introduction to unwriten laws of international correspondence

1. ‫ب‬‫الرحیم‬ ‫الرحمن‬ ‫اهلل‬ ‫سم‬
Besm-e Allah-e Al Rahman-e Al Rahim
In the name of Allah,
the most compassionate,
the most merciful
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2. LAWS OF INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE
WORKSHOP/SEMINAR
It’s the little things that count
By Saied Eshaghi
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Writing Effective
Business
Correspondence
By Saied Eshaghi

4. Business correspondence is an instrument of
decision making in the professional world.
Business correspondence is a link between
people.
It helps to reinforce professional exchange of
ideas, opinion, and information.

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“The transfer of thought from one person to another, (Ruch, 1984, p.3) is the backbone
of thriving businesses today. Whether internal or external, written or verbal, good, direct and
concise communication can ensure that the business runs smoothly, earns a professional
reputation among associates and builds a loyal client base.”
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Well-written piece of business correspondence, even though it might be a one-line email of
acknowledgement, proves that the enterprise the writer is associated with is a credible venture
where professional and dedicated, clear-thinking, helpful individuals work. It lends the
organization, as well as the individual, an air of competent professionalism – an image both the
organization and the individual stand to benefit from.
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Poorly-written piece of correspondence, replete with typing errors, grammatical mistakes and
stylistic slips, projects an equally opposite impression. It proves that the writer is either incompetent
or not sufficiently educated to conduct a decent correspondence with business associates or
clients. If a poorly-written letter is mailed to current or prospective client, it simply proves the
carelessness of the writer, which in turn reflects badly on the company itself.
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Characteristics of your writing Impression created
(a) desirable (a) favorable
clearly expressed clear thinking
spelling correct well educated
punctuation and grammar good competent
well presented well organized
helpful considerate
Barrass (2002, p.29) created a list of characteristics, favorable and unfavorable, displaying which might
lead the addressee to make certain assumptions about the writer:
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Characteristics of your writing Impression created
(b) undesirable (b) unfavorable
badly expressed inconsiderate
spelling poor lazy
punctuation and grammar poor careless
badly presented incompetent
unhelpful unfriendly
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10. Office communication includes face-to-face,
telephonic, letters, emails, and faxes from-
1. One agency to another
2. One department/division to another
3. Employees to the supervisor and vice versa
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11. Type of medium used would depend on
the situation, importance, and urgency.
Written communication, however, has
certain distinct advantages.
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12. Fitting the message to the
specific reader or organization
Communicating the purpose
of the correspondence clearly
Exhibiting professionalism in
business communications
Representing your agency
in the most positive way
Adaptation
to your
environment
and recipient
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13. CONCISE
COMPLETE
CONCRETE
CORRECT
COHERENT
CLEAR
COURTEOUS
SEVEN C’s of Effective Communication
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14. Business
Letters
Memoranda E-mails
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15. What is a Business Letter?
• Why write one?
• To whom is one written?
• What should be in one?
• What is proper format?
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16. THE IMPORTANCE OF LETTERS
• Letters represent your company’s public image and your
competence.
• Letters are more personal than a report, yet more formal
than memos or e-mail.
• Letters are more permanent than e-mail.
• Letters constitute an official legal record of an agreement .
• Letters provide a wide range of corporate information .
• Letters sell.
• Letters are efficient for targeted mass mailings.
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What are the types of business letters?
• Personal Business
– Not on Letterhead
– Contains your typed return address
• Formal Business
– Typed on Letterhead
– Letterhead
• Already contains your agency’s return address
• You don’t retype it

18. PURPOSE
• What do I want the reader to know?
• What kind of business letter am I writing?
– Letter of inquiry
– Letter of application
– Letter of complaint
– Letter of regret
– Thank you letter
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19. Why write Business Letters?
· To persuade
· To inform
· To request
· To express thanks
· To remind
· To recommend
· To apologize
· To congratulate
· To reject a proposal or offer
· To introduce a person or policy
· To invite or welcome
· To follow up
· To formalize decisions
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20. What are the required parts of a business letter?
• Heading
• Inside Address
• Salutation
• Body
• Complimentary Closing
• Signature
• Optional:
– Enclosure
– Typists Initials 20

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What’s in The Heading
(your information)
• Always includes the date
– As the last entry
• Personal Business Letter (no letterhead)
– Your return address
– May include phone number, fax number, e-mail
address
– Date
• Formal Business Letter (on letterhead)
– Date only

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What is the Inside Address
(addressee’s information)
• Person’s Name, Title
• Company/Agency Name/Department
• Company/Agency Address
(single spaced)

23. RULES OF THUMB…
 AVOID ABBREVIATIONS EXCEPT FOR STATES AND TITLES.
(Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc. – Phl, NJ)
 PLACE A SINGLE WORD TITLE AFTER THE NAME SEPARATED BY A COMMA.
Mr. Ronald F. Naguit, Director
 PLACE A LONGER TITLE ON A SEPARATE LINE.
Ms. Camilla D. Sanchez
Executive Director of Safety
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What is the Salutation?
(a greeting)
• Dear Mr. Peralta:
• Dear Dr. Guzman:
• Dear Ms. Nacion:
• Dear Sir:
• Dear Madam:
• Gentlemen:

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What is the Body?
(The actual letter)
• Brief and to the point!
– Strictly Business
• Guideline – 3 paragraphs
– Brief Introduction
– Content - What I want/ message
– Conclusion and thank you

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Complimentary Close
• Sincerely,
• Yours truly,
• Respectfully yours,

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Signature
• Your full name
– Mr. Alfred Guiang
• Your title and division(if appropriate)
– Information Officer
– PIA-NCR

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Optional Parts
• Enclosure
– If something else is in the letter or package
• P.S: additional information
• Cc: copies sent to other concerned persons

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What are acceptable formats
of a business letter?
• Unblocked
• Blocked
– All parts are Left Justified to the margin
• Modified Block
– All parts Left Justified
– Heading, Close, Signature at
tab position 3
– Indentation – choose either
• No paragraph indentation
• All paragraphs first line indent .5

30. Margins
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31. Heading
Date
Skip four lines.
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32. Inside
address
Double-spaced
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33. 4. Salutation/Greeting
Double space. 33

34. Body: State your
purpose for writing
this letter.
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35. You may or may not
have more than one
paragraph. If you
do, between each
paragraph, be sure
to double space.
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36. Closing:
Sincerely yours
Four spaces after the
closing
Then your name. In between
the closing and your name,
that is where you would sign
your name.
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37. Business
Letter in
Block Style
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38. Our main objective is to help you with reader - friendly material needed to gain
necessary knowledge on different types of Business Correspondence Communication Skills ,
applicable by the individual to understand and relate to different types of letters which are
‘written, sent and received’ in every business, company or organization.
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