Business Correspondence

• Letter writing is an important and effective tool in clinching an issue

almost in every field.
• office letters are silent ambassadors of a business enterprise. The
correspondence is the most important channel through which various
business enquiries, negotiations, purchase orders, debt recovery,
complaints, redresser of grievances, etc. are made.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF A BUSINESS LETTER
• Clarity and Coherence: In order to be effective, a good business letter
should be concise, precise, relevant, concrete and consistent.
• Consideration: The writer of the letter should place himself in the
position of the reader and give a consideration as to what does he
need.
• Brevity: A good business letter should be concise and exact.
• Courtesy and Friendliness: The tone of the business letter should
always be courteous and polite.
• Conciseness: A business letter should be concise and direct, written in
simple language with a natural flow of words.
• Correctness: A business letter should be grammatically correct and
factually accurate. Incorrect information and inaccurate facts
conveyed through a letter are bound to make the position of the
writer vulnerable.
• Completeness: A business letter should include all the necessary facts
and background information that supports the message being sent.
• Originality: Originality of form, expression and style are often
necessary to make business letters more appealing, particularly for
sales promotion, and on special occasion, such as introduction of a
new product.
• Neatness: A neat and tidy letter, clearly typed or written on a
reasonably good paper with proper paragraphing makes a letter
attractive to the reader.
• Effectiveness: The ultimate goal of a business letter is the desired
response in a positive manner within a reasonable time.
• Proof Reading: Though proof reading is not an essential part of
writing a letter, it is a very important precautionary aspect of business
correspondence.
• A good letter can be ruined by careless attitude towards grammatical
and typing errors.
• Thus, wrong spelling of names,incorrect numbers typed, and failure
to enclose specified items need to be corrected before a letter is
signed.
Ten commandments for writing a good
business letter are:
• i) Write as you would talk.
• ii) Be courteous and friendly.
• iii) Be natural.
• iv) Learn to visualise your reader and be helpful.
• v) Keep an open mind. Appreciate your reader’s point of view.
• vi) Practice real diplomacy.
• vii) Be willing to admit mistakes.
• viii) Write clearly and to the point.
• ix) Tell your readers what they want to know.
• x) Dramatise your letter/Show them reasons.
FORM AND ARRANGEMENT OF A BUSINESS
LETTER
• Paper:
• Typing
• Margin
• Folding
• Envelops
• Address on Envelops
State whether following statements are “True
or False” ?
• i)In a business letter poetic language should be avoided.
• ii) Originality makes a business letter more appealing.
• iii) Delayed response shows the ineffectiveness of the letter.
• iv) In a business letter wordy phrases should invariably be used.
• v) The form of business correspondence determines its attraction
value.
• (i) True, (ii) True, (iii) True, (iv) False, (v) True
Arrangement or Parts of a Letter
• The contents of a business letter should be arranged in a scientific
manner so as to make it more effective and attractive.
• On the basis of custom, experience and exigencies, a regular form
and structural arrangement of a business letter has been evolved over
the years.
• A well structured business letter contains several parts which are
outlined below:
• Heading: It consists of sender firm’s name, address complete with
pincode,Telephone Numbers, Telegraphic Address, (if any), Telex Fax
number etc., printed on the letter paper in ornamental blocks so as to
give an attractive appearance.
• Date is also printed on the right hand side of the paper.
• An illustration is give below:
• Punctuation: The punctuation in the above example should be
carefully noted:
• i) No full stop is placed after the name of the firm.
• ii) All the items appearing on the left hand side begin at the same
distance from the margin.
• iii) A colon is put after Telegraphic Address, Telephonic Numbers,
Telex, Fax, Code No. and Date after which the relevant word or
number is put.
• iv) No full stop is used at the end of each.
• Insider Address: In business letters, sender’s address is written on the
left hand side of the page just after the printed heading of the letter
paper.
• The correct address to be used while writing to any company or
individual, should be that which the latter uses on its stationary or
advertisement.
• It should be kept in mind that the address on the envelope should be
the same as the inside address.
• Subject: It is a statement in brief indicating the matter to which the
letter relates. It attracts the attention of the receiver and helps him to
know what the letter is about.
• Example: Subject: Your order No. D318/8 dated 12th May 2020.
• Opening Salutation or Greetings: Salutation is the counterpart of
personal greetings to the addressee in social life.
• The opening salutation depends upon the writer’s relation with the
addressee or his status as compared to the addressee.
• The oldest form of salutation is ‘Sir’ or ‘Dear Sir’. If a firm is being
addressed, Dear Sirs or Gentlemen should be used.
• In the salutation,capitalize only the first letter of the first word except
for proper names and titles, e.g. Dear Mr. Richardson
• My dear Mr. Richardson
• My dear sir,
• Main Body of the Letter: A business letter is composed of various
parts. This is the core and the most important part of a business letter
and, therefore, needs to be written very carefully. Again, for
convenience, this part is divided into several paragraphs such as the
introducing para, middle ones and the concluding para.
• These paragraphs can be numbered also.
• Moreover, the body of the letter should be written in several
paragraphs so as to achieve the desired objective of the letter.
• For this, the following sequence should be pursued:
• i) Attention : It should compel reader’s attention.
• ii) Interest : It should arouse interest by enthusiasm and originality of
the subject.
• iii) Desire : It should stimulate and sustain the interest to the point of
finalizing the business for which the letter is actually intended.
• The Complimentary Close: This is an expression of regard or respect
which the letter writer wants to convey to the addressee and formally
take leave.
• In fact, it is a kind of hand-shake and should be consistent with the
introductory salutation.
• For example, when for salutation it is ‘Dear Sir’, the complimentary
close will be ‘Yours faithfully’.
The complimentary close corresponding to
the usual salutation are given in the Chart.
• Signature: Signature forms the last part of a letter. It is not typed. It is
always written in hand writing. As the signatures are mostly illegible,
it is customary to type the name of the signatory below his signature.
• The following is a specimen of an individual signature:
• Yours faithfully,
• D.N. Jha
• (D.N. Jha)
• SUPPLEMENTS TO THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE LETTER
• Enclosures:
• Copy Circulation:
• Post Script (P.S.):
• State whether the following statements are True or False ?
• i) Salutation is the counterpart of personal greetings to the addressee
in social life.
• ii) Signature is always written in hand writing.
• iii) In the case of Joint Stock Companies, letters are generally signed
by the Junior Officer.
• iv) Supplement strengthens the presentation and correctness of the
letter.
• v) Salutation is the core of a business letter.
• (i) True, (ii) True (iii) False, (iv) True (v) False
• Business letter writing is an art which needs something more than
ordinary letter writing.
• To be effective, it should be governed by certain basic principles of
correspondence.
• The basic principles of business letter are: clarity and coherence,
consideration, brevity, courtesy and friendliness, conciseness,
correctness, completeness, originality, neatness and effectiveness.
• Furthermore, before signing the letter, it is better to do proof reading
so that grammatical or spelling mistakes, if any, can be corrected.
Such types of mistakes create poor impression about the sender.
• Ten commandments should be followed while drafting a business
letter.
• From the point of view of the writer and the addressee, the business
letter should be brief,clear, complete and exact so that there is
prompt understanding and a positive response.
• For creating a good impression in the minds of the addressee, the
letter needs to be written in a systematic manner. Simplicity and
courtesy should run throughout the letter.
• Paper of good quality and standard size should be used for all official
correspondence. Letters should be neatly typed with proper margin.
• A well-structured business letter consists of the heading,inside
address, salutation, the main body, complimentary close and the
signature of the writer.
• The body of the letter should be divided into paragraphs so that the
sequence in thoughts and messages is maintained. In every letter, the
writer of the letter or the authorized person should put his/her
signature at the end of the letter.
• Lastly, a business letter is complete only if the enclosures, if any, are
attached to the letter.Also, if there is any last minute information to
be added, it should be incorporated as post script.
• 1.List and explain the principles of business communications.
• 2. “A good letter is one which is clear and brief”. Comment.
• 3. Briefly discuss the arrangement of a business letter.
• 4. Explain the importance of salutation and complimentary close in a
business letter.
• Illustrate both as used in business letters
BUSINESS LETTERS
• commercial correspondence is an integral part and an instrument of
carrying on business.
• The image of an organization depends on what impression is
conveyed through the business letters.
• These letters help to bridge the gap between two parties.
Therefore,business letters should be written carefully and in such a
manner that they are able to communicate the purpose effectively.
• They should be straight forward, free from bias and prejudice,
courteous and impressive to invite positive response. Therefore, while
drafting such a letter the essentials of a business letter should be kept
in mind.
Kinds of Business Letters
• 1) Letters of Enquiries, Quotations, Orders and Acceptance
• 2) Letters of Claims, Complaints and Adjustments.
• 3) Agency letters
• 4) Status Enquiries
• 5) Banking letters
• Letter of Quotation: When an enquiry is received about goods from
any prospective buyer,a letter of quotation has to be sent in reply.
Business quotations should be prepared giving complete information
as to the nature and quality of goods, the time and mode of delivery,
• price per unit of weight or measurement, charges for packing,
transportation and other services, and terms of payment i.e. whether
on cash or credit or against acceptance.
• Status Enquiries
• Enquiries about the credibility, financial standing and dealings of
business firms, customers and clients are quite often necessary to be
made.
• For this purpose confidential letters are sent either to known
referees or to other business houses and institutions which may have
dealings with the firms. It is expected that all these letters as well as
replies to the same are written in good faith and utmost care is taken
to keep the information confidential.
• Write a complaint from Hari Ram to the Railway Authorities, Bareilly,
that a railway parcel sent to his address has not reached.
• 2) Ram & Co., Bombay received a consignment of goods from a firm in
Ahmedabad. The consignment is damaged in transit, apparently due
to bad packing. You are required to write a letter on behalf of the
consignee to the consignor demanding compensation for damage
Office Memorandum
• The Office Memorandum is known as ‘Memo’ and is commonly used
for interoffice
correspondence in different offices. A memo is a message in writing
sent by one person or
department to another ‘within the same organization’. This is the
reason why a memo sometimes is described as an inter-office memo.
• It is usually used in offices for routine matters like
granting of annual increments, confirmation in services, making
announcements, requests, policy
statements, notices, reminders, suggestions, acknowledgements,
congratulations, informal
invitations, salary and leave adjustments etc.
• It is usually drafted by Senior Officers for their subordinates. It
includes the name of the
originator, the intended person(s) to whom it is addressed, the date
of issue, the general topic and
the body of the document.
• The important features of the memorandum are:
• (i) It is written in third person;
(ii) It is written in direct style;
(iii) It does not have either salutation or subscription
• (iv) The address of the addressee is written in the left hand bottom
corner after the signature;
(v) It contains either the name or the designation of the officer
signing the letter.
Notices
• How do we communicate?
• One to one.
• One to many.
• They reach to a large number of people at a short time.
• What is Notice?
• Formal way of communication. A notice is a written announcement in
a place where everyone can read it. A formal announcement in a
newspaper or a magazine about something that has happened or is
going to happen is also called notice.
• Purpose of Notice
• To announce/display some information to a specific group of people.
Types of Notices

• 1. Notice for Lost and Found of article or other valuables.

• 2. Notice issued for informing the masses/general public for change
of name, warning somebody about something etc.
• 3. Notice informing about tours/ fairs/ exhibitions/ camps to be
organised in near future.
Key points to Remember
• Written in formal tone.
• 2. Factual and to the point.
• 3. Language is simple and formal
• 4. Short, compact, precise.
• 5. Substantial gap between date of issuing and date of event.
• 6. Follow the word limit.
• 7. Put the notice in a box.
Format
Agenda
• A meeting agenda is a document that provides a roadmap for a
meeting. The chairperson will act as a speaker and go through the
agenda by each item with the members of the meeting. A meeting
agenda is usually approved by the members before or at the meeting.
Once approved, it will be recorded in the meeting minutes and be
distributed to each member.
Press Release
• A press release, also called a news release, is a short (one page if
possible), descriptive statement that you can send to your local news
media to announce your partnership with your local notable, his or
her appearance at your library, or other newsworthy event associated
with your campaign to recruit local notables and celebrities as
spokespeople for your library.
• Include photos if appropriate. Reporters are more likely to cover your
story if you send them a press release in advance.
PREPARATION FOR AND CONDUCT OF
MEETINGS
• To be well organised, a meeting needs advanced preparations which
have to be undertaken by the secretary or any other person
responsible the calling the meeting.
• Any slip in the preparation for a meeting is bound to result in
confusion or disturbance.
• All the formalities regarding notice, agenda, and other matters
should be complied with as prescribed under the rules
• Before taking up the steps required for preparation of a meeting, it
may be useful to discuss in detail the meaning, significance, and
requirement of the terms “Notice” and “Agenda
• Notice
• Notice of a meeting is an invitation to the members to attend it on
the specified day, time and place as well as, an intimation of the
business to be transacted thereat.
• For constituting a valid meeting, proper notice calling the meeting
should be sent to all those persons who are entitled to attend the
meeting.
• If a proper notice is not given, the proceedings of the meeting will
not be valid.
• The notice of a meeting must be definite, absolute, unconditional and
not subject to any eventuality or otherwise qualified in any manner
except when the bye-laws permit it.
• A notice must be explicit, free from ambiguity and reasonably
intelligible to the recipients
The main points to be considered at the time
of issuing a notice are
• Form of notice: Notice of a public meeting is usually given by an
advertisement in the newspapers or by posters and leaflets.
• For private meetings, whether general or committee meetings, a
written notice should be sent to all those entitled to attend the
melting. This may further be supplemented by advertising in the
newspapers if it is a general meeting like the Annual General Meeting
of a company or any other registered body.
• For small sub-committee meetings, oral notice may serve the
purpose. However, it. is always preferable that a written notice is
issued
• The mode of communicating the notice is usually prescribed in the
Rules and Regulations of the organization.
• If not, a written notice must be sent by post which may be allowed by
a telephonic check to ascertain the consent and to make
arrangements accordingly.
• Sometimes when meetings are held regularly at an agreed time and
place, the practice of sending a notice on each occasion may not be
followed, and only agenda papers may be sent.
• But due notice is always obligatory and, therefore, must be strictly
adhered to so that future disputes may be avoided.
• Contents of a notice: A notice convening a meeting must clearly state
the date, time, place and business of the meeting.
• The time and place must be reasonably convenient to members to
attend the meeting. What is specified in the bye- laws, should be
strictly followed
• If some special business is to be transacted in the meeting, it should
be clearly indicated.
• Supporting statements or reports must also be sent along with the
notice, if it is so required under the rules, otherwise it will invalidate
the meeting.
• A notice should also include a declaration such as the closure of Share
Transfer Books, and references to any point of law or Article, the right
of a member to appoint proxy, as may be required by the law

• Length of time of a notice: Usually, bye-laws of the organization

stipulate a minimum period of notice for certain meetings. When
notice is given, some more time beyond the minimum period may be
allowed so that members at distance could make necessary
arrangements and attend the meeting
• Sometimes, the rules provide that “a number of CLEAR DAYS notice”
should be given. In that case, the day of giving the notice and the day
of holding the meeting must be excluded
• A committee or subcommittee meeting may be held at a short notice
in case of emergency. The day and time of the next meeting may also
be fixed at regular intervals, e.g. every second Friday of the month, or
it may be determined at the conclusion of each meeting. However, it
is advisable that reasonable opportunity should be provided in all
cases to everyone entitled to attend a meeting.
• Who should issue the notice? In the case of meetings of registered
bodies, the chairman may also convene a meeting under his
signature. For company meetings, the secretary issues the notice
under the order of the Board of Directors
• Whom to issue notice: In the case of a registered body, persons to
whom notice is to be given will be determined by the Articles of
Association or by some other law like the Indian Companies Act.
• For instance, notice of an Annual General Meeting of a company
must be sent to the auditors of the company as well as all the
members at their registered addresses or to their legal
representatives, if informed earlier
• Means of communication of a notice: For all meetings, notice should
be served only through the prescribed means as given in the bye laws
and not other mode should be adopted.
• Notice must always be despatched to the registered address unless a
separate mailing address is specifically given in writing, which should
be accordingly used.
• A telephonic message or a verbal notice may be delivered personally
but it must be confirmed by a written notice.
• Notice of a public meeting can be given through an advertisement
and the date of service would be deemed to be the day on which the
advertisement appears.
• Notice of an adjourned meeting: A properly convened meeting may
be adjourned due to want of quorum, if the rules so provide. An
adjourned meeting is usually held next week at the same time and
place for which no fresh notice need to be given to the members.
• However, if the meeting is adjourned sine die, that is, indefinitely, a
fresh notice must be given but no new business can be transacted
unless notice of such new business is given
• Withdrawal of a notice: Once notice of a meeting has been issued, it
cannot be withdrawn unless the Rules so provide.
• The meeting must be held on the appointed day though it can be
adjourned by passing a resolution, to a more convenient date.
• Rectification of an irregular notice: An irregular notice can be
subsequently ratified, that is approved as a valid notice, by an
appropriate authority
• Waiver: A notice is given to convene a meeting to transact some
specified business only. But if all the members unanimously agree,
they can waive the formality of issuing a notice and transact other
business also.
• Invalid notice: Notice of every meeting must be given in a proper
form, at a proper time, and in a proper manner as prescribed in the
rules or bye-laws. Wherever any error of omission or commission is
committed in this regard, it will invalidate the notice
Agenda
• Agenda means what things to be done. In relation to meetings, it is
used to indicate the items of business to be transacted. It is the
programme, listed on a paper, which gives the details of matters to be
discussed and decided upon at a meeting in the serial order.
• The purpose of agenda is to inform members about the items to be
discussed in the meeting.
• Thus, it gives members an opportunity to think in advance about the
business to be transacted and also to prepare themselves with all
relevant information for a meaningful discussion. It helps the
chairman to note the importance of matters and to decide how much
time should be devoted for each item. Finally, the items on the
agenda form the basis of drafting the minutes of the proceedings of
the meeting.
• Preparation of Agenda: It is the responsibility of the secretary to
prepare the agenda in consultation with the chairman.
• It should be prepared much before the date of the meeting so that it
could be circulated among the members well on time.
• As far as possible, the agenda should be brief and exact and should
contain relevant reference to the context of the matters to be
discussed. It is also desirable that for similar kinds of meetings
uniformity of form and method and style should be followed for the
preparation of the agenda
Define “Notice”.
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2. When can a meeting ne cancelled?
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2. What is the meaning of the term “Agenda”?
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• Which of the following statements are True and which are False?
• i) For general and committee meeting, written notice must be sent to all those
• entitled to attend the meeting.
• ii) It is necessary to give 21 clear days notice for every meeting.
• iii) It is not necessary to issue fresh notice for meeting adjourned sine die.
• iv) Agenda must always be a part of the notice of meeting and despatched at the
• same time.
• v) Confirmation of the minutes of previous meeting is a routine item of agenda.
• vi) The only purpose of agenda is to help the Chairman to decide on the time to be
developed for each item.
• i) True ii) False iii) False iv) False v) True
• vi) False
• 5 i ) Routine li) Chairman iil) Decisions iv) Business v) Not Necessar
• Fill in the blanks selecting appropriate word(s) from those given within bracket
• i) Election of Chairman is a _____________ item of agenda. (Special, routine,
• ordinary)
• ii) The Secretary should finalise the date and time of meeting in consultation with
• the _____________ (office manager, chairman, junior director)
• iii) If a proper notice is not given, the _____________ of the meeting will be
• invalid (discussion, decisions, proceedings)
• iv) A notice convening a meeting must clearly state the date, time, place and
• _____________ of the meeting. (duration, nature, business)
• v) Serving notice of a meeting is _____________ in the case of members living
• abroad. (necessary, not necessary, essential, not essential).
• Adjourned Meeting: a meeting discontinued with the object of
resuming it on a future date.
• Agenda : Items of business to be transacted at a meeting.
• Bye-laws: Rules governing meetings of a registered society or local
authority.
• Notice of Meeting: Invitation to attend a meeting at a specified place,
on a specified date and time
• Thank you