Chapter 2 Chapter 2 OrganiseOrganise
NEU School of Business & Administration 2/Chapter 2
NEU School of Business & Administration 3/Chapter 2
NEU School of Business & Administration 4/Chapter 2
• Objectives
be able to organise your writing.
NEU School of Business & Administration 5/Chapter 2
Q1: Why do you organise
1) Easy to read and understand. (to receiver)
2) More likely to get the results you want. (to sender)
So, organising is as important as planning.
NEU School of Business & Administration 6/Chapter 2
• Q2: How do you organise what you have planned?
preparing a clear outline arranging the contents to fit the outline.
NEU School of Business & Administration 7/Chapter 2
• Main types of Correspondence
internal correspondence (the messages you write to colleagues) e-mail, fax & memo
external correspondence (the messages you write to customers).
e-mail, fax & letter
NEU School of Business & Administration 8/Chapter 2
• The way you organise the content of most messages is similar.
NEU School of Business & Administration 9/Chapter 2
• Try to discover the basic outline in most of your correspondence.
1)Read through the memo below
2)Identify what type of content each of the four paragraphs contains
NEU School of Business & Administration 10/Chapter 2
MEMO
To: All Staff Date: 20 July 200X
From: General Manager Subject: Dress Code
①As you know, we have always enforced a strict dress code. We have now revised this code.
②I would like to inform you of the changes.
③The code for branch staff and office staff is different. As I'm sure you will appreciate, there are no changes for branch staff. All branch staff must wear the correct uniform at all times. On the other hand, if you work in the office, you may wear 'smart-casual' wear. However, on any day that you do meet people from outside the company, please ensure you are dressed in a business-like manner.
④Please adopt the new dress code from 1 September. If you have any questions, please call Annie Wong on 2344 7765.
NEU School of Business & Administration 11/Chapter 2
① As you know, we have always enforced a strict dress code. We have now revised this code.
② I would like to inform you of the changes.
background
writer’s purpose
NEU School of Business & Administration 12/Chapter 2
③The code for branch staff and office staff is different. As I'm sure you will appreciate, there are no changes for branch staff. All branch staff must wear the correct uniform at all times. On the other hand, if you work in the office, you may wear 'smart-casual' wear. However, on any day that you do meet people from outside the company, please ensure you are dressed in a business-like manner.
reader’s information
NEU School of Business & Administration 13/Chapter 2
④ Please adopt the new dress code from 1 September. If you have any questions, please call Annie Wong on 2344 7765.
reader’s response
NEU School of Business & Administration 14/Chapter 2
Memo Letter
background background
writer’s purpose writer’s purpose
reader’s information reader’s information
reader’s response reader’s response
closing marks
NEU School of Business & Administration 15/Chapter 2
• When writing to customers, you include a salutation (Dear...)
and a complimentary close
(Yours sincerely / faithfully).
• When writing to customers, you add a polite closing. You can also add this closing when writing to colleagues.
NEU School of Business & Administration 16/Chapter 2
• SOFAR Strategy
it'll help you remember how to organise external correspondence.
NEU School of Business & Administration 17/Chapter 2
Salutation Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss...
Opening Background + Purpose
Facts Reader's Information
Action Reader's Response
Remarks Polite Closing
You can also use this outline for memos and internal e-mails. Just leave out the salutation.
NEU School of Business & Administration 18/Chapter 2
• SALUTATION
Begins with 'Dear'.
Include the reader's name (e.g., Dear Mr. Chan, Dear Ms. Lewis).
NEU School of Business & Administration 19/Chapter 2
If you know them well, you can use the reader's first name (e.g., Dear John)
If you do not know the reader's name, use "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam".
If you do not know if the reader is a man or a woman, use "Dear Sir or Madam".
NEU School of Business & Administration 20/Chapter 2
• OPENING
The Opening includes two parts (and usually two paragraphs):
background (referring to previous contact with the reader or introducing a situation)
writer's purpose
NEU School of Business & Administration 21/Chapter 2
OPENING (BACKGROUND)
The background "sets the scene" by referring to a previous contact.
■ If you've had no previous contact with the reader, you should briefly describe the situation.
NEU School of Business & Administration 22/Chapter 2
• EXAMPLES
1) Previous contact: Thank you for your call this morning.
2) A situation: Our annual staff party is coming soon!
3) An attention-grabbing statement or question: Have you heard about...? Our Department Open Day is coming soon!
NEU School of Business & Administration 23/Chapter 2
Column A Column B
With reference to your correspondence of 21 August...
Thank you for your letter of 21 August.
Thank you for your call today about...
Further to our conversation earlier today...
Regarding your request for credit approval...
I have just received your request for credit approval.
NEU School of Business & Administration 24/Chapter 2
Sentences that begin with prepositions (e.g., with, in, further, for, following, regarding) are difficult to write correctly. They are also quite long and therefore more difficult for your reader to understand.
So, keep your writing simple by writing shorter, more direct sentences.
NEU School of Business & Administration 25/Chapter 2
OPENING (WRITER'S PURPOSE)
announce notify
complain propose
confirm request
explain suggest
inform apologize
NEU School of Business & Administration 26/Chapter 2
MEMO
To: All Staff Date: 20 July 200X
From: General Manager Subject: Dress Code
As you know, we have always enforced a strict dress code. We have now revised this code.
I would like to inform you of the changes.
The code for branch staff and office staff is different. As I'm sure you will appreciate, there are no changes for branch staff. All branch staff must wear the correct uniform at all times. On the other hand, if you work in the office, you may wear 'smart-casual' wear. However, on any day that you do meet people from outside the company, please ensure you are dressed in a business-like manner.
Please adopt the new dress code from 1 September. If you have any questions, please call Annie Wong on 2344 7765.
NEU School of Business & Administration 27/Chapter 2
• Which sentence states the manager's purpose?
I would like to inform you of the changes.
NEU School of Business & Administration 28/Chapter 2
• Read the two situations below• Write an appropriate opening for each of them
Situation 1: Reply to a customer who called this morning asking for details about opening a new account.
Suggested answer: Thank you for calling this morning askingabout how to open a new account.
I am delighted to give you the details aboutopening a Premier account.
NEU School of Business & Administration 29/Chapter 2
Suggested answer: Thank you for your letter of 28 April about thedelivery of your order. I apologise for the delay and would like to explainwhat has happened.
Situation 2: Reply to a customer's letter received yesterday. He want to know why delivery of his order is late.
NEU School of Business & Administration 30/Chapter 2
• FACTS
In this part, provide all the information your reader needs so that they can1) understand your purpose2) respond appropriately.
Remember: Only one main idea per paragraph!
NEU School of Business & Administration 31/Chapter 2
• ACTION
In this section, tell your reader
how to respond?
when to respond?
NEU School of Business & Administration 32/Chapter 2
• For example, if you are writing to invite someone to lunch, what do you want your reader to do? Come to lunch, right? It may seem obvious to you, but you need to make it obvious to your reader, too. That will get the result you want.
NEU School of Business & Administration 33/Chapter 2
Writer's Purpose:
I'd like to invite you to lunch next Thursday.
Reader's Response:
Please call by Tuesday and let me know if you can come.
NEU School of Business & Administration 34/Chapter 2
What you want your reader to do depends on why you are writing.
Writer's purpose Reader's response
Invite Please call by Wednesday and let me
know if you will be able to join us.
Confirm If we need to make any changes to the
schedule, please let me know before Friday.
Inform Please adopt the new dress code from
1 September.
Request Please send your bid to us by 15
March.
Complain Please deliver the delayed shipment
within three days.
NEU School of Business & Administration 35/Chapter 2
• REMARKS
When writing to customers, end politely and positively. Do this with just one sentence.
But be careful! Try to make your writing sound natural - as if you were speaking to the reader face-to-face.
NEU School of Business & Administration 36/Chapter 2
Have you ever written sentences like these? Would you actually say them to someone in person?
1) If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
2) Assuring you of our best attention at all times.
3) Thanking you in anticipation.
NEU School of Business & Administration 37/Chapter 2
More natural ways to close a letter:
I look forward to hearing from you.I look forward to receiving your order.I hope this information is useful.Please call me if you need any further information.Please call me if you have any questions.
NEU School of Business & Administration 38/Chapter 2
Summary
• In this chapter, you learned how to organise the contents.
• You learned that, when writing to colleagues or customers, you can follow a similar outline.
• SOFAR can help you remember the basic outline.
NEU School of Business & Administration 39/Chapter 2
Salutation Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss...
Opening Background + Purpose
Facts Reader's Information
Action Reader's Response
Remarks Polite Closing
NEU School of Business & Administration 40/Chapter 2
There are 10 sentences and 3 other parts of a letter below. Please arrange them in the correct order . 1) Yours sincerely 2) May I suggest that you contact Mr. Ong directly. 3) I am sorry that I was not in the office when you rang. 4) We do have a branch in Singapore. 5) I hope this information is helpful. 6) Dear Mr. Rushford 7) The address is 54 Liu Fang Road, Jorong Town, Singapore. 8) Alex Ribero 9) I am pleased to provide the information you requested.10) The manager is Mr. David Ong11) He can provide you with the financial advice you are seeking.12) Thank you for trying to contact me by phone yesterday.13) His telephone number is 65 535 1234.
NEU School of Business & Administration 41/Chapter 2
Dear Mr. Rushford(6)
Thank you for trying to contact me by phone yesterday.(12) I am sorry that I was not in the office when you rang.(3)
I am pleased to provide the information you requested.(9)
We do have a branch in Singapore.(4) The address is 54 Liu Fang Road, Jorong Town, Singapore.(7) The manager is Mr. David Ong(10) May I suggest that you contact Mr. Ong directly? (2)
His telephone number is 65 535 1234.(13) He can provide you with the financial advice you are seeking.(11)
I hope this information is helpful. (5)
Yours sincerely(1)
Alex Ribero(8)
NEU School of Business & Administration 42/Chapter 2
See you!See you!