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Apendix1Spokenandwrittenformsofaddress
Apendix2TheA–Zofalternativewords
Apendix3How towritereportsinplainEnglish Index
Go to www.pearson-books.com/modelbusinessletters where you’llfindaselectionofsample documents readyto downloadas templates foryourownuse.
Abouttheauthor ShirleyTaylorhasestablishedherselfasaleadingauthorityinmodernbusiness writingandcommunicationskills.Her booksarepopular all over theworld,and havebeentranslatedintomanylanguages.
BornintheUK,ShirleyhasalsolivedandworkedinSingapore,Bahrainand Canada.Shenow livesinSingaporewheresherunsher owncompany.STTraining SolutionsPteLtdhasquicklybecomewell regardedfor providinghigh-quality publictrainingprogrammeswithprofessional trainers.
With30years’experienceinteachingandtraining,Shirleyknowswhatmakesa greatlearningexperience.Shetakesapersonal interestinworkingcloselywith experiencedtrainerstoensureeveryworkshopispractical andparticipative.With manyrepeatclients,consistencyisimportanttoShirley,soshemakessureevery workshopisfull ofvaluabletools,helpful guidelinesandpowerful actionsteps.
Shirleyspecialisesintrainingmodernbusinesswritingskills,email etiquette, confidentcommunicationskillsandsuccessskillsfor secretaries.Sheputsalotof passionandenergyintoher workshopstomakesuretheyareentertaining,practical andinformative,aswell asalotoffun.Shirleyisalsoapopular,engagingkeynote speaker atinternational conferences.
Shirleyoffersspecial reportsand10-weekcoursesofSuccessBoostersinmany communication-relatedtopics.Youcanreceivethespecial reportsbysigningupon her homepage,www.shirleytaylortraining.com,or justclickonSuccessBoosters toreceivethesehelpful reminders.
Shirley’scontactdetailsare: Website: www.shirleytaylortraining.com
Email: shirley@shirleytaylortraining.com
Publisheracknowledgements We are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce copyright material:
Logos Logosonpage58,page62fromSTTrainingSolutionsPteLtd,Singapore
Text
Thereportonpages451–64from The A-Z of Alternative Words,PlainEnglish Campaign.
Thereportonpages465–87from How to Write Reports in Plain English,Plain EnglishCampaign(2001).
Extractonpages275–7fromwww.deskdemon.co.uk,withpermissionfromDesk Demon.
Extractonpages317–20from How to Write Proposals and Reports that get Results,PrenticeHall (Jay,Ros2003) 151–5withpermissionfromPearson.
In some instances we have been unable to trace the owners of copyright material, and we would appreciate any information that would enable us to do so
Prefacetothefirstedition ByLeonardGartside
Few businesstransactionsarecarriedthroughsuccessfullywithoutcorrespondence atsomepoint.Enquiriesmustbeanswered,quotationsgiven,ordersplaced, complaintsdealtwith,transportandinsurancearrangedandaccountssettled. Lettersmustbewrittentocustomers,salesmen,agents,suppliers,bankers, shipownersandmanyothers;theycover everyconceivablephaseofbusiness activity.Theyarethefirm’ssilentsalesmenand,oftenenough,representitsonly contactwiththeoutsideworld.Hencetheneedtocreateagoodimpression,not onlyofthewriter’sfirmbutalsoofthewriter himselfasanefficientpersoneager tobeofservice.
Inthepagesthatfollow aretobefoundover fivehundredspecimenlettersdealing withacomprehensiverangeoftransactionsofthekindhandledinbusinessevery day.Theyarerepresented,notasmodelstobecopied,for notwobusiness situationsareever quitealike,butrather asexampleswritteninthemodernEnglish styletoillustratetheacceptedprinciplesofgoodbusinesswriting.
Everybusinessletter iswrittentoapurpose;eachhasitsownspecial aim,andone ofthefeaturesofthisbookisitsuseofexplanationtoshow how thevariousletters setouttoachievetheir aims.Basiclegal principlesrelevanttodifferenttypesof transactionarealsotouchedupon,butonlywherethereisaneedtoclarifylegal relationships.Wherethebookisusedinclass,thelettersprovidematerial for teacherswhomaywishtoenlargeonthesemattersandtheexercisesthemeansfor studentstoapplyinpracticewhattheyhavebeentaught.
Themanylettersincludedarewritteninthestraightforwardandmeaningful styleof themodernageandshouldbeofspecial helptotheoverseasuser,andparticularly tostudentsinschoolsandcollegeswherecommercial correspondenceistaught either asageneral businessaccomplishmentor asapreparationfor thevarious examinations.
Prefacetotheseventhedition ByShirleyTaylor
Takealookaroundyour workplace.Dotheleadersinyour organisationwrite effectivelyandpowerfully?Dogoodwriterstendtogetpromoted?Dopeopletend tolistentogoodwriters?Aregoodwritersabletopersuadeor convince effectively?Absolutelytheydo!
Moreandmoreofour worktodayisundertakenthroughwritingrather thanin personor onthephone.Aswearewritingsomuchmorethesedays,wedependon our writingskillstoinfluence,persuade,encourage,collaborate,andtolead.
However,how oftendoyounoticepeopletalkingabouttheimportanceofgood writinginyour day-to-daywork?Theydon’t,dothey?Mostpeopledon’treally noticethequalityofthewritingtheyread–theysimplyreactpositively,negatively, or notatall.Ifyouhaveever wonderedifthere’sabetter waytowriteyour messagessotheygetbetter results,thereis!
Herearethreeofthenew rulesfor writtencommunication:
1 If you can say it, you can write it Weconnectwiththeworldtodaylargelythroughemail,websites,blogs,textingand social media.Withall thesechannelswehaveonlybarefacts,withouttoneof voice,facial expressions,bodylanguageor pauses.Asweregularlyusethese meansinsteadoftalking,itmakessensetousewritingthat’sascloseaspossibleto spokenlanguage.Whenyoudothis,yougainyourselfagreatadvantage–youput your personalityandindividualityintoyour message.Thiswill helpyoutostand outmoreandmakeagreater connectionwithyour reader.
2 Write for today, not yesterday Yesterday’swritingispassiveandwordy,anditsoundsreallydull.Itputsa distancebetweenyouandthereader.Thewayitiswrittenalsoslowsdown understanding.
Yesterday:
PleasebeadvisedthatameetingoftheAnnual ConventionCommitteewill be heldon24February(Thursday) at9.30am.Approximately2hourswill be requiredfor themeetingandyouarerequiredtoattendtoreportonprogress
madesincethelastmeeting Kindlyadvisemeofyour availabilityatyour soonest.
Today’swritingsoundsmoreconversational.It’scrisp,clear,transparent,andthe personal contextmakesitmorepositiveandinteresting.
Today:
I’dliketoholdanother meetingoftheAnnual ConventionCommitteeonTuesday 24Februaryfrom9.30to11.30am.Ihopeyoucanattendtoreportonthegreat ideasyoubroughtupatthelastmeeting Pleaseconfirmifyoucanjoinus
3 Aim to build relationships Inwriting,asreaderscan’tseeor hear you,peoplewill judgeyoubasedonwhat youwriteandhow youwriteit.Intoday’sfast-paced,communication-crazyworld, it’sessential tocomeacrossasahumanbeing.Ifyouinsistonusingold-fashioned or redundantjargon(Please be reminded, Kindly be advised, Please find attached, herewith, above-mentioned, reference and perusal,etc) youwill obscurethereal meaningandwill notbeaddinganypersonalityofyour own.Makeyour writing positive,stimulatingandinteresting,addsomefeelingandapersonal touch.This will helppeoplegettoknow thereal personbehindthemessage.
Poorlywrittenmessagesreflectbadlyonyouandyour organisation.Poor writing will notclarifyyour organisation’sproducts,services,values,policiesandbeliefs; itmayevenportraythemnegatively.Asaresult,your reputationmayberuinedand businessefficiencylost.Youwill alsoloseoutonopportunitiestoconnectandto buildrelationshipswithclients,colleaguesandcollaborators.
Goodwritingisreceivingincreasingrecognitionasanessential businessskill,and itwill giveyouahugeadvantageintoday’sbusinessworld.Goodwritingcanhelp youworkmoreefficiently,buildcredibility,improverelationships,influenceother people,winmoreclientsandachieveyour goals.
Ifyouwanttogiveyourselfanedgeinthisverycompetitiveworld,youmustgetto gripswitheffectivewritingnow.Andyouhavecertainlyfoundtherightresource with Model Business Letters, Emails and Other Business Documents,seventh edition.
Thesethreemainrulesfor writtencommunicationarereinforcedconstantly throughoutthisbook.Studyitspageswell andyouwill learnhow toenhanceyour professional reputationandbuildgreatrelationships.
Shirley Taylor May 2012
Introduction Whenyouaretalkingtosomeoneface-to-face,youhavelotsofvisual cluestohelp you–your toneofvoice,gestures,movementsandeyecontact.Itmaynotbefair, butintheeverydayworldyouarejudgedandinfluencedbyall thesecriteria,and more–evenyour occupation,status,height,dressandthewayyoulook.Andlikeit or not,it’sthroughthewayyouspeakandlookthatyouearntrustandconfidence
So,withnoneofthesevisual cuespresentinwrittencommunication,how doyou earntrustandconfidencewhenyouwriteletters,reports,email messagesor other businessdocuments?
Earntrustandconfidencebyimprovingyourwriting style Inwrittencommunicationyouhavetofindother waystoevaluatethepersonwhois ‘speaking’(writing).Peopledothatbylookingat‘style’.Stylemeanspaying attentiontoproper spelling,punctuationandsentenceconstruction.
Stylealsomeans: beingcreativeinwhatyouwriteandhow youwrite makingyour communicationlookvisuallyattractivebyleavingalinespace betweeneachparagraph usingnumberedpointsor bulletsappropriately usingheadingsofaconsistentstyle consideringtheappropriatetoneinyour writing structuringyour messageslogically
Irecentlydidafollow-upworkshopfor aclientwhohadrunmybusinesswriting workshoptwomonthsearlier.Iaskedtheparticipantswhathadchangedsinceour workshop.Theytoldmeproudly:
Wegetstraighttothepoint,usingeverydaylanguageinsteadofbeatingabout thebushwithold-fashioned,uselessphrases.
Our messagesarestructuredmorelogicallysothereader canclearlyseethe actionneeded
Wetrytoavoidthepassivephrasesthatweusedtouse,like Please be informed, Kindly be advised, Please find attached,etc.
Weseemmoreapproachablebecauseour languageislessformal andmuch morefriendly,asthoughwearehavingaconversation.
Bingo!Thisishow toearntrustandconfidence!
Whenconductingbusinesstoday,usinglanguageeffectivelywill goalongway towardsachievingpositiveresults.Goodcommunicatorsgotoconsiderable troubletobecomecompetentintheEnglishlanguage,andit’softenachieved graduallythroughalife-longlearningprocess.Time,patienceandhardworkwill bringenormousrewardsandsatisfaction,nottomentiongreatresults.
Thelanguageusedinbusinesstodayshouldbesimple,courteous,relaxedand straightforward.Someofthekeyreasonswhyyouneedtoworkonyour languagein all your writtencommunicationsareemphasisedthroughoutthisbook.Theyare:
1. Toestablishrelationships.Peoplegetanimpressionofyoufromthefirst email theyreceive,soit’simportanttomakeaconnectionbyusingappropriate wordsandphrases.For example,‘Wespoke’or ‘Asspoken’will nothavethe sameeffectonyour reader as‘Thanksfor your call’or ‘Itwasgreattospeak toyou’.
2. Tocommunicate yourideasprecisely.Usingunsuitableor incorrect expressions,or along-windedwritingstyle,will notgivethereader theright meaningor therightimpression.Itwill onlyleadtomisunderstandingsand lengthycorrespondencetoclarify.
3. Toconveyagoodimpression.Clear,concise,accuratelanguagewill givean impressionofefficiency,andwill fill thereader withconfidence Carelessor inaccurateexpressionswill dotheopposite.Readersmayquestionifsuch carelessnesswill extendtoother businessdealingstoo.
Model Business Letters, Emails and Other Business Documents,seventhedition, will helpyoucreateagreatwritingstylethatwill buildtrustandconfidenceinall your relationships.With100greattipsfor better businesswritingthroughoutthe book,thisisyour one-stopshop,your desktopcompanion,theonlyguideyouwill needtohelpyoutowriteanykindofbusinesscorrespondence.
Whoisthisbookfor?
Manypeoplewill findthisbookuseful: Executivesandmanagerswhoregularlycompose theirown correspondence Manymanagersnow composetheir owncorrespondenceon their desktop,laptopor notebook.Theseready-to-usedocumentscanbe copiedor adaptedtomeetyour preciseneeds.Theywill helpyoutosaywhat
youwanttosayandachievethedesiredresults.Youwill beabletosavetime anddoyour jobbetter,moreeffectivelyandeasily,withoutscratchingyour headfor agesthinkingaboutwheretostartor whattowrite.
Overseasusers.Pasteditionsofthisbookhavebeensoldextensivelyfrom IndiatoIndonesia,fromMalaysiatotheMaldives,fromSingaporetoSri Lanka,fromHongKongtoHarrogate,fromShanghai toSheffield,from TorontotoThailand.Overseasuserswill appreciatethevalueofthis comprehensiveresourcebook.Itwill beespeciallyuseful indealingwith international businesstransactionsusingmodernbusinesslanguage.
Studentsandlecturers.Studentsfollowingabusiness,professional, secretarial or administrativeexaminationcourseoftenneedtocompose businesslettersandother businessdocuments.Youwill findtheguidelines, theory,specimendocuments,four-pointplans,definitionsandchecklists particularlyuseful inlearninghow tocomposeyour owneffectivebusiness correspondence.
Howisthebookorganised? Ihaveorganisedthebooksothatyoucanhoparoundtothetopicsthatinterestyou. Justdipinwhenever youfaceablankpageor screen,andhopefullyyouwill find someinspirationtogetyoustartedandsomeuseful tipstohelpyoufinishthetask. Thisseventheditionhasbeencompletelyrestructuredtomakeitmucheasier tofind documents.
Part 1Communication: AnOverview.Thisisamustfor everyone.Chapter 1 discussestheimportanceofbuildingrelationshipsinbusinesstoday.It’snolonger enoughtogetthejobdone.Youhavetodevelopgreatrelationshipsfirst.InChapter 2you’ll findanew sectionlookingatsentenceconstruction.Manypeopleaskedme for somebasicadviceonthis,andIagreethatit’snecessary.After all,how canI expectyoutowriteanemail unlessIfirstofall giveyouadviceonhow touse proper punctuationandsentenceconstruction?
Part 2BusinessWritingBasics.Inthispartyouwill findall thefundamentalsof modernwriting.Chapter 3isacompletelyrewrittenchapter ontheimportanceof using21stcenturybusinesslanguage.InChapter 4regular readerswill bepleased toseemyfour-pointplanhereagain–it’safavouriteformulathathelpspeopleall over theworldtostructuredocumentslogically.FinallyinChapter 5welookat attractivepresentationanddisplayofbusinessdocuments.
Part 3ElectronicCommunication.Thisisabrandnew partgoingintomuchmore detail onelectroniccommunication.Nobookonwritingwouldbecomplete withoutadetailedlookatemail etiquette,whichyou’ll findinChapter 6,including
lazyemail habitsandtoptipsfor makingthemostofemail.InChapter 7welookat writingfor websites,blogsandsocial networkingandinChapter 8customer care online.
Part 4Routine BusinessTransactions.Thispartcontainsjustthat–enquiries, quotations,orders,invoices,all thecorrespondencemakingupastandardbusiness transaction.
Part 5GeneralBusinessCorrespondence.Herewehaveanother completelynew part,withexamplesofinternal correspondence,secretarial correspondence, meetingsdocumentation,personnel correspondence,reportsandproposals.
Part 6Creative andPersuasive Documents.Inthisfinal part,wefocuson documentsthatrequirecreativityandpersuasion,documentsthatneedtoinfluence andconvinceinsomeway.Awidevarietyofdocumentsarefeatured,includingthe specificwritingskillsuniquetoeachone,suchascomplaints,goodwill messages, noticesandadvertisements,circulars,salesletters,pressreleasesandbusiness plans.
Appendix.You’ll findtheAppendixveryuseful.Itcontainsspokenandwritten formsofaddress,plusanew sectionthatIknow youwill love,courtesyofthe PlainEnglishCampaign: TheA–Zofalternativewords.
Specialfeatures Aseachnew documentisintroduced,theformatisillustratedinaspecimen document,withnoteshighlightingeveryaspectofdocumentpresentation. Eachsectioncontainsfull explanations,discussionandtheoryregardingthe variousdocuments.
Manyspecimenlettersareboxedandincludemarginal notesthatdiscuss importantfeaturesofthetext. Four-pointplansencourageyoutoplanandstructureyour owndocuments effectively.
Lookoutfor thesespecial icons:
TIPThroughout the bookyouwillfindover100toptipsforeffective communication.
CAUTIONYou’llfindsome wordsof warninghere,suchasthingsto avoidorprecautionstotake.
CHECKLISTAt the endof most chaptersthere isachecklist to remindyouof the keypointstoremember.
Finalword Aworkshopparticipantoncesaidtome,‘RarelydoesadaygobythatIdon’tpick upyour book,browsethroughit,andfindsomethingthathelpsmewithmywriting.’ That’swhatthisbookisall about.
Ihopethisreferencebook,withitsemphasisonhigh-qualitypresentation,structure, languageandtone,helpsyoutoconveyyour messagesappropriatelyand effectively.Remember thatinsodoingyouwill notonlybehelpingtocreateand enhancethecorporateimageofyour organisation,youwill alsobeincreasingyour valuetothecompanyandplayingamajor partinitssuccess.
Bypickingupthisbookyouhavealreadyshownadesiretolearnmoreabout modernbusinesswriting.Thesolidadviceandpractical guidelines,combinedwith hundredsofsampledocuments,will show youhow todevelopeffectivewritten communicationskills.Therestisuptoyou.
Goodluck! Shirley Taylor
PLEASENOTE: 1 For reasons of consistencyandsimplicityandtoavoidconfusion,we have usedthe UK -ise spelling conventionthroughoutthis book. Readers shouldalsobe familiar withthe -ize conventionusedinmany countries worldwide.
2 The author andpublishers feelthatthe advice inthis bookis sound. However,readers mustseeklegaladvice if theyare inanydoubt.
Communication:AnOverview ‘Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success ’ HenryFord
WhenIfirststartedmyworkinglife,snail mail wastheonlymail.Telexwasthe mainmethodofsendingamessageover anydistance.Theintroductionoffaxmade abigdifferencetothespeedwithwhichwecommunicated.Thenalongcameemail andinstantmessaging,nottomentionmobilephonesandtextmessaging.
Our workingenvironmentisinaconstantstateofchange,andnodoubtthatwill continueatanevenfaster rate.Ifwearetomeetthenumerouschallengesthis changingworkplacewill bring,wewill needtoworkevenharder onour communicationskills.Herearesomeofthereasonswhy:
Advancingtechnology.TheInternet,email,faxmessages,voicemail,instant messaging,teleconferencing,videoconferencing,wirelessdevices–all this technologyhastransformedthewaywecommunicate.Peoplecanwork together almosteffortlesslywhether theyareinSydneyor Seattle,Shanghai or Sheffield,Bali or Brazil;andtheymaybeinahotel,athome,atanairportor onanaeroplane.Witheveryphonecall or email,your communicationskills arerevealedfor everyonetosee.
Globalcommunication.Moreandmorebusinessesarenow workingona global scaleacrossnational boundaries Manypeoplenow workfor multinational companies,andtoday’sworkforceall over theworldnow includesincreasingnumbersofpeoplefromdifferentethnicbackgrounds If youaretocommunicateeffectivelyinthisenvironment,youmustunderstand other people’sbackgrounds,beliefsandcharacters.
The informationage.Withanincreaseintheamountofinformationintoday’s businessworld,youmustbeabletomakequick,effectivedecisionsbasedon theinformationyoureceive.Youmustalsoknow how tofind,assess,process andcommunicateinformationefficientlyandeffectively.Withsomuch informationavailabletoday,itisaconstantchallengetogetyour recipient’s attentionsothattheywill readandactappropriatelyonyour message.
Team-basedbusinessenvironments.Intoday’sfast-pacedbusinessworld, thetraditional managementhierarchyhaschanged,andteamworkingisnow in vogue.Insuchateam-basedenvironmentitisimportanttostudyand understandhow groupsworktogether.Youmustlearntolistenandwatchother peoplecarefullysothatyouinterpretall thenon-verbal cuesyoureceive
TIP Learning more about effective communicationwillhelpus alladapt to changing environments, andwillincrease yourchances ofsuccess inthis highlycompetitive world.
