Introduction

Writing, like speaking is an important tool in communication. The way people

talk reflects his personality. It is also the same in writing. The way you write tells on

what kind of person you are. In speaking, accent, intonation, and correct

pronunciation are given emphasis. In writing, correct grammar, proper punctuation,

and awareness of sentence structure are important as well as the conciseness and

completeness of the idea.

Hence, written communication is as important as oral communication.

People all over the world in their everyday lives, whether at schools or in a job,

need to have effective written communication skills. At one time or another, these

people were not able to write as well as it could have been. The effect is that it reflects

badly on the part of the writer, which limits his influence he can have on others. The

very thought of the time stolen from the reader is enough reason for the writer to

make sure that what he has written can be easily understood

(http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/faculty/kbrown/writing.html).

In the world of business, written communication is given emphasis more than

face- to- face basis of communication. It adds impetus of the printed word and

definitely has the quality of permanence in transactions. Hence, Business

Correspondence is an important form of technical communication (Lesikar and Petit

Jr 133).
Business Correspondence

Objectives:

At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:

1. discuss the qualities of an effective business letter;

2. write effective business communications to foreign audiences;
3. apply seven C’s of business letter writing effectively;
4. write the different types of business letters such as letter of inquiry,
reply letter, order letter, remittance letter, credit letter, collection letter,
claim letter, application letter and memorandum on a particular
situation.

Good business letters result to a good business transaction. A

professional or a businessman who is able to write a good business letter
maxims his effectivity and worth in the business world.

In preparation to your entry in the business world, you should know how
to write some business letters. Whatever course you want to finish, whatever
job you wish to have, you should have some knowledge of business
correspondence.

Just like expository writing, business writing aims to inform, explain, or

clarify. However, unlike expository writing, it follows a standard format and it
is always concise, serious, and formal.

Business writing is purposive. Your purpose in writing business

correspondence may be to request, to remind, to inform, to persuade or
convince, to motivate or actuate, to instruct or give orders, to promote
understanding and order and to document events or actions.

For each purpose, there is a corresponding type of business letter.

Qualities of an Effective Business Letter

The first step in the road leading to writing of effective business letters
is mastering the basic qualities – the seven C’s of business correspondence.

The 7 C’s of Business Letter Writing

Conciseness

A writer of business letter should economize his words. Your letter

should be “brief but meaty and should cover the subject in the fewest possible
words.” Conciseness means saying all that needs to be said and no more. In
business, tie is money and busy business people have no time to read
irrelevant communications.

Wordy: I received your inquiry that you wrote about tennis rackets
yesterday and read it thoroughly.

Concise: I received your inquiry about tennis rackets yesterday.

Clearness

Coherence of ideas and words result in clarity. Moreover, correct diction

ensures clarity of your letter. The foundation of clearness is a well-built plan.
Completeness is one of the essentials of clearness, for if an important detail
is omitted, the letter is not clear. Clearness is clear thinking plus clear
expression.

Unclear: After having planting 8,000 cabbages, the rodents came into our
botanist’s farm and crashed them.

Clear: After our botanist had planted 8,000 cabbages, the rodents
came into his farm and crashed them.
Correctness

Ensure accuracy in language, facts, and figures and physical makeup of

the format of your business letter. Be sure that the rules in spelling, lay-
outing, punctuation, and grammar are followed to achieve proper flow of
thoughts.

There are many words that are easily confused with one another and
frequently misused. Learning which word to use in which circumstance
ensures you do not make embarrassing mistakes.

Commonly misused words:

accept – except

assure – ensure – insure

among – between

conscience – conscious

advice – advise

affect – effect

confidant – confident

continual - continuous

Concreteness

Be sure to use clear and specific words in writing your letter. Concrete
words bring the reader to the idea that the content of the letter is made almost
real. Refrain from using abstract and general terms.

Vague, General, Indefinite: Everyone had a good time in the conference.

Concrete, Precise: Ninety-four percent of the conference

participants reported they had an excellent
time.
Consideration

Think about the reader of your letter even in the writing phase.
Emphasize the YOU attitude by seemingly taking to them and telling them the
benefits and advantages they receive from the message of the letter. Think
about their pleasures, aspirations, and plans.

In writing a letter, you should have a single purpose or objective. You

should double check if your letter contains all necessary information.

For instance, a letter of invitation to prospective seminar speaker should

include the date, time and venue of the seminar, the theme or objectives of
the seminar, the specific topic to be covered by the speaker and the complete
name, position and address, or contact number of the writer. It should also
mention provision for an open forum, if there is any.

Insensitive: You failed to enclose your check in the envelope.

Considerate: The check was not enclosed.

Courtesy

“Good business writing is simply good manners put into print.” Thus the
writer should always exercise courtesy, respect, and tact. He can do this by
using polite language, manifesting a positive attitude and expressing concern
or unwillingness to serve the other party.

For instance, instead of writing. “Your failure to pay us on time cost us

tremendous inconvenience.” you state. “Your prompt payment will be deeply
appreciated.”

Tactless: I rewrote that letter twice; the point was clear.

Tactful: I’m sorry the point was not clear; here is another version.
 Ten Commandments of a Good Respondent

By Richard Morris

1. Be always dignified, respectful and gracious. Never purposely hurt

anyone’s feeling.
2. Never become so imbued with your own position or company’s name
that your letter sounds pompous or dictatorial.
3. Keep your letter as short as possible without appearing curt and refrain
for using terms that your reader may not understand.
4. Admit mistakes willingly.
5. Always endeavor to realize that a person’s ideas, feelings, and problems,
no matter how trivial, inconsiderate or unfair may be, are important to
him and should be considerate.
6. Never lose your temper, become impatient or irritable or get into
arguments.
7. Resist the temptation to flaunt your company’s rules and policies at your
reader. Do not attempt to prove the other as thoughtless, careless or
wrong.
8. Never write hastily, ill-advised note until you have time to cool off or
carefully study the situation.
9. Never resort to name calling even by inference. Never “talk down to” or
lecture to your reader.
10.Try your best to create goodwill for your company with every letter
you write.

The Structure of a Business Letter

Every business letter we write speaks of us and our business. The

physical appearance and the contents of our letters mirror us and the kind of
business ventures we are engaged in. people may contend that the content
matters more than the appearance. This is actually no need to argue since the
physical appearance of a business letter is an important content.

The first impression the reader accords to on the letter is crucial Like
the way people dress themselves, the physical appearance of a letter sets the
atmosphere of reception. If your letter looks physically appropriate and good,
then the reader may think good about it and its content. The appearance of a
business letter is important and very vital for the reader to come up with a
favorable response. We must also see to it that our letter has all the necessary
parts.

Parts of a Business Letter

Essential Parts

1. Heading or Letterhead
2. Dateline
3. Inside Address
4. Salutation
5. Body
6. Complimentary Close
7. Signature
8. Reference Initials

Optional Parts

1. Attention Line
2. Subject Line
3. Enclosure Notation
4. Carbon Copy Notation
5. Blind Carbon Copy Notation
6. Postscripts
7. Mailing Notation

Optional parts may or may not be included in the letter.

Essential Parts

1. Heading- the heading contains the information that the reader needs
to answer the letter and to file the letter for office reference. This
includes the street address, town, province, country, zip code, which are
typed on top lines immediately above the dateline. The heading is your
address, if you are the writer of the letter.
2. Letterhead- this may contain the name of the company, a statement
of its business (if necessary), its address and other line essential parts
such as phone number, cable, address, web site, name of the company
officials, date of foundation, branch and address. When the letter is long
and requires a second sheet, only the first sheet should contain a
letterhead, the second sheet and the other sheets that may be required
should be plain.
3. Dateline- this may be typed left or right depending on the letter style
used. On the letterhead, only the dateline is entered two or three spaces
below the last line of the printed heading. The dateline style accepted in
business does not abbreviate or use a number to indicate the month.
Wrong- Aug. 10 2008
8-10-08
8/10/08
Right- August 10, 2008
10 August 2008
4. Inside Address- This part is also called the introductory or
complimentary address. The inside address leads the reader to the
location of the sender, identifies his position, shows name of the
company, and lists down the details of the address as to the street
number and name of city or town.
5. Salutation- the other name for this part is greeting or courtesy
expression. The salutation sets the reader on the contents of the letter.
The salutation is typed two spaces below the inside address.
Example:

Atty. Ronald Allan F. Ortega

870 Sampaguita Street

Sta. Cruz, Manila

Dear Atty. Ortega:

Raphael Gonzales and Sons Inc.

2419 Gorondo Avenue

Cebu City

Gentlemen:
 Gentlemen or Ladies and Gentlemen are used when addressing a
company, committee, organization, board and other group composed of men
and women. Ladies and or Mesdames are used only when writing to a company
or organization comprised entirely of women.

6. Body of the Letter- This part of the letter consists of the full message.
This is a very important part; hence, the writer needs to be sure that
the mechanics in writing, specifically indention, is observed. The
minimum number of paragraphs in a letter is at least two paragraphs.
If the letter has the subject line, the body of such letter begins with two
spaces below the salutation and two spaces below the subject line.
When the letter is longer thus, needing a second page, it must be
continued on as ordinary and plain sheet of the same size, color and
quality as the model letterhead sheet.

A.

Mr. Marlon Joseph M. Cervantes

December 10, 2009

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

B.

Mr. Marlon Joseph M. 2 December 10, 2009

_______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________
 7. Complimentary Close- Close your letter with cordial expression the
way you express or start writing about it. Observe the highest degree
of formality as you close your letter. Be sure that only the first letter of
the first word in the complimentary close is capitalized. This part of the
letter is typed two spaces below the last line of the body of the letter
itself.
Examples:
Salutation:
Gentlemen: or Ladies and Gentlemen:

Complimentary Close:
Respectfully yours,
Salutation:
Dear Director Sta. Inez:
Complimentary Close:
Very truly yours,
Salutation:
Dear Professor Jackson:
Complimentary Close:
Truly yours,
8. Signature Block- this part of the letter has the name of the writer of
the letter typed five spaces below the complimentary close. The
signature block ensures authenticity and shows the binding effect of the
letter.
9. Reference Initials- the initials of the typist and the name of the
stenographer are typed in the lower corner of the letter.

MJJ
EZA/AMD

Optional Parts of the Business Letters

1. Attention Line- This part is used if the letter is addressed to the

company rather to a particular individual. This is typed two spaces below
the inside address.

Example:

Santos and Zabala Company

99 Gordo Avenue
Cebu City
 Attention: Mr. Michael Joseph del Valle

2. Subject Line- This is typed two spaces below the salutation. This part
can be typed in full capital letters.

Example:

Dear Miss Timberlake

Subject: Salary Increase

3. Enclosure Notation- this part of the letter reminds the reader that
there are documents that go with the correspondence other than the
letter itself. This is typed under the initials of the typist of the letter

Example:

Enclosures: Check
Price List
Encl: Brochure

4. Carbon Copy Notation (CC Notation) – this is typed after the

enclosure or after the reference initials. This part indicates that other
copies of the letter are being sent to one or more persons aside from
the addressee.
5. Blind Carbon Copy Notation (BCC Notation) – this notation is used
if the letter writer does not want his reader to know that copies of the
said letter are sent to other people. A copy of the CC or BCC noted page
is retained by the letter writer for his file.
6. Postscripts- these emphasize a point which is already stated in the
body of the letter. Postscripts are typed about two spaces below the last
line of the letter. These parts of the letter are designed to draw special
attention of the reader.
7. Mailing Notation- this is a note which indicates the special postal
service used in the delivery of the letter. These services can either be
certified mail or registered ones with the notations CONFIDENTIAL,
PRIORITY, or FRAGILE.