Seminar business writing-compressed

June, 2012

MBA. Geoffrey Klein

If your attitude is “It’s just an e-mail, so it doesn’t have to be

perfect”You are doing serious

damage to your credibility, your

professional image, even your future!

If your attitude is “It’s just an e-mail, so it doesn’t have to be

perfect”You are doing serious

damage to your credibility, your

professional image, even your future!

1. Warm-up session

2. Are Business Emails THAT important?

3. Challenges for non-native speakers

4. What you can learn in TalentLink’s Course?

5. Basic Business Email Etiquettes

6. Bad news/ Apology Emails

7. Quick check-up test

Contents

1. Warm-up session

2. Are Business Emails THAT important?

3. Challenges for non-native speakers

4. What you can learn in TalentLink’s Course?

5. Basic Business Email Etiquettes

6. Bad news/ Apology Emails

7. Quick check-up test

Contents

Write an email

Warm-up

1. Warm-up session

2. Are Business Emails THAT important?

3. Challenges for non-native speakers

4. What you can learn in TalentLink’s Course?

5. Basic Business Email Etiquettes

6. Bad news/ Apology Emails

7. Quick check-up test

Contents

On average, a professional today spends about

2.5 - 3 hours a day, every single working day on email

Some Statistics

What does that mean?

We spent 40% of our working day

So…

Time we spent on emails?

60 hours a month 720 hours a year

On average: 1 hour/email (and yet, it still might not be perfect)

And what else we can’t convey in a math?

•The state of mind

Let’s do some maths

First impression

EMAIL First impresssion

Email as our image

•To inform•To persuade

•To enquire info•To gain impression

•To maintain relationships

Motives

Consider

hi John, how are you? We need to address few points: The trip, the new account and the technical support. this will really help. sincerely,joe.

ConsiderHi John,

How are you?

We need to address a few points:

A) the tripB) the new accountC) technical support

This will really help.

Sincerely,

Joe

1. Warm-up session

2. Are Business Emails THAT important?

3. Challenges for non-native speakers

4. What you can learn in TalentLink’s Course?

5. Basic Business Email Etiquettes

6. Bad news/ Apology Emails

7. Quick check-up test

Contents

Top Email Mistakes?Your Challenges?

Top Email Mistakes?

Challenges for Non-native writer

1. Warm-up session

2. Are Business Emails THAT important?

3. Challenges for non-native speakers

4. What you can learn in TalentLink’s Course?

5. Basic Business Email Etiquettes

6. Bad news/ Apology Emails

7. Quick check-up test

Contents

What you will get from TalentLink’s Course

•Save time, money, and energy •Banks of email templates •Structural Grammar•Professional first impression •Boost writing confidence and skills •Positive tone and accurate

word-choice -> Best email result

•A/ Introduction to Business Email Writing (9 hours)•Define the target receiver for optimal result

•Email Etiquettes

•Email Format and Styles

•Word choice and Email Tones•B/ Grammar Topography (9h)•C/ Types of Email (18h)•D/ Case studies and Practices (9h)

Sample Course Outline (45 intensive hours)

1. Warm-up session

2. Are Business Emails THAT important?

3. Challenges for non-native speakers

4. What you can learn in TalentLink’s Course?

5. Basic Business Email Etiquettes

6. Bad news/ Apology Emails

7. Quick check-up test

Contents

Email Writing for results

.

• Common symptoms • Solutions: S&S. Easy to read, comprehend, and react to in thirty seconds or LESS• Why?• So, call for ACTION

Activity: Writing for results

Subject:  Some ConcernsHi Everybody, I was just thinking about some of the things that might be an issue for us in the next few weeks and I think that I may have stumbled upon something we should all take a hard look at.  I know that we are all real busy but it's not a bad idea to think about this kind of thing sometimes.  The shipment we will get from abroad tomorrow or in the next couple of days might have some issues.  I'm just saying we should be careful about it.  Thanks,

Subject:  Defective Printed Circuit Boards May Arrive Tomorrow - Action Required.Dear Mr. …,I have been informed that tomorrow's shipment of 5,550 Printed Circuit Boards from Orient Express Inc. in Thailand may be defective.  Our PO# was 345738, the FEDEX tracking number is 3847639374.Please have your people ready to inspect the shipment upon arrival.  Call or email me with the results of the inspections once they are available.Please let me know if any of this is unclear, or if there are other things we should also consider.Best Regards,

Activity: Writing for results

short, Sweet, and to the Point, Please

.

“A good speech should be like a woman's skirt: long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest”

― Winston S. Churchill

Basic Email Etiquettes

•Write in a positive tone “When you complete the report” instead of “If you

complete the report”•Avoid negative words that begin with “un, non, ex” or

that end with “less” (useless, non-existent, ex-employee,

undecided).

•Use smiles , winks ;), and other graphical symbols only when

appropriate.•Use contractions to add a

friendly tone. (don’t, won’t, can’t).

General Format: Tone

ACTIVITY: FORMAL OR INFORMAL

ACTIVITY: FORMAL OR INFORMAL

ACTIVITY: FORMAL OR INFORMAL

Email 2:

Laura,

I’m writing (11)… all our family to say thanks you very much for letting us stay at your seaside house at the weekend, we really enjoyed it. By now you gave properly heard from your neighbors about (12)…of my teenage son Harry and his friends when they come back from the pub late on Saturday night. (13)…all the nose they made, and for the damage they caused to your neighbor’s garden. (14)…I will do everything possible to (15)… (16)…contact your neighbors directly and offer to pay for any damage. (17)…I also sent them some flower and a box of chocolates. I’ve already spoken to my son (18)… and he promises it won’t happen again.

Once again, I am really sorry. (19)…, (20)…-I’ll be at home at the weekend

Email 1:

Dear Ms. Laura,

I am writing (1)…Promotional Products in relation to your recent complaint. I was very concerned to learn about the problems you experienced and the (2)…of our sales staff. (3)…everything that happened, and thanks you bringing it to my attention. (4)…I will (5)….

(6)… send replacement items immediately, at our expense, and I will personally make sure that the order is correct. (7)…we will also send you credit note to be used against any items in our catalogue. I have already spoken to the sales staff involved (8)…and we are making sure that in the future all customer complaints are dealt with in a polite and helpful manner.

Once again, I hope you will accept my apologies for the inconvenience caused. I very much hope you will continue to use our services in the future (9)…, (10)….on my direct line given below.

ELEVATOR SUMMARY

Elevator summary“Our profit margin for the last quarter went down

5%. As a result I am proposing budget adjustment for the following areas…”

Table of contents“This email contains:

A. Budget projections for the last quarterB. Actual performance for the last quarter

C. Adjustment proposal

1. Warm-up session

2. Are Business Emails THAT important?

3. Challenges for non-native speakers

4. What you can learn in TalentLink’s Course?

5. Basic Business Email Etiquettes

6. Bad news/ Apology Emails

7. Quick check-up test

Contents

Flaming in emails

• What is Flaming?• AVOID Flaming• EMAILS are black and white• “Would I say this to this person’s face?”• Read your message twice• Keep Flaming under control

Flaming in emails

Write like it’s your

only chance

Responding to a flame

Do not take your reader by surprise or press them to the wall

Deliver the news up front:“We are unable to order new computers this quarter due

to budget cuts.”Explain ReasonsAvoid blaming:

“I think it will be hard to recover from this, but what can I do to help?”

DELIVERING BAD NEWS

APOLOGIES

Activity: Apology

Apology: Prompts (1)

1. Please accept my… g) sincere apologies

2. We’re having a temporary problem… j) with our software

3. We’re doing everything we can to… f) resolve the issue/sort it out

4. Can you leave it… i) with me for a day or two ?

5. I’ll look into the matter urgently… b) and get back to you tomorrow

6. I’ll send you… a) a replacement immediately

7. We are sending you small gift… c) as a gesture of goodwill

8. I can assure you that… h) this will not happen again

9. I apologise again… d) for any inconvenience this has caused

10. If you have any further queries, do not.. e) hesitate to contact me

Activity: Apology

1. I am absolutely/extremely/really/very sorry for what has happened2. Thanks you for bringing this issue/material/problem to my attention3. We can assure you that the articles/goods/items/wares were dispatched on

time.4. We were sorry to hear that the product was damaged/defective/faulty/out

of work when you received it.5. This was due to an oversight when we processed your order/a strike in

our factory/an inflammation in our warehouse/ circumstances beyond our control.

6. I am trying to sort it out/sort out it/sort the problem out/sort out the problem as a matter of urgency.

7. Please return the faulty goods, and we will refund you/repair them/replace them/restore them immediately.

8. We appreciate that this has caused you considerable inconvenience, but we cannot accept any breach in the contract/ disadvantage/ liability/responsibility on our part.

Apology: Prompts (2)

1. I am absolutely/extremely/really/very sorry for what has happened2. Thanks you for bringing this issue/material/problem to my attention3. We can assure you that the articles/goods/items/wares were dispatched on

time.4. We were sorry to hear that the product was damaged/defective/faulty/out

of work when you received it.5. This was due to an oversight when we processed your order/a strike in

our factory/an inflammation in our warehouse/ circumstances beyond our control.

6. I am trying to sort it out/sort out it/sort the problem out/sort out the problem as a matter of urgency.

7. Please return the faulty goods, and we will refund you/repair them/replace them/restore them immediately.

8. We appreciate that this has caused you considerable inconvenience, but we cannot accept any breach in the contract/ disadvantage/ liability/responsibility on our part.

Activity: Apology

1. Thank you very much this matter for bringing to my attention.

2. I was very experienced to learn the problems about you concerned.

3. I will look the matter into and get back you to within the few next days.

4. Once again, accept our apologies please caused for the inconvenience.

5. Having this matter in detail looked into, I be of no further assistance regret that I can.

Apology: Prompts (3)

Useful prompts (4)

Apologizing we would like to offer our sincere apologies for our mistake

Attachments please find the document attached

Clarifications there are several points we don’t quite understand; we feel there may have been a misunderstanding between us

Closing we look forward to receiving your reply; Regards, Joe Blunt

Complaints we were very surprised and disappointed by this

Congratulationswe would like to congratulate you on your recent good news

Meetings would Tuesday 26 October be convenient for you? ; Would it be possible to postpone the meeting until next week?

Openings we are writing to enquire about...; I am writing on behalf of ...

Orders Re order no. XJ 8103; goods shipped today

Payments we have not yet received payment for order no. XJ 8103. Could you please attend to this matter as soon as possible

Requests we would be very grateful if you could send us your catalogue and current price list

Suggestions another option would be to ...

Thanks we would just like to express our gratitude for all your help in this matter

When Email Won’t Work

1. Warm-up session

2. Are Business Emails THAT important?

3. Challenges for non-native speakers

4. What you can learn in TalentLink’s Course?

5. Basic Business Email Etiquettes

6. Bad news/ Apology Emails

7. Quick check-up test

Contents

ACT NOW

Write an email:

Check-up Test

June, 2012

MBA. Geoffrey Klein

Thank you!