WRITING Write business correspondence for a...

4a © ATC New Zealand Ltd – 21 Ruakura Rd, Hamilton East, Hamilton 3216 Fax: 0800 864 865 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.instant.org.nz

WRITING Write business correspondence for a workplace

Unit Standard 3488 Version 4

Level 2 Credit 6

Name:

School/Org:

Course:

Learner‟s Workbook

3488v4 Write business correspondence for a workplace 2


Learning Purpose & Outcomes

The purpose of this unit of learning is to be able to write business correspondence for a workplace.

People who successfully complete this course will be able to write:

memoranda for a workplace

business letters for a workplace

Table of Contents

Lesson 1: Effective Business Writing

Introduction

Important terms

Four steps for effective writing

Lesson 2: Write Memoranda

What are memoranda?

Purposes and types of memos

Format, content and context

Vocabulary and tone

Memo types

Lesson 3: Write Business Letters

Purposes and types of business letters


Vocabulary and tone

Letter types



NZQA Information

The information contained in this resource is relevant to assessment against the following NZQA unit standards from the Writing domain.

U/S Level Credit Title

3488v4 2 6 Write business correspondence for a workplace

The information covered in the resource may also relate to unit standards in other domains.

Level Descriptor

The unit standard is at level 2 of the NQF. At this level, the learner is expected to be able to:

PROCESS LEARNING DEMAND RESPONSIBILITY

Carry out processes that:

are moderate in range

are established and familiar

offer a clear choice of routine responses

Employing:

basic operational knowledge

readily available information

known solutions to familiar problems

little generation of new ideas

Applied:

1. in directed activity

2. under general supervision and quality control

3. with some responsibility for quantity and quality

4. with possible responsibility for guiding others

Learners may find the following texts or websites of help in their studies.

Texts

Bates, J.D. (2000). Writing with Precision: How to Write So That You Cannot Possibly Be Misunderstood. London, England: Penguin Books.

Taylor, J.G. (2005). The Handbook of Written English. Oxford, England: How to Books.

Websites

http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/files/howto.pdf

http://www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/plainenglish/?view=uk

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Precision-Cannot-Possibly-Misunderstood/dp/0140288538/ref=sr_1_12/103-2234798-2827040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176413663&sr=1-12

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Precision-Cannot-Possibly-Misunderstood/dp/0140288538/ref=sr_1_12/103-2234798-2827040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176413663&sr=1-12

http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/files/howto.pdf

http://www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/plainenglish/?view=uk



Learning Progressions for Adult Literacy

This resource has been designed to work in conjunction with the Learning Progressions for Adult Literacy. The Learning Progressions are a framework that can be used to determine the reading skills required to competently read and understand a particular text.

The mapping form below describes the reading skills required to read and understand this resource.

Read with Understanding

Step Decoding Vocabulary Language and Text Features

Comprehension Reading Critically

1

2

3

4

5

6

The dark sections above indicate the skills a learner will need to adequately read and understand this resource. They correspond to the steps on the Read with Understanding Strand Chart which can be found on the following site:

www.literacyandnumeracyforadults.com/Learning-progressions-and-resources For example, to decode all the words in this resource, the learner will need the decoding skills described in step four and will require the comprehension skills described in step four-five.

Learners who fall below the required reading skills indicated in the map can be given activities to support and develop their literacy skills. One source of such activities is the book Teaching Adults to Read with Understanding – Using the Learning Progressions (cover shown on the right). The activities in this book can be adapted to almost any environment.

The book can be found online at: www.literacyandnumeracyforadults.com

Hard copies can be ordered from the Tertiary Education Commission.

Email: [email protected] Tel: 0800 601 301

http://www.literacyandnumeracyforadults.com/Learning-progressions-and-resources

http://www.literacyandnumeracyforadults.com/

mailto:[email protected]



SYMBOLS Throughout this resource different symbols (or icons) are used to highlight the different types of activities. The meanings behind these symbols are shown below.

Lesson

This course is divided into lessons based on similar topics. This symbol appears at the start of each lesson.

Information

Specific information or interesting asides can be highlighted by using this icon.

Think for Yourself

The image is of a light bulb, a traditional symbol for an idea. Whenever this symbol appears in the course, learners are encouraged to take the time to think about what they have learnt to make sure that they really understand the topic.

Step by Step

The image is of footsteps. In this course this symbol appears whenever a learner is being encouraged to learn a new skill one step at a time.

Try it For Yourself

The image is of a person exercising. Becoming expert at something requires practice. This symbol is used in this course whenever there is an exercise that requires learners to practise their skills for themselves.

Review

The image is of a magnifying glass. Reviewing the learning process helps reinforce the lessons learnt along the way. There is a review section at the end of each course, and at the end of a particularly long lesson.



Lesson 1: Effective Business Writing

Learning Objective

When you have finished this lesson you will understand and be able to apply the four steps for effectively writing business correspondence:

1. Planning what you are going to write

2. Writing a draft

3. Revising your draft

4. Editing your writing

Introduction In this unit of learning we look at two types of written communication common to all workplaces: memoranda and letters. Each of these forms of business communication has its own format and characteristics.

It might seem like a scary task to write a memorandum or business letter for the first time, but in this lesson we are going to look at some basic tips and tools which will help you write effective business correspondence.

But before we do this, let‟s look at some important terms that we are going to use in this learning resource.

Important terms

Think for Yourself

The table below contains some important terms which are used in this learning resource. How many do you already know the meaning of? Try to match the term with its definition.

Term Definition

Recipient Something without any strict rules about the way things should be done. Also known as casual or familiar.

Correspondence The person or people who receive a letter. This is the person who the letter was written to. Also known as the reader or the audience.

Formal Written communication between people – eg a letter or memo.

Informal Something which has strict rules about the way things should be done.



Four steps for effective writing There are four steps which you should take whenever you write something – regardless of whether it is a memo, a letter or any other form of business correspondence. These are summarised in the diagram below.

Figure 1: The Four Step Writing Process

Step 1: Plan what you are going to say

Before you write a single word, you need to think about what you want to communicate in your document. Who are you writing to (audience) and why (purpose)?

Audience

The „audience‟ is the person or people who are going to read your memo or letter. Who is going to read the memo or letter and what is their relationship to you? A letter written to an important client will be written in a very different way than a memo written to a colleague who you know well and work with every day.

Purpose

What is the purpose of your memo or letter? Do you want to give or request information; provide a routine report; make an announcement or enquiry; etc?



Before you start writing, decide what the main point will be of your memo or letter. Then jot down any supporting ideas which you are going to include in the memo/letter. A mind-map can help you order your thoughts and ideas before you start writing.

For example, look at the mind-map that follows, which was used to plan a memo announcing an upcoming workshop.

Figure 2: Mind-map

Knowing who you are writing to and why you are writing the communication will have a major impact on the vocabulary and tone you use, as well as the type of information you include in the correspondence.

Vocabulary and tone

Vocabulary refers to the actual words or expressions you use in the document. The way a writer expresses emotions or sentiments through these words is known as tone.

Here are some examples of emotions/tones that can be expressed in written documents.

Impatience

Surprise

Warmth or coldness



Friendliness

Annoyance

Disappointment

Regret

Neutral tone (in other words, no emotion is expressed)

The questions which follow will help you decide on appropriate vocabulary and tone to use in your writing.

What is the situation? (Is it a serious issue, business as usual, social event, etc?) It would be totally inappropriate to make humorous comments or use words or a tone which convey a casual attitude towards a serious event.

What is the occasion? Is there a need to specify times, dates, etc?

What is the subject matter? What information needs to be included? Do you need to use some technical words to convey this information?

Who is the audience/recipient? How well do you know them (ie do you have a personal relationship, a working relationship, or do you not know them at all)? The better you know your audience, the more informal your vocabulary can be.

Regardless of the subject matter or audience, it is important to always be polite and friendly in your writing - even if the subject matter is serious or sensitive (eg a reminder to staff that their timesheets must be filled in before they leave the office for the day).

The recipient should get the impression that you have given careful consideration to what you have written.

Most people have a sense of what is appropriate for a given situation. If you are unsure whether the content, vocabulary and/or tone you have used fit the situation, occasion, subject matter or audience, it is always a good idea to get a second opinion. You could ask one of your colleagues or supervisors to read your document before you send it.

It is a lot easier to make adjustments to the document before it is sent out than to undo damage caused by an inappropriate tone or offhand comment.



Exercise 1

Three different situations are listed in the table below. Each has a different occasion, subject matter and audience.

Indicate the tone you would use for each memo.

Situation Occasion Subject Matter Audience

1. Office: team leader sends letter.

Letter providing comprehensive information.

Poor performance of staff member.

Senior Manager

2. Fast Food Outlet: staff member sends memo.

Staff announcement.

Change to staff rosters.

Work colleagues

3. Hotel: receptionist sends memo.

Request that air conditioning be checked.

Air conditioning not working properly.

Maintenance staff

Situation 1:

Situation 2:

Situation 3:

Step 2: Draft your memo or letter

Once you have finished planning what you are going to write and how you are going to write it, you need to write a draft of your document. This means you just quickly write a rough version of your memo or letter. At this stage you don‟t worry too much about getting things perfect, but rather about getting down all the ideas you need to in a logical way.

Some people prefer to draft their memo or letter by hand, while others prefer to do it on computer. You can use whichever method works best for you.



Step 3: Revise your draft

The next step is to read through your rough memo or letter to see how you can improve it. Have you presented the information in your correspondence in such a way that it achieves its purpose? The main function of any type of business correspondence is to convey a „message‟.

For example the message could be some information you want to give, to ask someone for information, to give them instructions or to make an announcement. So the way in which the information in a memo or business letter is presented is crucial.

To check that your correspondence presents information in an effective way, ask yourself these questions.

Have I given accurate details? Even if you send a „perfect‟ letter or memo in terms of vocabulary and tone, if the information in the correspondence is inaccurate, then you have wasted your time writing it, and you have wasted the time of the person who had to read it.

It is easy to make small errors like putting the wrong date or venue details in a memo about an upcoming workshop; leaving out some important words in a letter; or mixing up some figures in a memo giving a routine report of sales figures. It is essential that you check your memo or letter to ensure that the details given are accurate.

Is my correspondence clear in meaning? Here it is important to consider your audience. Have you used vocabulary that they can understand? Have you given enough details in your correspondence so that they can fully understand what you are trying to communicate?

Is my correspondence logically ordered? Ordering the information in your letter or memo in a logical sequence will help the reader to understand your message.

If the correspondence is just a collection of jumbled ideas, it will be difficult to understand and frustrating for the reader to try to follow.

Is the information relevant to the context? You need to make sure that you only include information that is relevant to the subject matter, situation, occasion and audience. People are generally busy and don‟t have the time or desire to read a whole lot of irrelevant information.

In addition to the information given in your correspondence, you also need to check the vocabulary and tone that you have used. Ask yourself:

Does the vocabulary and tone I have used fit the situation, occasion, subject matter, and audience?

If you answered „No‟ to any of the questions above, then you need to make the necessary changes to your correspondence. This might mean



adding some details, rearranging the information, changing some of the vocabulary used, etc.

Exercise 2

Look at the memo below and then answer the questions that follow.

MEMORANDUM

Date: 12 March 2015

To: All Staff

From: Dean Sherlock, Operations Manager

Re: Office Heating

Please note that new heat pumps are to be installed in each of the offices from 1 May. If anyone has any concerns about this please contact

me directly on extension 832.

We do not want this to impact on the transition to the use of new fuel cards for the company fleet.

We have asked the contracting company to keep maintenance to a minimum

but there may be a need to vacate desks for a short period.

Yours faithfully

Dean Sherlock

Dean Sherlock Operations Manager

1. What are your first impressions of this memo?

2. Does the memo look professional?

3. Does the memo make sense and convey a clear message?

4. Does the memo look neat and tidy with ordered paragraphs?

5. Is the memo relevant to the context?



The example that follows shows a better way for the memorandum to be written.

MEMORANDUM

Date: 12 March 2015

To: All Staff

From: Dean Sherlock, Operations Manager

Re: Office Heating

Please note that new heat pumps are to be installed in each of the offices from 1 May.

We have asked the contracting company to keep maintenance to a minimum, but you may need to leave your desks for a short while.

If anyone has any concerns about this please contact me directly on extension 832.

Kind regards

Dean Sherlock Dean Sherlock Operations Manager

Format

It is important that your letter or memo is in the format required by your workplace. Think about the different formatting options you have available in a word processing system:

You can change the size, colour and shape of the letters.

You can also change the width of the margins, or alter the spacing

between lines and paragraphs.

Other general formatting includes:

Letterhead – Will you print or write your correspondence out on company letterhead or on plain paper?

A memo is generally an internal document. In other words, it is sent to staff within an organisation. For this reason, memoranda are usually written or printed on plain paper, without the business‟ address. The word “Memo” or “Memorandum” may be shown at the top.

Letters, on the other hand, are generally more formal and are often sent outside of the workplace (eg to customers, suppliers, etc). As such, they are generally printed on the organisation‟s letterhead (which includes the organisation‟s address details).



Page layout – Are you going to use portrait or landscape (see images below)? Portrait is normally used, but in some cases landscape may work better (eg if you need to include a wide diagram or table in the memo or letter)

Landscape Portrait

Colour – You could use different colours of paper for different copies or different purposes (eg draft copy on pink paper, client copy on white paper, final copy on grey paper, etc). Memos and letters can be printed out on paper and sent by fax or copied to recipients as internal mail. However, if the document needs to be sent quickly, it is often faster to send it electronically by attaching it to an e-mail. This way the recipient can see the memo or letter immediately and respond straight away.

In the next two lessons we will look in greater detail at the specific format requirements for different types of memos and letters.

Step 4: Edit your memo or letter

The final step is to edit your memo or letter to check for any punctuation, spelling and/or grammatical errors. This is an important step because errors can be distracting to the reader and make it difficult for them to focus on, or understand the information in the document. It also makes the document look unprofessional.

If you type your memo or letter on a computer there is no reason to have errors as there are good spell-check and grammar-check functions available. You can also ask someone to proof read your work to check for any errors before you send it out.

When you edit your document, make sure you also check the name(s) of the recipient(s) and their addresses (where relevant). Spelling someone‟s



name incorrectly can be seen as quite an insult because the recipient may feel that you don‟t care enough about them to spell their name correctly.

In the case of a letter, getting the address details incorrect may mean that the person doesn‟t receive the letter or that it is delayed in the mail.

Exercise 3

Look at the letter below. Circle any punctuation, grammar or spelling errors, as well as any inappropriate vocabulary used in the letter.

Fix-It Systems Ltd 892 Smiths Rd

PO Box 324 East Tamaki 0493 Phne 09 293 8765

www.fixit.co.nz

23 April 2015 Mr Jack Sorenson 34 Avalon Way Howick 0460 Dear Mr Sorenson Re: Warrobe fitting – 34 Avalon Way, Howick J/N 04/794 Thanks you for your letter of 20 April advising me of your concerns regarding the wardrobe fitting in the main bedroom of you home. I am sorry that this has obviously caused you some distress and I will do my best to sort the situation. The warrobe system used is of excellent quality but unfortunately it appears that bad as glue has been used. We would like the opportunity to come and redo the job when it is suitable for you. We will also dismount the overall cost of the fitting by 50% by way of apology for any inconvenience caused. Please contact me on the number above to let me know a suitable time for someone to come and complete the job to your satisfaction? Once again, apologise for any inconvenience caused. Yours sincely

Graham Spry Graham Spry sales manager

http://www.fixit.co.nz/



Lesson 2: Write Memoranda

Learning Objective

When you have finished this lesson you will be able to write a variety of memoranda for a workplace.

In the previous lesson we looked at some general tips for writing effective business correspondence. In this lesson we focus on how to write memoranda. But what exactly are memoranda?

What are memoranda? Memoranda (plural of memorandum) are used to convey information from one place to another. A memorandum or “memo” literally means “a note to help the memory”. Key characteristics of memos are that they are:

short written documents

mainly used as internal communication within a workplace (usually within or between different departments)

A memorandum should only be about one main idea, subject or issue. If you want to provide more complex and detailed information, or discuss more than one subject, a letter would usually be a more suitable form of communication.

Purposes and types of memos There are a huge variety of different types of memos which serve different purposes. Below are some of the common purposes of memos.

Providing information – eg instruction memos or memos giving information about the day-to-day operations of a workplace.

Requesting information – eg a request for feedback on a proposal, departmental statistics, etc.

Making an announcement – eg new workplace policies/procedures and how these will be implemented.

Providing a record of a decision or agreement that has been made – eg a decision taken in an informal meeting.

Writing a routine report – eg regular sales or production figures for the information of employees or management.



Persuading someone to do something – eg trying to persuade staff to attend a training workshop which they do not have to attend.

Making a proposal – eg suggesting a change, purchase, etc to senior management.

Now let‟s look at some tips on how to write effective memos for the workplace. We will look at some general tips which apply to all memos as well as some which relate to specific types of memos.

Format, content and context It is important to make sure that the format, content and context of your memo is applicable to your particular workplace.

Formatting is the way you arrange or lay out the memo. Some workplaces have specific requirements regarding the format in which memoranda need to be prepared. It is important that you find out what these requirements are and adhere to them when writing a memo for that workplace.

Let‟s look at some general points on the format of memos, beginning with the parts of a memo.

Parts of a memo

All memos consist of two parts; the heading and the body. The heading indicates details of who the memo is for, who it was written by, when it was written and the reason it was written. The body of the memo conveys the message.

Heading

Below is an example of a typical memo heading.

Let‟s look at each part of the heading in more detail.



To:

Give the names of everyone who will receive the memo.

If the memo is going to a group of people (eg an entire department) you can write the name of the group or department instead of each person‟s name.

For example: “To: All sales staff”.

Think for Yourself

The following questions relate to the „To‟ section of a memo heading.

1. Do you think that you need to use people‟s titles (eg Mr, Ms, Dr) when indicating who a memo is being sent to? Give a reason for your answer.

2. If you are sending a memo to a number of different people, how do you decide what order to write their names in?



From:

Here you write your name. You would usually not include your title. However, if you think one or more of the readers of the memo may not know you, you could use a job title or department name to identify yourself – depending on the requirements of your own workplace.

Think for Yourself

Do you think that you need to sign the memo?

Date:

This is the day, month and year the memo was written.

The date is usually written out in words (eg 12 November 2015) rather than in numbers (eg 12/11/2015)



Re: or Subject

Here you indicate what the main subject of your memo is. It is like a title for your memo and should tell the reader, in as few words as possible, what the memo is about.

It is important that this statement is accurate and specific because it often determines where and how the memo will be filed and also tells the reader what they can expect to read about.

Body

The body or content of your memo contains the message you want to convey. A key characteristic of memoranda is that they are short and get straight to the point. Therefore the body of the memo is usually only a few paragraphs long.

Memos commonly use short sentences and bullet points to make information quick and easy for the recipient to read and understand.

Memos often follow the following format:

Introduction: Gives a brief description of why the memo has been written and what is going to be discussed in the rest of the memo.

Information: The next paragraph or two state the facts or discuss the problem or issue. They should include all the necessary information for the reader to understand the intended message. This could include background information, dates, times, etc. However, it is important not to include any irrelevant information.

Make sure you have gathered the details of the content before you start writing the memo. This will help ensure you include all the necessary information and no irrelevant details.

Of course, the specific content of your memo will depend on the purpose of the memo and the message you are trying to convey.

Conclusion: The final paragraph sums up the main idea and suggests or requests action to be taken. It needs to clearly indicate what action is expected from the reader and, where relevant, when this action needs be taken or completed.

In addition to the format and content of the memo, it is also important that the memo is suitable for the context. This means using the memo correctly in a particular situation. For example, a memo would not be the best way to advise employees that there are going to be some staff redundancies. This is sensitive information which should be delivered in a more considerate way than in a memo.

Memos should be used in the context of providing clear, necessary information to a group or an individual within the organisation.



Vocabulary and tone

Think Back

In the first lesson we looked at some general tips on the use of vocabulary and tone in business correspondence.

Can you remember what factors you need to consider to make sure the vocabulary and tone of your correspondence are appropriate?

Your workplace may have some vocabulary only used in your specific organisation, such as shortened words or nicknames for various things. For example, you might call a Branch Manager a “BM”, or you might call a delivery driver a “truckie”.

As memos are used within organisations, it is fine to use language common to the organisation - as long as the vocabulary is understood by all the people who will be reading the memo.

The fact that a memo is usually an internal document also means that you can usually be more informal in a memo than you could be in a letter.

However, you still need to ensure that you never use any vocabulary or a tone which could cause offence or make the message of the memo difficult to understand.



Think for Yourself

1. What are some examples of words or abbreviations which are commonly used in your workplace?

If you are not currently working, think of words or abbreviations commonly used in the place where you are studying or any other workplace you are familiar with.

2. Can you think of examples of language (vocabulary) which would never be acceptable in a memorandum – even a very informal one?

3. Can you think of examples of tone which should not be used in memoranda?



Memo Types Now let‟s compare the format, content and context of some common memo types.

A routine report

A routine report is a report which is given on a regular basis. For example, it could be a weekly or monthly report of sales figures, energy consumption or staff absences.

In this type of memo, graphic tools such as graphs, charts or tables are commonly used in the body of the memo to summarise information. This makes it quicker and easier for the recipients to understand detailed facts and figures.

As with all writing, it is important to keep in mind the audience and context. Any graphic tools you use need to be easy for the audience to understand and to suit the context of the memo.

For example, if you want to show how sales have increased or decreased over the past few months, a pie chart would not be a suitable graphic tool.

Think for Yourself

1. Why is a pie chart not a suitable graphic tool if you want to compare sales figures from one month to the next?

2. What would be a suitable graphic tool to use to compare monthly sales figures?



Below is an example of a memo delivering a routine report.

Read the memo and then answer the questions that follow. The memo is on two pages.

MEMO

To: All sales staff

From: Angelo Smith, Sales Manager

Date: 20 July 2015

Subject: Sales – June 2015 ________________________________________________________________________

Our sales for June totalled $25,125. This is a 5% increase on that for the previous month. The graph below shows our total sales for June compared to that of the preceding months.

The bar graph that follows shows the percentage increase/decrease in sales for each department for the month of June.



Exercise 1

1. The final paragraph of the above memo is missing.

Read the two paragraphs below. Which one do you think would be more suitable as the final paragraph for this memo? Give reasons for your answer.

Paragraph A:

I would like to congratulate you all on our excellent June results. In particular, congratulations to the Menswear Department which achieved a remarkable 9% increase in their sales volume from May to June. Let‟s keep this fantastic growth going for the months to come.

Paragraph B:

I would like to congratulate you all on our excellent June results. In particular, congratulations to the Menswear Department which achieved a remarkable 9% increase in their sales volume from May to June. However, I am not at all happy with the 3% decrease in sales volume suffered in the Accessories department. I would like to talk to the Accessories manager as soon as possible to find out why his department is doing so poorly compared to all the other departments.



2. If Paragraph A were used as the final paragraph of the memo, it would mean that the memo would serve two purposes.

The first purpose would be to report routine information. What would the second purpose be?

A request for further information

Look back at the example of a memo delivering a routine report. The Sales Manager might like to find out why the Accessories department performed so poorly compared to the other departments.

However, as we noted in the exercise, he should do this in a separate memo which is directed only to the manager of the Accessories department. This would be a memo requesting further information.

An example of what this memo could look like follows.



MEMO

To: Phil Twiddle

From: Angelo Smith, Sales Manager

Date: 21 July 2015

Subject: Request for information - Accessories Dept June Sales __________________________________________________________________

As you are aware, in June the sales for your department were significantly lower than in previous months. This was in contrast to all other departments which saw a solid increase in their sales in June.

I would like to investigate the cause(s) of this drop in sales in your department. To enable me to do so, please provide me with the following information.

June sales figures for each of your product lines

Daily sales figures for the department as a whole

Any other relevant information you are able to provide which may help explain the decline in sales.

Please make sure that I have the above information by the end of this week. I will be out of the office until Friday, but f you have any queries or comments, you can contact me on my mobile – 022 789 5621.

The example above shows the format and content commonly used in a memo requesting further information:

An opening paragraph in which the writer provides the context or background to the information they are requesting.

A paragraph or two in which the writer details what information is required and why. The information required can be listed in bullet points.

A final paragraph which summarises the action that needs to be taken and when it needs to be done by. It could also include an indication of how to contact the writer if the recipient has any queries or comments they would like to make.



An announcement

A memo which makes an announcement needs to be short and to the point. Where possible, it should only be two or three paragraphs long and use bullet points to present the information in a way that is easy to read and understand.

Look at the example below which is an announcement of an upcoming workshop.

MEMO

To: All administrative staff

From: Kim Mitchell, HR

Date: 12 April 2015

Subject: Business Writing Workshop __________________________________________________________________

In response to a number of staff requests, I am please to announce that we will be holding a free Business Writing Workshop for all administrative staff. The workshop will be run by Shirley Phyn, a leading communications specialist.

The focus of the workshop will be on useful and practical tips for writing effective business documents. The workshop will cover a range of document types, from emails to detailed reports.

The details of the workshop are as follows.

Date: 23 April 2013

Time: 5pm – 8pm

Venue: Room A15

A light dinner will be provided.

Although attendance is not compulsory, you are all strongly encouraged to attend this very worthwhile training opportunity.

Please let me know by Friday (18 April) whether you will be attending. I look forward to seeing you there!

The opening paragraph immediately makes the main announcement - that there will be a Business Writing Workshop. In the example above, a bit of context is also provided by the writer. She indicates that the workshop has been arranged in response to requests from staff and that the workshop will be run by a leading specialist. This will hopefully help motivate staff to attend the workshop.

The second paragraph then gives some more details about what will be covered during the workshop, and the third paragraph gives



important details regarding the date, time and venue for the workshop. This information is laid out in a way that the reader can refer back to the memo at a later time and easily see the most important details regarding when and where the workshop will take place.

The next paragraph encourages the staff to attend the workshop.

The final paragraph indicates the action expected from the staff and when this needs to be done by. It ends with a final sentence which aims to encourage staff to attend the workshop.

This example of an „announcement memo‟ serves more than one purpose – it announces the upcoming workshop, provides information on the workshop and encourages staff to attend.

Other announcement memos are much more simplistic. They may simply make an announcement and nothing more. For example:

I am pleased to announce that we have appointed a new secretary to Mr Mitchell’s office. Nancy Smith will be joining our administration team from 21 March 2015.



A memo providing information

A memo which is used to provide information is one of the simplest memo types. Usually a memo like this is written in response to a request for information.

For example, the memo below was written in response to a request from the HR Manager for the details of staff leave for a particular department.

MEMO

To: Michaela Erwin, HR Manager

From: Sally Swindon, Studio Manager

Date: 12 September 2015

Subject: Staff leave for December 2015 – January 2016 ________________________________________________________________

As requested, below are the details of design studio staff who have applied for leave between 15 December 2015 and 25 January 2016.

Name Position Leave requested

M Mitchell Graphic Designer 23 Dec – 5 Jan

F Phelps Web Designer 23 Dec – 5 Jan

C Martins Graphic Designer 23 Dec – 12 Jan

P Patterson Pre-press 23 Dec – 12 Jan

S Lindon Plate Maker 15 Dec – 25 Jan

P Quindon Web Designer 15 Dec – 25 Jan

R Smerton has not yet officially put in a leave request, but has mentioned some interest in taking leave from 23 Dec – 5 Jan. I will let you have further details as soon as they become available.

You will notice that the writer only gives a brief introductory sentence to indicate what the memo is about and then provides the information that has been requested.

The information is provided in a table form, which makes it easier for the recipient to read and understand.



Think for Yourself

Look back at the memo on the previous page.

The writer of the memo (Sally Swindon) was asked to provide the details of staff who have already applied for leave between 15 December 2015 and 25 January 2016. However, the final paragraph of the memo gives details of a staff member who has not yet requested leave, but who is thinking about doing so.

Do you think this information should be included in the memo? Give a reason for your answer.

Instructions

A memo which gives instructions follows the same basic layout as a memo which provides information.

1. A brief introductory sentence or paragraph which indicates what the memo is about (ie what instructions are going to be given?) and perhaps some context (ie why are the instructions being given?)

2. The list of instructions. This is usually given in either a bulleted or numbered list. The instructions should be given in as few words as possible, using short clear sentences. However, enough detail needs to be given so that the reader can understand and follow the instructions correctly.

3. A concluding sentence or paragraph which could indicate any or all of the following.

Specific action the reader is expected to take.

A timeframe within which the reader(s) needs to take or complete this action.

What the consequences will be if the instructions are not followed.



Exercise 2

Imagine you are the supervisor in a busy manufacturing firm (Highball Electronics Ltd). You are writing a memo to staff to remind them about fire safety procedures, because you had a practice evacuation last week and some people didn‟t follow procedures.

Specifically, staff need to:

ensure exit access ways are kept clear of stock and other barriers

understand that if there is a fire, the alarm will sound continuously

leave the building immediately if the alarm sounds

assemble in the car park in front of the building

Write a memo to staff using this information. Remember the following:

format, content and context

information presentation

vocabulary and tone

punctuation, spelling and grammar

You can use the memo checklist on the next page to check your memo and make any necessary changes or corrections.

When you have finished, swap your memo with someone else to look over and make comments.



Lesson 3: Write Business Letters

Learning Objective

On completion of this lesson, learners are able to write a variety of business letters for a workplace.

Writing business letters is an important skill for every employee to learn. A business letter is very different to other types of letters (eg a personal letter to a friend). They need to be short and to the point. Unlike other types of letters, they do not try to make the reader feel a particular way or to provide creative details. Instead, business letters aim to convey precise and accurate information. In this sense they are similar to memos.

However, letters differ from memos in a number of ways:

Letters are usually longer than memos and contain more information. They may discuss more than one main idea, subject or issue.

Letters are used both within the workplace (internally) and externally to communicate with customers, suppliers, service providers, etc.

The vocabulary and tone of letters is often more formal than that of memos, and they also have a different layout.

Purposes and types of business letters There are a number of reasons why we write business letters. Some of these include the following.

To give an explanation – eg to explain to a customer why you have made a particular decision that affects them.

To make an enquiry about something outside the organisation – eg to find out about the availability of a conference room that you want to hire.

To give comprehensive information - eg to reply to a request for a legal review of a matter.

To respond to a complaint – eg to respond to a customer who has complained about the service they have received.



Format, content and context The formatting options (eg fonts, spacing and colours) for a letter are the same as for a memo.

However, the layout of a letter is different because it is more formal and is often sent from within a business to outside the business (eg to a customer, supplier or other organisation).

In many cases, the format of the letter is specified by the workplace.

For example, it may be a requirement that letters sent outside the organisation are printed on a letterhead which has the name, address and other contact details pre-printed on to it. There may also be a requirement that a certain type and size font is used or that a specific person needs to sign the letter.

Think for Yourself

Find out what the requirements regarding business letter format are at your workplace (or a workplace you are familiar with).



Parts of a business letter

The diagram below shows the parts of a business letter. All business letters contain each of these parts, although their exact layout and appearance may vary for different workplaces.

Let‟s look at each of these parts more closely.

Writer’s address/letterhead

Most businesses have their own letterhead which contains the address details of the business. Normally businesses require writers to use their letterhead – especially when writing to someone outside of the business.

If your workplace does not have a letterhead, you need to make sure that you include all your address details at the beginning of the letter. This includes your full postal address, telephone number, fax number, email address, etc.



Where you place the address will depend on your organisational requirements: some workplaces like to put their address in the centre of the page (as in the example above), while others like to put it on the left or right of the page.

Date

The date when the letter is written is put below the letterhead or writer‟s address. It is written in words (eg 20 September 2015), rather than in numbers (eg 20/09/15). Once again, the exact position of the date (either on the right or left of the page) depends on your workplace requirements.

Recipient’s address

Look at the example below of a recipient‟s address.

Marshal Matterson Warehouse manager ShopRite Hypermart PO Box 2349 Midstern 0940

You will notice that it includes the following details.

Recipient‟s name. If the recipient has a title (eg Dr or Prof), you can include this here. For example, “Dr Marshal Matterson”. You can also use the title if you are not sure of the first name of the person you are writing to or to make the letter more formal.

The recipient‟s position in the organisation – if relevant. In the example above, the recipient‟s position is „Warehouse manager‟.

The recipient‟s organisation – if relevant. In the example above, the organisation the recipient works for is „ShopRite Hypermart‟.

The recipient‟s postal address. If you are sending the letter outside of the country, you need to make sure you include the name of the country in the address.



Postal codes

Use the New Zealand Post Address and Postcode Finder to find out which postcode you should be using. You can find it online at:

http://www.nzpost.co.nz/Cultures/en-NZ/OnlineTools/PostCodeFinder

It is important to include the postal code in the address. This will help ensure that the letter is delivered to the correct address as quickly as possible.

But how do you know what postcode to use? Look at the information box below which gives details of how you can find out what the postcode is for a particular address.

Exercise 1

Use the NZ Post Address and Postcode Finder to find out the postcodes for the following.

Your own address:

3 Rawene Rd, Westmere, Auckland:

15 Hokonui Drive, Gore:

PO Box 90242, Auckland:

http://www.nzpost.co.nz/Cultures/en-NZ/OnlineTools/PostCodeFinder



Reference

Many businesses like to include a reference number or code in their letters. This helps make it easier to file, track, retrieve and refer to letters they have sent. Businesses which make use of reference numbers/codes will have their own rules for what number or code should be used.

If you are writing a letter in response to a letter you have received which has a reference number, then you should include that recipient‟s reference in your letter.

For example: Your ref: NRD129

This helps the recipient identify the letter you are responding to.

Greeting

The greeting is sometimes also called a salutation. The greeting is used at the start of the letter. The type of greeting you use will depend on who you are writing to (audience), and the context in which you are writing.

Use the recipient‟s title and last name if you do not know them well or if you are writing to them for the first time (eg “Dear Mr Matterson”)

If you know the recipient well and have a more informal relationship with them, you may use their first name (eg “Dear Marshal”)

If you don‟t know the name of the person you are writing to you could use their position instead (eg “To the office manager”)

If you don‟t know the name or position of the person you are writing to, you can either:

o Leave out the greeting completely

o Write “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern”

Some people feel that using “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom it May Concern” is old-fashioned and therefore prefer to leave out the greeting completely.

You need to make sure you use whatever is required by your workplace.



Think for Yourself

1. What are the requirements of your workplace regarding a business letter greeting if you are writing to someone whose name and position you don‟t know?

2. When you are writing to a woman, what title should you use: Miss, Mrs or Ms?

Subject line

This is similar to the subject line in a memo. The subject line indicates the main subject of the letter and is often introduced by „Re‟.

Body

The body of your letter contains the content of the letter. The specific content will depend on the type of letter and the reason it was written (purpose). However, business letters generally consist of the following.

An opening paragraph – this is usually a short paragraph which briefly states the purpose of the letter.

Middle paragraphs – these detail the main points you want to make in your letter or the information you want to convey. It is important that you include all the necessary details, but never include any irrelevant information.

Depending on the type of letter and the information you want to convey, it may be appropriate to use lists, graphic tools (eg tables and charts), etc in this part of the letter. In a particularly long letter, you could also use sub-headings to make the letter easier to read and understand.

It is important that these paragraphs are ordered in a logical sequence so that the reader can easily understand what you are trying to communicate. There is no point putting together a brilliant piece of writing with paragraphs that are jumbled, confused or have no logical order.



A concluding paragraph – this is a short paragraph which draws all the threads of the letter together into a conclusion or summary. It also informs of any further action to be taken. It may also include details of who to contact if further help or information is needed.

Closing

This indicates the end of the letter. A number of different closings can be used, depending on the context and on your organisational requirements.

Below are some examples.

If you don’t know the name of the person, end the letter with “Yours faithfully”.

If you know the name of the person, use “Yours sincerely”.

For someone you know very well and have a more informal relationship with you could use “Yours”, “Best wishes”, “Regards”, etc.

Signature line

After the closing, you should sign your name. Underneath this you print your full name. You could also include your title (eg “Mr”, “Miss”, etc) in brackets after your printed name.

Enclosure note

There will often be other written material included with your letter. Write 'Enclosure' or 'Encl' just underneath the final text to alert the recipient to the extra material.

For example: Encl: Spring 2015 brochure

If for some reason the letter arrives without the enclosure(s), the recipient should immediately notice this fact and contact the sender.



Exercise 2

The following letter was written by the Manager of a shoe store to a customer. Your task is to re-order each part of the text so that the content is in a logical sequence. Write down the numbers (1-11) in the left column next to each paragraph to show the order you would use.

Because of this unacceptable behaviour from our employee, and to demonstrate our appreciation for you as our customer, we would like to offer you a unique opportunity. We have contacted one of our suppliers and arranged for a personal fitting of a pair of size 15 shoes of your choice. We are also pleased to offer you our VIP 50% discount. I enclose our new catalogue so that you have time to fully consider your selection before the fitting.

Dear Mr Fuddle-Foot

We wish to convey our sincerest apologies for the comments made by the staff member about your shoe size. We realise the difficulty you have had finding shoes in your size, and we regret any distress that you may have suffered as a result of this incident.

Re: Complaint about Staff Member

Thank you for your letter dated 3 October 2015.

We look forward to having the opportunity to offer you our fine range of top quality shoes and to assure you of the high value we place on customer satisfaction. We look forward to hearing from you shortly to arrange a date and time for your fitting.

10 October 2015

We have read your complaint carefully and have investigated the allegations you have made regarding one of our staff members.

Robert Corn Robert Corn (Manager)

Encl: 1. Spring catalogue 2. Discount voucher

Mr B Fuddle-Foot 2 Long Paddle Drive Waterford 6094

Yours sincerely,



Vocabulary and tone

Business letters are generally more formal than memos and the vocabulary and tone used in business is therefore generally more formal than for memos. The situation, occasion, subject matter and audience will all play a part in helping you select suitable vocabulary and an appropriate tone for your letter.

Situation - eg if you write a letter to respond to a customer complaint you should be formal, polite and apologetic.

Occasion – eg if you plan a special event to launch a new product, you would want the vocabulary and tone of the letter to be friendly, welcoming, and convey a sense of excitement.

Subject matter - eg if you are sending a letter to a supplier enquiring about distributing a new product, your tone would be friendly but not too familiar (ie not too informal).

Audience - If the letter is being sent to someone you know well you can be somewhat informal in the vocabulary and tone you use. Generally, however, the tone and vocabulary of a business letter are more formal.

Avoid using slang or other language which may not be understood by the recipient or which may offend them.

Where possible, you should let some of your personality show through in your writing. The recipient should feel that you had a genuine concern or interest in the content of the letter.

You should make the recipient feel that it is you who is writing the letter, not your computer. This is particularly important where the letter is in response to a complaint or an apology.

Making your letters friendly and polite will often make the recipient more responsive and open to the information.



Letter types We have discussed some of the general characteristics of business letters. Now let‟s look more closely at the format, content and context of some different types of letters.

Letter responding to a complaint

Receiving a letter of complaint is something many businesses dread. However, this can actually be an opportunity for the business. If the letter responding to the complaint is written in the right way, it can actually leave the person who made the complaint feel very positive about your business.

The content of the letter is also important. Before you start writing you need to make sure that you have all the facts regarding the complaint. This includes the letter of complaint itself with details of the dates, people involved, nature of the complaint, etc.

Look at the example on the next page of a letter written in response to a customer‟s complaint about the service they have received.

Letters responding to a complaint often follow this general format.

Opening paragraph – acknowledge that you have received the complaint and apologise for the poor service, fault, etc.

Middle paragraphs – indicate what you are going to do to deal with the problem, compensate the customer, etc. You could also give an explanation for the problem or fault and indicate what you are going to do to ensure the problem doesn‟t happen again.

Closing paragraph - apologise again to the customer. You could also let the customer know that they can contact you if they need any further information or assistance.




PO Box 324 East Tamaki 0493

Phone 09 293 8765 www.fixit.co.nz

23 April 2015 Mr Jack Sorenson 34 Avalon Way Howick 0460 Ref: J/N 04/794 Dear Mr Sorenson Re: Wardrobe fitting – 34 Avalon Way, Howick Thank you for your letter of 20 April advising me of your concerns regarding the wardrobe fitting in the main bedroom of your home. I am sorry that this has obviously caused you some distress and I will do my best to rectify the situation. The wardrobe system used is of excellent quality but unfortunately it appears that inferior glue has been used. We would like the opportunity to come and redo the job at a time which suits you. By way of apology for any inconvenience caused, we will also discount the overall cost of the fitting by 50%. Please contact me at the number above to let me know a suitable time for someone to come and complete the job to your satisfaction. I apologise once again for any inconvenience caused. Yours sincerely

Graham Spry Sales Manager




When you write this type of letter it is important to keep in mind the context: the person who has complained feels disappointed, unhappy, frustrated, or even angry. So you need to make sure that the letter you write in response to their complaint does not make them feel more disappointed, unhappy or angry.

Instead, you want the reader to feel that you are genuinely sorry about what has happened and that you are going to do whatever is possible to put things right.

As we have already mentioned, it is important that the vocabulary and tone you use in this type of letter is polite, friendly, and conveys the sense that you are genuinely sorry about what has happened.

If you use derogatory words or a negative tone, this would only make matters worse. For example the customer is going to be made even angrier if you write: “Our wardrobe systems are great. If it broke, it‟s probably your fault because you were just too rough with the wardrobe”.

Letter of explanation

In business there are a number of different situations in which you may need to write a letter of explanation. Below are some examples:

You need to explain to a customer why you have made a particular decision which will affect them – eg to drop a particular product line or brand of products.

You have asked the bank for a loan, but they want an explanation for why you missed an instalment on one of your credit card payments last year.

You have been asked to explain how a particular product or service which you provide works, its benefits, etc.

The vocabulary and tone of a letter of explanation will be different to that of a letter responding to a complaint. The tone should be polite or neutral.



The vocabulary you use may include some technical terms if these are required as part of the explanation.

The example which follows shows the typical format of a letter of explanation.




23 April 2015 Mr Andrew Michaels Business Manager ABC Bank PO Box 59876 Howick 0460 Your Ref: FIS235C Our Ref: A/R 04/23 Dear Mr Michaels Re: Loan application – explanation of missed credit card payment As requested in your letter of 20 April 2015, I am writing to give an explanation for the credit card payment which we missed last year.

Our credit card payment for March 2014 was unfortunately missed as a result of a malfunction with our accounting software. This resulted in all our batched payments for 30 March not being processed.

Unfortunately we only became aware of this problem on 4 April because of the public holidays at the beginning of April. However, as soon as we realised the payment had not gone through, we immediately put through a direct credit payment for the full amount.

I can assure you that the accounting software fault has been rectified and that this problem will not occur again in the future.

If needed, our IT department can provide you with further details of the software malfunction which caused us to miss this payment. Please contact me if you require any further information or clarification.




Yours sincerely

Phil Whiton Phil Whiton Chief Financial Officer

Opening paragraph - acknowledge the request or query received and indicate what you are going to be explaining in the letter.

Middle paragraphs – give a detailed explanation. This should include all the facts needed for the reader to understand the explanation (eg dates, numbers, etc).

Concluding paragraph – indicate that you can be contacted if further information or explanation is needed.

Letter of enquiry

A letter of enquiry is written when we want to find out more information about a product or service. They are often one of the shortest types of business letter, containing only a short introduction and the request itself.

Look at the example below.




23 April 2015 Warequip Ltd 14 Hardy Avenue PO Box 4586 Midstern 0942

To whom it may concern Re: Spring 2015 catalogue

With reference to your advertisement in this weekend’s Sunday Star Times, could you please send me a copy of your Spring 2015 catalogue.

I would also like to know whether you offer online shopping.




Yours faithfully

Elsa Ternpin Elsa Ternpin Warehouse manager

You will notice that this letter gets straight to the point and clearly indicates what the writer is enquiring about. The tone is neutral and the vocabulary used also suits the situation, occasion, subject matter and audience.

Letter providing comprehensive and detailed information

These types of letters are much longer than other business letters.

They usually begin with an opening paragraph which indicates what the purpose of the letter is and what information is going to be detailed.

The middle part of the letter can be many pages long and often includes headings and sub-headings to help the recipient read and understand the letter. Depending on the type of information being provided, graphs, tables, diagrams, lists, etc can also be used to help simplify and summarise the information.

The final paragraph usually indicates that the writer can be contacted if further information is needed and may also indicate action that is required from the recipient.

The tone of this type of letter is usually neutral and the type of vocabulary used will depend on the type of information being provided, why it is being provided (ie the purpose) and the audience. For example, if you need to provide highly technical information about how a product works, then it will probably be necessary to use some technical words. If you are worried that the reader(s) will not understand some of these terms, you should give a brief explanation or definition.



Exercise 3

Imagine you are the manager of a food bank (Family Food Co-op). You regularly receive supplies of day-old bread from the local supermarket (Variety Plus Ltd).

You are writing to the manager of the supermarket (Jessica Green) to ask if they would also be willing to donate some milk which is nearing its use-by date. You can freeze the milk and use it later for cooking.

Make up any details you need about address and contact details.

Write a business letter to Ms Green using the above information.

Remember the following:


Information presentation

Vocabulary and tone

Punctuation, spelling and grammar

You can use the letter checklist below to check your memo and letter any necessary changes or corrections.

When you have finished, swap your letter with someone else to look over and to make comments.



Business letter to Ms Green



Congratulations! You have now completed learning the information for this course.

Your tutor will advise when and how you will be assessed on what you have learnt.

Tutor Attestation This learner workbook has been submitted and marked. Through the accuracy and quality of the learner‟s responses to questions and activities in the workbook, I am confident that the learner has demonstrated the knowledge and skills required to sit the assessment for this unit standard.

Name: Position Held:

Date: Signature:

WRITING Write business correspondence for a...

Documents

Transcript of WRITING Write business correspondence for a...