient for the employer

• -ach co"er letter that you send out should beuni$ue and tailored to the specific company

and position you are applying to• Also be sure to chec% for grammar and spelling

and %eep the letter to one page in length

Co!er Letter Writing


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Letter of complaint

• When writing a complaint letter you want to %eep itshort and to the point to help ensure that your letterwill be read in its entirety,

• if you write a se"en page complaint letter, its highly

unli%ely that someone will sit down and read all se"enpages

• !he complaint letter should be addressed to thecustomer ser"ice=consumer affairs department or the

head office if there is no customer ser"ice department• !he address and contact information of the customerser"ice department should be a"ailable on thecompanys products or website


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Letter of Complaint

• (n the first paragraph you should identify what the issue isand any rele"ant information that you belie"e is important

• Be sure to include the following information if itsapplicable to the situation@

# !he date=time of the issue,

# location, name of person on duty,

# )ame of product, What the problem was,

# your account number,

# model number, price, warranty information and

# reference number Be sure to stic% with the facts anda"oid putting emotions into your letter


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Letter of complaint• !he next paragraph should state what you would li%e to be done

to resol"e the situation• (f you recei"ed poor ser"ice, you could re$uest an apology or a

coupon

• (f a product malfunctioned, you could re$uest that you couldexchange the product for a new one or re$uest a refund

• !he last paragraph should than% the reader for the time• ;ou can also throw in some compliments about something you

li%ed about their companys product or ser"ice

,esponse to a letter of complaint:

!he response to a letter of re$uest, li%e any of the other letters alreadydescribed, should

# 'rient the reader

# (dentify the purpose of the letter, reminding the reader of his orher re$uest & any conditions upon it

# 1ro"ide the information re$uested


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7ob Inter!iew '"an( -ou Letters

• ;ou should write a than% you letter as soon aspossible >within HM hours is recommended?after the


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'"an( you letter writing:• !he first paragraph should consist of than%ing the

inter"iewer for the inter"iewing you >remind him=herabout the position you inter"iewed for and the date of

your inter"iew?

• !he second paragraph should state your interests inthe company and include any additional informationabout yourself that was not brought up in theinter"iew which would ma%e you a good candidate forthe position

• !he last paragraph should let the recruiter %now that you expect to hear from them soon

• Also let them %now that you are a"ailable to come inagain and are willing to discuss the


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Letter of En2uiries $ #s(ing for Information

• We write an en$uiry when we want to as% for more

information concerning a product ser"ice or otherinformation about a product or ser"ice that interests us

• !hese letters are often written in response to anad"ertisement

• But would li%e more information before ma%ing adecision

• Remember to place your or your companys address atthe top of the letter >or use your companys letterhead?

• followed by the address of the company you are writingto !he date can either be placed double spaced down orto the right


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& l d P ti l L tt


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&ales and Promotional Letters• 0ales and promotional letters are used by salespeople to

set up or confirm appointments, announce sales promotions

• !he letter itself is a sales tool

• !he first part of the letter states your purpose2epending on the reason for writing the letter,

• ;our purpose is to stimulate the readerGs interest (dentify

the benefit to your recipient• !he second part of the letter gi"es details or bac%ground

information

• (f you are ma%ing a re$uest, then this part would gi"e the

reason for the re$uest• !he last part of the letter acts as a statement of desired

action and as a summary reminding the recipient of theletterGs general nature


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Writing +emos

A memo is a form used by a person %nown to therecei"er personally (t is also referred to as a

memorandum (t is less formal and has no salutations,

6reetings or e"en a signature at the end

*ow to write a memo: A memo is short and writtenin a friendly tone (t addresses the sub


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Writing +emos Jontd

6unctions of a memo:!o pro"ide information

H!o issue an instructionI!o con"ey a policy decision

M!o offer suggestions

8!o record=report an agreement


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,eport WritingW*#' I& # ,EP/,'5

After the letter , the report is the most used form inbusiness writing

A report can be defined as a communication in whichthe writer gi"es information to some indi"idual or

organization because it is his or her responsibility to doso

!he common element in all reports, as a distinct formof writing, is the element of responsibility

!he writer is obliged to communicate what he=she%nows to one who needs it,

As a part of his=her assigned, clearly defined and timebound tas%


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P,P/&E /6 # ,EP/,'

• !o gi"e information about a companys acti"ities,progress, plans and problems

• !o record e"ents for future reference in

decision ma%ing• !o recommend specific action

• !o


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;I0D& /6 ,EP/,'&


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;I0D& /6 ,EP/,'&• Broadly spea%ing, reports are of two %inds

# *ormal reports that contain all essential elements of a report# 0emiformal=informal reports

Reports are %nown by the names they get from their purposeand their form Reports are usually identified as@

# Reports made by filling in a printed form >Routine Report?# Reports in the form of letters >Letter Report?

# Reports in the form of memos >+emo Report?

# Reports on the progress and status of a pro1rogressReport?

# 1eriodic Reports# Laboratory Reports

# 0hort (nformal Reports >in the form of Letters and +emos?

# *ormal Reports


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• !he first fi"e elements constitute the front matter,

• !he next four elements form the main body and

• !he last fi"e, constitute the bac% matter

• &tructure• 0ormal #rrangement

# Conclusions and ,ecommendations after Discussion

• #lternati!e #rrangement# Business heads are usually short of time

# !herefore, more interested in %nowing the conclusions andrecommendations of the findings


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#lternati!e #rrangement

&ummary 0on$tec"nical

Introduction

Conclusions Partly tec"nical

,ecommendations

6ully tec"nicalDiscussion

#ppendi<


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&"ort .anagement ,eport

• A short report is usually written either in the form ofmemorandum >+emo? or a letter

• /sually, reports meant for persons outside thecompany or clients are written in letter form

• !he short report# Jonsists of the title page or


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&"ort .anagement ,eport

• .emos# Are used as internal messages

# Are informal

# )eed no introductory information

# 0ol"e problems

• Letters# Are written usually to co"er short problems

# Are organized in the indirect order# -nd on a goodwill note

EXAMPLE

W,I'I0G ELE.E0'& /6 # L/0G 6/,.#L


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W,I'I0G ELE.E0'& /6 # L/0G 6/,.#L,EP/,'

• !he !itle 1age +ention

# )ame and status of author# 2epartment and date of issue

# !he Deading >title of the report? should be short, clear andunambiguous

• E


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• E26+? and -xecuti"es of 11L*eedbac% 1ac%aging Limited for gi"ing me the necessaryguidance and help in research wor%

• ( also than% all the respondents of sur"ey, who ga"e me"aluable information to carry out the study

• *inally, ( wish to than% my colleagues of the mar%eting

department, who contributed "aluable inputs to the researchwor%


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• Co!er Letter: A co"er letter is usually written by topmanagement=or pro


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#B&',#C' #0D E>EC'I+E &..#,-

• An abstract or summary is placed immediately after the list of tables, orafter the title page or on the title page itself

• A summary# 0hould gi"e the context of report

# 1ro"ide most important findings, conclusions and recommendations

# 0hould act as a time sa"er for the busy management• 'ypes of #bstract:

# Descripti!e #bstract: )ormally a research paper should ha"e aninformati"e abstract which gi"es information about the purpose ofthe study,

# Informati!e #bstract: An indicati"e abstract >descripti"eabstract? indicates the contents of the paper and the scope of thewor% done without gi"ing information about the result andconclusion

http://sample%20letters/table%20of%20contents.dochttp://sample%20letters/table%20of%20contents.dochttp://sample%20letters/table%20of%20contents.doc


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• E


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. di t '"


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.edia management: '"e press,elease

• .edia management is a term used forse!eral related tas(s t"roug"outpost$production

• In general% any tas( t"at relates toprocessing your media is considered tobe media management% suc" as

capturing% compressing% copying%mo!ing% or deleting media files


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'"e Press ,elease

• A press release% news release% mediarelease% press statement or !ideorelease is a written or recorded

communication directed at members oft"e news media for t"e purpose ofannouncing somet"ing ostensibly

newswort"y


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'"e Press ,elease

• Letter"ead=Logo

• Contact Information

• 36or Immediate ,elease4

• *eadline and sub$"eadline# *eadline@ Jounty Dealth 2epartment Launches Jhildhood

'besity 1rogram

# &ub"ead@ Jommunity grant %eeps %ids on playgrounds,

off couches• Date

• Body


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Press Conference

• A news conference or press conferenceis a media e"ent in which newsma%ersin"ite


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*ow do you "old a pressconference

• Before the press conference# 2efine the message

# 0chedule the date and time

# 1ic% the site

# Jontact the media

# *ollow up with the media

# 2e"elop a press %it

Group Communication


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Group Communication.EE'I0G&

• +eetings are an important facet of corporate life today• -"ery time you say hello, you start a meeting• A group of people from an organization participate in a meeting because

ma


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.eetings for informationalpurposes

:? !o communicate important or sensiti"e informationH?!o explore new ideas and concepts

I?!o pro"ide feedbac%

M?!o present a report

8?!o gain support for an idea or pro


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.eetings for decision ma(ingpurposes

:? !o reach a group conscience

H?!o sol"e a problem

I?!o reconcile a conflictM?!o negotiate an agreement

8?!o win acceptance for a new idea, plan

or system


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Preparation

:? Before you call a meeting as% your self the following$uestions# What is my ob


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Gi!en below are some of t"esc"eduling guidelines

• Jhoose a time during which participants are at their best# 2o not call meeting on +onday mornings or *riday

afternoons

• 0tart at an unusual time and at a natural bra%e point

# -x@ schedule meeting at lunch time or close of the wor%day

• Allow ample time for preparation@

# +a%e sure you allow participant more time to prepare

• A"oid surprise meetings@# 'n the spot meetings interrupt the flow of the wor%

day

Gi!en below are some of t"e


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Gi!en below are some of t"esc"eduling guidelines

• Duration:# !he appropriate length for a meeting depends on the type of

meeting it is, and on the number, complexity and sensiti"ityof agenda items

# (f you ha"e more topics than you can effecti"ely co"er in asingle meeting schedule a second meeting rather that tryingto cramp too much information in to the first

• #genda:# A written agenda, the list of the indi"idual items that need

to be discussed in the meeting, should be distributed inad"ance


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Guidelines of #genda:? Limit the no of agenda items@

*ocus on a few critical items I to O is a good rule of thumb

H? 2ont dwell on the past@ (f a meeting is to be producti"e, it must focus on actions and decision that

will affect the future

I? 1resent opportunities not problem@ (nstead of focusing on problems recast them as opportunities

M? Allocate ample time@ Allocate some extra time for $uestions, creati"e discussions

8? (nclude sufficient detail@ An agenda item should gi"e participants the specific information they need

to prepare for the meeting -x@ instead of an agenda item Qad"ertising budget , you can ha"e Qallocate‟

the ad"ertising budget among direct mail, print media, radio, and tele"ision4


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Participants

• 'ne of the primary causes of unproducti"e meeting isnot ha"ing the right people in attendance

• Identify t"e rig"t people to attend a meeting:# !hose who ha"e enough %nowledge of the sub


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/ptimal meeting si?e

.eeting type .a< 0o of

participants1roblem sol"ing I8

2ecision ma%ing O:E

1roblem identification O:E

(nformational HEIERe"iew or presentation HEIE

+oti"ational )o limit

+ d tti


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+enue and setting• A meeting room can enhance or inhibit producti"ity, encourage or

discourage communication, promote or stifle creati"ity, and ma%eparticipants feel relaxed or tense

• (t is important to ta%e great care in its selection and setup

• 'nce you decide on a room, whether it is within the companypremises or outside the office, reser"e it early

• (f the room you want is not a"ailable, locate a similar site orconsider postponing the meeting

• 6i"en below is some layout for arranging a room set up to impro"eaccess, heighten interaction and increase "isual contacts@

• Boardroom style is suitable for most meeting that in"ol"e sittinground a table

• Jonference or theatre style@ is suitable for annual general bodymeeting or any other meeting which in"ol"es a large number ofparticulars, presentations, and a $uestion and answer session

P d


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Procedure• !he $uality of a meeting is largely determined by how well

the players act out their role• By paying the three primary roles of

# leader,

# facilitator, and

# participants,# !he chairperson can direct the meeting towards achie"ing itsspecified goal

• Responsibilities of the chairperson in meeting@# 6etting the meeting off to a good start

# -ncouraging participation# 2rawing silent types into the discussion# oining the discussion, 2ealing with late comers, +anaging conflicts

# (n


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1roposal Writing


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!ypes of 1roposals

• 0ales 1roposals

• Research 1roposals

• 0olicited 1roposals• /nsolicited 1roposals

f l


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Basics of writing a proposal

• 1roposal is similar to a report & therefore allthe stages of writing a report apply here

• !he only difference is that a proposal is

result oriented, it has to achie"e its purpose• !he proposal is written on the basis of the

A(2A formula

• Attention (nterest 2esire & Action

h f 1 l


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!he structure of a 1roposal• 'o

• 6rom

• Introduction@ Aim, 0cope & some time 0ummary

Body

• Problem• Bac(ground of proposing company

• Purpose @ &cope

• Procedure

• Cost Estimate• Conclusion

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