Business Letters: Giving Information and Requesting Information

From: Meyer, V., Sebranek, P., & Van Rys, J. (2011). Write for Business: A Compact Guide to Writing & Communicating in the Workplace. (2nd ed.). Burlington, WI: Upwrite Press.

1. IDEAS

To successfully communicate your ideas, you need first to understand the communication situation.

· Five elements: sender, message, medium, receiver, and context.

· Main point (subject + purpose)

· Supporting details (who, what, when, where, why, how)

· Answering objections

IDEAS CHECKLIST

1. Is my subject important and relevant?

2. Does my message have a solid purpose?

3. Is my main point clear?

4. Have I qualified my main point, if necessary?

5. Does my support answer the readers’ main questions (who, what, when, where, why, how)?

6. Have I used a variety of details to support my main point? (definitions, examples, facts/statistics/data, anecdotes, predictions, comparisons, contrasts, quotations, answers to objections, needs of the audience, etc.)

2. ORGANIZATION

This is the overall structure of communication and the order of its parts: opening, middle, closing.

Opening introduces the message: addresses the audience, provides background, states the main point

Middle develops the message: provides details, offers information, states the main point, answers questions, orders the support appropriately

Closing concludes the message: sums up the message, provides an important final thought, calls the reader to act, states the main point.

Patterns of organization: Details may be arranged in various patterns and transitions according to what best fits your content: time, location, classification, importance, deduction/induction, compare/contrast, cause/effect.

For most messages state the main point (situation), explain the main point, then call for action (lay out next steps): SEA – Situation, Explanation, Action

For bad news messages don’t start with the main point: use a buffer, i.e., a neutral statement that focuses on the positive. BEBE – Buffer, Explanation, Bad news (main point), Exit

For persuasive messages don’t start with the main point: build up to it by getting the reader’s attention, focusing on his or her needs. AIDA – Attention, Interest, Desire, Action (main point)

ORGANIZATION CHECKLIST

1. Does my message have an opening, a middle, and a closing?

2. Does my message use the best formula?

Most messages: SEA; Bad news: BEBE; Persuasion: AIDA

3. Does the opening grab attention and state my purpose?

4. Does the middle use a clear pattern of organization?

5. Do transitions help the reader follow my message?

6. Have I included lists as appropriate?

7. Does the ending focus on outcomes?

3. VOICE

This is the tone or feeling of the message. It reveals the personality, intelligence, and self-image of the writer, how the writer feels about the main point of the message, comfort level with the medium of the message, and relationship with the receiver.

Voice has three levels of formality: formal, semiformal, and informal. The level of voice should be chosen to match the situation.

Formal: serious, dignified, deliberate, and objective. Formal voice avoids contractions and uses few if any personal pronouns.

• Message: Official business, legal business, bad news

• Medium: Major document, formal letter, résumé, report, proposal, instructions, memo

• Receiver: Superiors, unfamiliar people outside the company

• Context: Serious situations

Semiformal: friendly, natural, personable, and conversational. Semiformal voice may use occasional contractions and some personal pronouns.

• Message: Everyday business, good news, persuasion

• Medium: Minor document, sales letter, e-mail, blog post, podcast, meeting minutes, forums

• Receiver: Subordinates, familiar people outside the company

• Context: Typical situations

Informal: uses frequent contractions and personal pronouns and may contain humor or slang; avoid in business writing.

• Message: Personal business, prewriting, thoughts

• Medium: Unofficial document, personal notes, list, sketch, text message, social media, chat room

• Receiver: Colleagues, close contacts outside the company

• Context: Social situations

VOICE CHECKLIST

Does the voice . . .

1. represent me well?

- professional and polished

- smart and committed

2. show my connection to the subject

- knowledgeable and clear

- positive and serious

3. show my purpose?

- informative or persuasive

- engaging

4. show mastery of the medium?

- natural and easy

- effective and accomplished

5. connect with the reader?

- polite and friendly

- formal or semiformal

6. fit the context?

- routine or unique

- public or confidential

7. Is the voice professional?

- positive

- confident

- constructive

- calm

4. WORDS

Be concise: the fewer words you can use to express an idea, the better. Choose your words carefully.

Choose the most precise word for each situation.

Verbs: Use active verbs for most subjects.

Use passive verbs for bad news or to direct attention away from the subject.

WORDS CHECKLIST

1. Have I used specific nouns, verbs, and adjectives?

2. Have I used active verbs to be direct and passive verbs to be indirect?

3. Have I used concise rather than wordy phrasing?

4. Have I avoided unprofessional expressions?

- rewording slang

- stating clichés in fresh language

- avoiding euphemisms

5. Do I use plain English?

- avoiding pompous language

6. Have I used fair, respectful language?

- respecting age, ability, gender, ethnicity

7. Have I used plain, clear wording for bilingual readers?

8. Have I cut unnecessary phrases and clauses?

- removing deadwood

9. Have I used correct terms, names, numbers, facts, and easily confused words?

10. Have I avoided humor or other nuanced and potentially misleading language?

5. SENTENCES

A sentence is a connection between a noun (the subject) and a verb (the predicate). The subject tells what the sentence is about, and the predicate tells what the subject is doing or being. All the other words in a sentence simply modify the subject or predicate.

Sentences have different basic functions:

· Statement: tells something about a person, place, a thing, or an idea

· Question: requests information from the reader or listener

· Command: tells people what to do, using the understood subject you

· Exclamation: expresses emotion or surprise

· Conditional: shows that one circumstance depends on another, using a word such as if, when, or unless

Sentences have four basic structures:

· Simple: An independent clause made up of a subject (singular or plural) and a predicate

· (a) The meeting ended. (b) Bob and Tom ate and drank all night.

· Compound: Two simple sentences joined by either a semicolon or a comma with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, not, for, so, yet)

· (a) We took the exam yesterday; we should get our grades today.

· (b) We took the exam yesterday, so we should get our grades today.

· Complex: Combines one simple sentence (independent clause) and one or more dependent clauses that begin with a subordinating conjunction (though, because, whenever, etc.) or a relative pronoun (who, which, that)

· Whenever we asked Edwina to stop singing, she just sang louder.

· Joe, who is Marie’s cousin, will be spending the summer in Greece.

· Compound Complex: Made up of two or more independent and one or more dependent clauses

· Although Mike was still eating his salad, Josie decided to start watch tv, and Mary joined her.

SENTENCE CHECKLIST

1. Do I use a variety of sentence functions?

- Statement, question, command, exclamation, conditional

2. Do I use a variety of sentence structures?

- Simple, compound, complex, compound complex

3. Do I use a variety of sentence beginnings?

- Subject, transition, phrase, clause

4. Have I combined choppy sentences?

5. Have I energized tired sentences?

6. Have I reworked rambling sentences?

7. Have I corrected fragments?

8. Do my sentences read smoothly overall?

6. CORRECTNESS

Business writing should incorporate the conventional use of punctuation, capitalization, spelling, words, grammar, and sentences.

CORRECTNESS CHECKLIST

1. Have I used end punctuation correctly?

2. Have I used commas in compound sentences?

3. Have I used commas after introductory phrases?

4. Have I used commas to set off nonessential words?

5. Have used commas between equal adjectives?

6. Have I capitalized first words?

7. Have I capitalized proper nouns (names) and proper adjectives?

8. Have I formed plurals by adding es to nouns ending in ch, s, sh, x, the silent e?

9. Have I followed the rules for doubling final consonants and using the silent e?

10. Have I checked the use of commonly confused words?

- bring, take

- fewer, less

- it’s, its

- lay, lie

- lend, borrow

- real, very, really

- than, then

- there, their, they’re

- to, too, two

- your, you’re

11. Do my subjects and verbs agree?

7. DESIGN

Your document design should 1) follow company standands, 2) make information accessibly, and 3) look inviting to the reader. Pay attention to page layout, typography, and format.

DESIGN CHECKLIST

1. Is my page layout balanced?

2. Have I used headings to break up text?

3. Do I use lists to help make points clear?

4. Do I effectively use white space (margins, space between paragraphs)?

5. Have I selected a readable typeface for the text?

6. Have I selected an appropriate page design?

7. Are graphics logically positioned?

8. Have I followed good page-layout principles?

9. Do I use tables to present raw data?

10. Do I use line graphs to show changes over time?

11. Do I use bar graphs to compare quantities over time?

12. Do I use pie charts to compare quantities over time?

13. Have I included appropriate maps?

14. Have I included helpful line drawings?

15. Have I provided photographs as needed?

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