MODULE 3: BUSINESS CORESPONDENCES

BUSINESS LETTERS
 Four Key Areas
o Stationery and printing of letter-headed paper
 Bad Paper = Bad Future
 No envelope? Bad Future
 White bond paper is okay  no board paper and oslo paper 
 You can use colored (quality) paper  neuted colors (beige, cream, nude, etc.) but not much color
 More fun colors reserved in creative fields, hip/artistic fields
 Philippine use: 8.5”x11”, government: A4 Paper, companies: varies
 Companies invest in influence
 Employees bound in convention.
 Letterheaded paper, logos
 Best logos are simplest one 
o Presentation
 Overall impact of letter
 White space
 Spacing
 Elegance part
o Language and Tone Used
 Consistent
 Email: Little less formal
 Business letter: never conversational, formal
o Structure of the Letter

APPROPRIATE TONES FOR BUSINESS MESSAGES

 Word Choice and Tones
o Using FORMAL, STANDARD English
 Rule of thumb
o Use INFORMAL
o USE TECHNICAL terms and tones English
o Use of these should fit your readers’/audience’s context
o Using Denotations and Connotations
 Should also be used in context
 Denotative: literal
 Connotative: metaphorical
o Use of me, we, and you tone
 Example:

I want to express my appreciation for the increase in sales reflected in the last quarterly report. I am pushing
for even greater effort, but I want to emphasize that I am pleased with last quarter’s results. I expect the
good work to continue; I want sales to keep increasing.

 Egocentric, self-centered, risk of losing rapport

 Changing it to we is not a lot better
 New Version:

Thanks for your help in increasing our sales last quarter.

All of us needed to push even more; but with efforts like yours, last quarter’s result have please and
encouraged us. Let us keep up the good work; let’s continue increasing those sales.
  I is left for inquiry letters
 “May…”
o Use of Constructive instead of Destructive Tones
 Destructive Tones
 You failed to….
 You forget to…
 I don’t like…
 You’ve ignored…
 X did it better.
 Better:
 Please insert this line…
 Your design would be excellent if…
 Did I dictate the second line of this memo?
 Would your design have been better executed if…?
 Couch tones I question form that connotes the need for improvement, and guide your receiver toward the
improvement.
 Choose words that focus on what is needed instead of your receiver’s failure.
o Use of sexist and sex-fair Tones
 Use the plural to avoid gender-based tones
 Example:
 An executive knows the value of continuing education for himself and his employees.
 Executive know the value continuing education for them and their employees.
o Use neutral words to denote titles and occupations.
 Dentist, not LADY dentist
 Manager, not MANAGERESS
 Chairperson, not CHAIRWOMAN
 Wait staff, not WAITRESS
o Use of Data Organization
 Rapport in Communication
 Message data
 Word choice
 Message tone
 Positive Data, Negative Tone
 Positive Data, Positive Tone

STRUCTURE OF THE BUSINESS LETTERS (FOUR POINT PLAN)

 Justified
 Opening or Introduction
o Why you are writing, reference to previous correspondence>
 Details
o Facts and figures
o Give instructions, ask for information
 Action
o Action that you wish the recipient to take, or action you will take
 Close
o A simple, relevant closing statement
o Never: Hoping for your kind consideration. (Should be I am hoping…, or say it in other ways)

FORMAT OF BUSINESS LETTER

#Single Spacing Letterhead:
Logo
<Letterhead> Name of company Letterhead
29 July 201-- Address Date
<space> Fax/email/telephone
 <space>
<space>
Mr John Leong Honorary Name Inside Address of Recipient
Managing Director Position #no punctuation marks-open
International Holdings, Inc. Name of Building punctuation system (Dr, Mr,
12/F Wisma Genting Exact Address Ms, Prof)
Jalan Tajah Laut Barangay #call people with surnames
50245 Kuala Lumpur Zip Code/City/Municipality/Address
West Malaysia Country
<space> Non-negatioable (it should be exactly be x
<space> spaces)
VISIT TO SINGAPORE Subject line
<space>
Dear Mr Leong Salutation #justification, indention
<space>
Body of Letter <Intro> Body (fully blocked format)
<space>
Body of Letter <Detail>
<space>
Body of Letter <Action>
<space>
Body of Letter <Close>
<space>
Yours sincerely Salutatory Close
<space> Can be adjusted
<space>
Sally Turner, Ph.D.
Sales and Marketing Manager
<space>
Copy Michael Norton, Divisional Manager, Singapore Copy Turner/Enclosure (optional)
ST/bp Type by somebody else (BOSS/typist)
% Dear Mr Leong: (for old style)

 Salutatory Close: Respectfully yours, Sincerely yours, Truly yours, Yours truly
 Enclosures (Encr):
o Encr: Birth Certificate (Original)
GSIS Enrolment
o cc (courtesy copy/carbon copy)
o bcc (blind courtesy copy)
 White Spaces
o Margin: 1 inch all side
o Short letter? 1 page.
 Especially for cover letter.
 One strong page is enough.
o Not extendable to extend to next page if you will only use a
few lines
 You can reduce font (12  11) or you can use another
font (serif, sans serif ) but do not use default don’t (Arial,
Times New Roman)
o NEVER USE COMIC SANS
 Helvetica is good
o Letter too short?
 Move the letter down
 Follow the picture frame format
 Without altering the margin, move down the content
of the letter
 Letter Envelope
o White envelope, size 10 (local: 4 1/8” by 9 ½”)
o No window
 o Size 10, air mail envelope (international)

Example:
Shirley Taylor (Use honorifics, if necessary)
ST International PLC (sender’s address)
Aurora House
430 Ortigas Avenue (Ortigas is special/However, convention in PH: [Town] [Area Code] [City])
1605 Pasig City
Philippines

Mr John Leong .
International Holdings Sdn Bhd
12/F Wisma Genting .
Jalan Rajah Laut .
50245 Kualu Lumpur .
West Malaysia .

 Other Reminders
o Open punctuation
o Picture frame format
o Blocked/fully blocked format
o Justification

EMAIL OR ELECTRONIC MESSAGES

 The most common and demanding writing task today relates to electronic messages, or emails
o Even while letters and memos are still critically important documents
 When used effectively, emails enhance a professional’s ability to communicate and solve problems
 Email as professional use!
 Emails are easy to use and quick, but not the best way to connect
 Used ineffectively, emails can create frustration rather than help:
o When messages are long and unedited, these are difficult to understood
o When emotions are provoked by controversial message
 Less filter in email
o When email is used as a default means of communication and is used in lieu of another type of communication that
would be more effective
 Email is not best way to explain yourself! (economical, save face, but not secure, not best light)
o Messages unrelated to work waste time
o When attachments are sent unnecessarily or without explanation
 Or lack thereof
o When emails are untitled or are inaccurately titled, this can be confusing or even misleading
o Inappropriate use of special features such as “read now! Or “urgent may cause distraction
 Basic Guidelines in Writing Emails
o In general, keep emails to the length of one screen.
 If your message is much longer than one screen, consider using another mode of communication
o Respond to email within a day or two.
 Use an “out-of-office” response when you are unavailable for more than a day.
 Vacation responder
o Use a salutation and closing, even if the salutation consists only of your recipient’s name and the close consists only
of your name.
 Ensures that your email is identified by the recipient
 Other closing; Best, Regards,
 Other opening: Hi X,
 o Start the message with them most important information
 Clearly state the information you need from the reader at the beginning of the message
o Use an accurate and updated subject line so that your recipient can refer to your message and file it easily.
o Use bulleted or numbered lists so that items stand out
o Use bold face and highlight, if necessary
o Avoid jargons, slangs, and abbreviations
o Use conventional rules for punctuation and capitalization
 Do not write un all uppercase letters, as the uppercase connotes shouting or screening
 All lowercase letters implies that you do not know how to make, or do not care, about capitalization decisions.
o Check your syntax. sentence constructions short and simple
o Slow down, take care, focus, and get it right (Prewrite, Write, Edit)
o Check your message. Re-read your message before you hit “send”. Proofreading means a lot more than
“spellchecking”
 Check for accuracy, brevity, clarity, as well as organization and tone.
 Tone means a lot. (Why emojis are born)
 Make sure you have attaches any attachment oy mean to send with your email
o Avoid using “read now” or “urgent”, unless absolutely necessarily.
o Do not convey extremely sensitive information via email.
o Stay current about your company policy for email use; send personal message sparingly.
o While it is possible now to email heads of companies as their email addresses are available, this does not always
mean that your CEO wants to hear directly from you
 Your own immediate head may not be too happy that you went over their head, either
o Some people get so used to doing everything by email that they forget or don’t give as much attention to proper
mail. Check your snail mail at least once a day.
o If you have doubts about whether you should send a message, do NOT send it; save it as a draft until you are sure.
o Update the email by changing the subject line to reflect the new content
o Delete the previous message if the recipient does not need to know the history
o Add a note at the beginning of forwarded messages explaining how the email relates to the reader.
 Specify the action they should take.
o Do not press “reply all” unless everyone needs the information
 Unnecessary replies to all create confusion and clutter
o Do not respond to controversial or emotional messages until you are clear headed and objective
 “I’ll get back to you” or “Noted with thanks” or “Discussed at another time” or save at drafts until clearheaded
o Do not forward messages that you consider inappropriate.
o Ensure that your email handles/username are professionally acceptable
 Create a separate email for professional use.
 OJTs? UP Email
o Provide a professional signature block to your emails
 Name, designation (department, position, committee), honorifics, address, contact number, email address
 As students, expected date of graduation (ex. BS Mathematics Class of 2021), address in campus, college
 Especially internships, trainings
o Ensure a clean and professional presentation of your email
 Do not use fancy fonts or backgrounds
 Remove personals

Example Email:
To:
Cc:
Subject:

[[Dear/Hi] Receiver]:
[Message: opening, introduction, context]
<space>
 [Message: details]
<space>
[Message: action]
<space>
I appreciate your prompt reply.
<space>
[block]

REPORT WRITING
 Read the reading!
o GOAL: there are particular aspects in effective reporting and characteristics of good report
 Sample Memo Format
o Academic report: manuscript format (essay/paragraph format)
o Internal to the company
o Possible that company generate prepared memo sheets

To:/For: Nicca de la Rama, Customer Service Team Leader, Alabang Branch

From: Lucy Regio (full names, no honorifics, designation), Assistant Chief, Publicity Division
Date: 25 August 201--
Subject: XXX
Reference: J JP 2-2019

Please note the attached list of reminders for the weekend promos at out Alabang branch throughut the month of June
2019.
For disseminate to your board members. Thank you.

Signature is above of “from line” or below the memo.

Reference line is optional, for archival purpose

 Purpose of business reports is to convey information for decision-making

 Must be factual, objective
 Reports may be written, oral, multimedia messages

CLASSIFICATION OF REPORTS
 According to predominance of words (narrative report), numbers (statistical reports)
 According to intervals of transmission (routine report)
o Periodic Reports: issued regularly (unit production reports), annual reports
 Progress or Interim Reports:
 presents status of a project or progress toward a goal
 Appropriate contents include
o Status/Plan
o Problems encountered or resolved
o Progress achieved
o Requests for special assistance or additional instructions
o Special Reports: non-routine activities, requests or need
 Exception Reports
 Reports of malfunctions, accidents, violation of company policies or procedures, unusual behaviors of
customers and/or suppliers
  Usually uses a deductive ordering.
 Trip Reports
 Reports based on special assignments, conferences, seminars
 For evaluation of the value of the trip for the employer and employee
 Not about travel details or social amenities that may have been part of the trip
 Recommendation Reports
 Consists primarily of recommendations, with only minimal presentation of supporting data
 May be used when the receiver is already aware of the conditions warranting the recommendations
 Usually accompanies an oral presentation of findings
 Policy and Procedure Reports
 Instruct employees or customers about expected behaviors
 Policies are general guides
 Procedures are specific guides
 According to direction of transmission flow
o Horizontal Flow: among levels of equal authority
o Vertical Reports: superior-subordinate
o Radial Reports: cut across levels of authority, may move within or outside an organization
 According to context
o Technical Reports: specialized vocabularies, information conveyed among specialists with in similar training and
experiences
o Nontechnical Reports: simpler words, for receivers with dissimilar levels of training
 According to message structure
o Chronological Structure/Narrative Reports
o Logical Structure/Rhetorical: according to patterns of reasoning: induction, deduction, comparison and contrast
 According to message purpose
o Informational or fact finding: no interpretation
 Observational, definitive
o Analytical: examination investigation, recommendation
 Formulate an issue or identify a problem
 Analyze, synthesize, interpret pertinent data
 Present logical conclusion
 Give suggestions/recommendations
o Research Reports
 Analytical reports that deal with the quest for knowledge (basic or pure knowledge) or those with parctical uses
(applied research)
 According to length
o Short Report: length fewer than 3 pages
 Maybe presented in letter, memo, manuscript formats
o Long Report: anything longer than 3 pages
 Manuscript format, accompanied by a cover memo or letter
o Not quite a clear categorization, though (depends on company)
 According to formality of structure of tone and structure
o Informal Report: personal tone, memo or letter format
o Formal Reports: memo or letter format, but are presented as self-contained documents.
 Particular conventions/form
 With preliminaries like title page, table of contents, executive summary
 With supplementary parts: bibliography, appendix, index (ex. ADB reports)
 Usually written by a committee or group of people after a fairly detailed investigation or research

STRUCTURE OF A FORMAL REPORT

 Numbering: 1.0 Terms of Reference; 2.0 Methods/Procedures…
 Headings: name of company, report heading (A Report on….)
 Aurora Holdings, Inc.
A Report on Sanitary Conditions in Existing…

 Terms of Reference:
o Why is the report written
o What is requested
o By whom?
o 1 to 2 sentences

The report is accompanied per request of Mr James Joyce to solicit suggestion in preparation for the construction
of the new building.

 Procedure: brief description of methods used to collect information (interviews, visits/observations, questionnaires,
surveys, etc.)
 Findings: point by pint discussion of the information gathered
 Conclusion: np new facts introduced here; statement of logical implication based on findings
 Recommendations: (if requested) no new facts are introduced here, but suggestions for further action
 Closing Section: signature, name and job title, date report was written

Check page 15 of the Reading (table)

%Check email, no class next week, module exercise with peer review sheet