Qualities of Effective Business Letters

Qualities of Effective Business Letters

9 Cs

1. Correctness

2. Coherence

3. clearness

4. conciseness

5. consistency

6. concreteness

7. completeness

8. courtesy

9. consideration

CORRECTNESS

-GRAMMAR

-APPEARANCE OF THE LETTER

-FACTS AND FIGURES

TO BE CORRECT IS TO BE PERFECT.

USE AN ATTRACTIVE PHYSICAL FORMAT

CHECK FOR ERRORS FOR GRAMMAR, SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION.

3. VERIFY FACTS AND FIGURES.

4. KNOW YOUR MESSAGE

5. MAKE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SELL

2. COHERENCE

COHERE- TO STICK TOGETHER.

How?

The proper arrangement and organization of ideas.

The correct order of modifiers.

The use of transitional devices or connectives

PROPER WORDS IN PROPER PLACES.

PLAN THE MESSAGE.

ARRANGE IDEAS LOGICALLY.

AVOID DANGLING MODIFIERS.

USE PROPER TRANSITIONAL DEVICES.

WRITE NATURALLY AND WITH EASE.

3. CLEARNESS

Clear writing comes from clear thinking.

To enhance clarity in writing, avoid the use of:

Deadwood ex. True factsfacts

Horse-and-buggy (not writing with times)

has come to handhas arrived

I deemI think

3. Jargon - specialized language of a profession or trade, which an ordinary person may find meaningless.

For example for a lawyer:

Double jeopardy

For a publisher:

Bulldog editionyellow journalism

4. Vague words

Word order indicates emphasis, even difference in meaning. For example:

Only I bought this book yesterday.

Only, I bought this book yesterday.

I only bought this book yesterday.

I bought this book only yesterday.

I bought this only book yesterday.

Think clearly

Use simple, familiar words.

Indicate word order properly.

Relate ideas through parallel construction.

Make punctuation marks work for you.

4. Consistency

-in structure and in purpose

Means that its parts are similar and in agreement.

Shifts in tense, subject, voice, number, person or class of pronouns, and figures of speech (to literal speech must be avoided.

InconsistentConsistent

After the textbook has After he had mas-

been mastered, he had tered the textbook,

no trouble with he had no trouble

accounting.(shift fromwith accounting.

Active to passive)

Be consistent

Follow the normal S-V-C pattern.

Use active verbs.

Be consistent with tense and number.

Have a central idea.

Do not shift structures within a sentence.

5. Conciseness

Means that much is said in a few words.

It is brief and to the point. It is knowing when to stop writing or speaking when the job is done.

How? Remove non-essential words by:

Using direct and simple words

Economizing on modifiers

Using words in their exact shades in meaning.

PreciseVerboseAfter a very serious self- analysis, I decided to from the company.It was too difficult to arrive at this conclusion, but I am resigning from this company.2. Of course, I shall continue to help training the person you will choose to replace me. If you wish, I can train whoever you choose to take my position.

WordyconciseAm in receipt ofHave receivedAm in a position toCan, am able toAm of the opinionBelieveBy means ofByIn the event thatIfWith reference toaboutHerewith enclosedEnclosedLetter with regard toLetter about

Be exact

1. develop the habit of clear thinking.

2. Use words in their exact shades of meaning.

3. Get to the point, and do not deviate from it.

4. Use the simpler word, the shorter phrase.

5. eliminate redundancy.

6. Concreteness

A concrete word appeals to one or more of the sense.

Expresses something tangible, such as music, chocolate, picture or calculator.

GeneralConcrete

Housepalace, chalet, nipa hut, villa, castle

Walkstroll, totter, strut, mince, stagger,

prance, saunter

Flowerdaisy, rose, violet, sampaguita, rosal

Concreteness does not also mean to be euphemistic.

EUPHEMISM means using the softer, the bland, more pleasant expressions to avoid referring directly to something unpleasant or improper.

Filipino euphemism:

Metro Manila aide- street cleaners

a gift of love-memorial plan

to meet his maker-die

hospitality girls- hostess

sales counselor-agent

love child-illegitimate

Figures of speech may be used in writing certain types of letters particularly sales letters. They can add power to business writing but should be used sparingly unless the writer is ready to prove his statement.

Ex.shoes that will last a lifetime

skin like porcelain

Make work pictures

Use concrete words

Prefer the specific to the general word.

Avoid exaggerations.

Use figures of speech sparingly.

8. COURTESY

MAKING THE PERSON FEEL IMPORTANT

BEING HONEST BUT TACTFUL

Remember:

The customer is king in business.

positiveNegative(The phrases are not in the direct equivalent of the positive phrases)We appreciateWe are forcedYou will be pleasedYou claim thatThank you forYou forget toPlease let me know ifYou mustMay I ask you toI am obliged toIt was nice of youWe suspect thatsuccessFailure/unsuccessfulSeparated,releasedFired(form a job)

Positive(reference on the writer)Negative(reference on the reader)We are sorry for the delayBecause of the delay of your response, you have no one but yourself to be blamed.Please accept the apologyYou owe us an apologyOur failure to deliverYour failure to send

SAY IT POSITIVELY

Be optimistic.

Stress the positive.

Be honest and tactful.

Always project goodwill.

Remember the Golden Rule: Treat the person as you wish to be treated.

8. CONSIDERATION

-TREATING THE OTHER PERSON AS A UNIQUE HUMAN BEING WHOSE INTERESTS AND PROBLEMS ARE THE GENUINE CONCERN OF BUSINESS.

-Being personal

Use the YOU-viewpoint

impersonalYou attitudeIm always glad whenever somebody asks me to explain the RPL insurance Mutualization SystemThank you for your interests.. orI am happy to answer your questions on the I am happy to explain to you..The interest can be left to the credit of your account or withdrawn.You can leave the interst to be credited to your accounts or you can withdraw it.It has been a pleasure to work together in this report.I have enjoyed working with youIt has been a pleasure working with you on

BE PERSONAL

Treat the reader as a person.

Adopt the YOU attitude.

Think of the readers interests first.

Prefer We to I.

Be sensitive to the readers point of view.

9. COMPLETENESS

-saves the company unnecessary expenses.

Avoid omitting important facts through carelessness by:

Planning before writing

Knowing the purpose or writing

Checking for details.

DELIVER THE GOODS

Prepare all needed information.

Know the purpose of writing the letter well.

Plan the letter to answer all questions of the reader.

Check the letter for important details.

Aim for desired feedback.

Any questions?

Group Activity

Group 1

Classify the following phrases and clauses according to the 9Cs by identifying the quality best described.

Avoiding negative phrases or suggestions.

The result of a well-organized plan.

Compact writing.

Putting yourself in your readers shoes.

The observance of rules that govern the mechanical details of expression.

Ideas do not dangle

The result of familiar words and short sentences.

Group 2

Analyze using the 9 Cs. Make the necessary corrections.

My Dear Mrs. Cruz:

I want to inform you that the prices mentioned in your recent letter will be effective on August 13. This ought to answer your question.

I cant understand what you are getting at when you say I wish to order some goods. In fact, your statement really has me puzzled. You did not include any order.

Mr. Carlos Wing is our new sales representative to your district.

Very truly yours,

Group 3 correct the content and word choice errors

To: Staff

From: Manager

Date: July 18, 2014

Subject: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Yesterday, I attended a seminar on business communication. The speaker introduced me to some principals and techniques, and I want to pass some of his advise on to you. Specifically, pay attention to the items below:

Always analyze the situation. Youll get farther if you focus on yourself- use the You-Viewpoint!

Use lots of technical words; readers are impressed by them.

Long messages are better than brief ones because you may

include more details.

*Dont waste time proofreading e-mail; its meant to be quick and dirty, and you can always send another one if you make a mistake.

You may already have known these things, but a reminder never hurts. Discuss these items between yourselves, and let me know if you have any questions.

Group 4

A.Explain why each of the following expression are redundant. Rewrite each and remove the unnecessary word/words.

1.Basic fundamentals

2. Five in number

3. Tall in height

4. New innovations

5. Consensus of opinion

B. Choose which one is better. Give your reason/s why.

Company reorganization, phase out the department.

Lack of business expansion;hence, operation died.

a

A. Thank you for your letter of June 10, 2014, telling us that you are cancelling your order of 500 bags of flour.

B. Your letter of June 10, 2014, telling us of your cancelling your order of 500 bags of flour is herby accepted. Thank you for informing us.

Group 5

Rewrite the following, putting the message in positive terms.

If you dont pay by August 20, you will not receive the 5% discount.

Kindly advise if the foregoing explanation is not clear and you feel that you need further clarification.

You failed to enclose a sample.

Please tell us more why you are displeased with our services.

Because of high printing costs, these brochures will no longer be available free of charge, but will be charged P20.00 a copy.