Management 306

GENERAL BUSINESS WRITING INFORMATION

On a daily basis, businesses interact with many client and employees. Therefore, business correspondences are used to help in exchange of information between the company and other stakeholders (Kolin 2013). Professionals are required to have adequate knowledge on writing quality correspondences to facilitate effective communication. Having adequate knowledge about the recipient enables the company to choose the most suitable form of communication to avoid message distortion.

Memo

Most companies make official communication through memos. A memo is often a short message written from one department to another or senior management to other departments (Garner 2013). Memos are internal communication in every organization. Memos can be sent in the form an email or written on a piece paper to the recipient. Memos might have a specific format as instructed by the company. Memos enhance interaction within an organization and increase the level of understanding in all levels of the company.

Audience: The sender should be sure that there is a complete need for writing a particular memo. It is important to understand the recipient of the message to ensure the right mode of delivery and choice of words. It is important to understand the urgency of the memo. Memos often require people to take their time to read and understand.

Reason: It is important to have clear outline summarizing the whole memo. The header of a memo should be short and précised to ensure easy reading and understanding. It is also important to use less ambiguous words to facilitate easy understanding. Minimize the space occupied by the header since it is not really important as the reader is more focused on reading what is in the main body. The words “from” and “to” are connected and used interchangeably.

Body: It is important to compress all the information intended in the smallest amount of possibilities to ensure faster understanding and use limited time. This will enable the sender to know the exact action required of the recipient. Memos are intended to arrive at the action stage as soon as possible. Information should be straight to the point and use simple words to enhance understanding. In one sentence, emphasize the immediate action that should be taken by readers to ignite their interest. In case there is no action required, the sender should inform the recipient immediately.

Letter

Letterhead: This section helps introduce a letter to the reader. The letterhead should be very visual and properly introduces the company. Letterheads are to make the letter unique and gives the reader quick insight of the whole body.

A formal letter is the main correspondence in any business. Formal letters are used to pass the message to various company`s stakeholders outside the organization (Collis et al. 2013). Every company has a unique letterhead and standard font used to edit the company`s letters.

Writing an official letter requires a series of facts to ensure there is no letter misplacement and message distortion. The sender should ensure the letter precise and short to ensure faster understanding (Leech & Svartvik 2013). Choosing the right words is important to ensure the sender receives prompt action. In addition, the letter should have all the right formatting to ensure it is well presentable.

Tone: It is a very significant aspect of a formal letter. All official letters are considered polite and very appealing. Despite the message being conveyed, the writer should express him or herself in a polite manner. Using cautious words is one of the main things that most readers look for in an official letter.

References

Collis, J., & Hussey, R. (2013). Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Palgrave macmillan.

Garner, B. A. (2013). Legal writing in plain English: a text with exercises. University of Chicago Press.

Kolin, P. C. (2013). Successful writing at work. Cengage Learning.

Leech, G., & Svartvik, J. (2013). A communicative grammar of English. Routledge.