Business etiquette in general is the order of conduct established in business communication. Business etiquette, in particular, manifests itself in the form of a presentation of the text of the letter, primarily in the formulas of appeal, the expression of requests, reminders, refusals, claims, in the methods of argumentation, the formulation of instructions, in the final words.
Appeal is an obligatory element of commercial correspondence. The appeal has now begun to be used in business letters, if the letter is addressed directly to the official. Common formulas of address are, for example, the following: Dear Sir (Madam), indicating the surname; Dear colleagues (when addressing a group of persons related by a common occupation); Dear Sergei Ivanovich (in letters of invitation, in appeals to famous people), etc.
In business correspondence, the pronouns “I”, “he” should be excluded, instead of them the pronouns “we”, “you” are used. It should be remembered that passive constructions are preferable to real ones: not “we will do it”, but “we will do it”; not “You offer”, but “You offered” ... etc.
Of great importance for the formation of a positive image of the organization is the observance of such a norm of business etiquette as the timely response to a request, a business proposal, etc. when you can give a final answer. Apologize for the delay: "We are sorry for the unexpected delay and the inconvenience caused to you."
If you were waiting for an answer and it is important to you, in the next letter to your partner, thank him for the answer. For example: "Thank you for your letter dated November 16 of this year with a request for ...".
If you have been approached with a request that you cannot fulfill, explain your refusal, recommend that the addressee contact another organization or you, but later. Don't resort to what's commonly known as a "back off".
In business correspondence, it is inappropriate to use pretentious, sugary expressions such as "Be so kind ...", "Do not refuse the courtesy to inform ...", etc.
If you need to remind the partner of the need to fulfill his obligations, formulate the reminder in a calm manner, without harsh expressions, for example: “We remind you that the deadline for fulfilling the contract dated 12/16/2002 No. 25/42 expires ...”. In response to a tough letter of complaint, also adhere to this norm: "We must apologize for the inconvenience caused to both you and your customers due to the late dispatch of the goods ...".
When preparing a response letter, pay attention to the design of the requisite "addressee". If the received letter was signed by the head, the answer should be addressed to his name, if another official - answer to his name.
A manifestation of etiquette is also the use of final politeness formulas. If the text of the letter begins with a formula for a personal appeal to the addressee, then at the end of the text, before the signature, there should be a final courtesy formula: “With respect ...”; in some cases - "Yours ...", "Sincerely yours ...".
Business correspondence is an integral part of the image of the company and business man. Establishing contact, maintaining connections, discussion business matters in writing, it is sometimes preferable, and often just necessary, so the image created in business correspondence must fully correspond to the external image that is formed by live communication. At the same time, in business correspondence, compliance with the rules and requirements is mandatory not only in general principles, but also in trifles and details.
Principles and etiquette of business correspondence
Etiquette business correspondence generally does not differ from general requirements business communication. Here are its main principles:
- courtesy, respect,
- clarity of purpose
- result-oriented and approachable,
- responsible attitude to other people's time and obligations,
- logical consistency and accuracy,
- factual specificity,
- literacy,
- neutrality of tone, strictness and formality of speech,
- observance of subordination and traditions.
These requirements are not original, but their fulfillment guarantees constructive interaction with partners and customers.
Letterhead and language formulas
Letterhead letterhead is the face of the company, so its mandatory attributes are literacy, accuracy of details, external accuracy and modest originality of design.
Whether it is an angular or longitudinal version of the form, the full name of the organization, postal, actual and official address, telephone, fax, email addresses and the address of the official e-page. The list of details is not strictly regulated, however, the completeness of the data always looks more advantageous.
For reference: Information about the registration of correspondence is also desirable - about the date, number in the list, about the specific contractor who prepared the document for sending. If this is a response letter, then a reference to the request letter is required.
In a business letter, an indication of the genre is also possible, which simplifies the design of correspondence: information mail, offer, request, petition, apology, condolence, gratitude.
Letter on official organization letterhead
The first part of the letter is an appeal, the formula of which contains the name and patronymic of the addressee or a more official version - the word "mister":
- Dear Fedor Fedorovich!
- Dear Mr. Smirnov!
- Dear Mr. Director!
The main part of the letter - informative - contains a short, understandable and capacious message and clear tasks: to provide information, clarify information, resolve the issue with supplies, and more. If the letter contains a refusal, then it is correct to start the first half with a clear and evidence-based justification. Language formulas can be different, depending on the chosen tone:
- The company asks to consider...
- The President and the Board of Directors are asked to be informed about ...
- Please consider the possibility...
- Please reply as soon as possible...
The final part of the letter is gratitude, apologies, assurances of a speedy resolution of the issue, hope for further cooperation.
Business letters require compliance with the official order: if the letter requires the signature of the head, then it must be signed by the head (in extreme cases, his deputy).
Networking business etiquette and business emails
E-mails, like paper letters, consist of several important elements that require competent filling not at all because of speculative rules, but precisely because these elements can be informative and very convenient from a utilitarian and practical point of view. A correct letter guarantees a correct and prompt response, as well as a constructive solution to the issue.
For reference: Companies often have their own mail servers and programs, and also develop a corporate design style email and internal rules of correspondence, which usually do not contradict the standard ones, but supplement them.
- Addressee: it is customary to specify one address in the addressee line.
This indicates not only respectful attitude to the interlocutor, but also save hime— mailfrom spam, junk mail and prying eyes.
- A copy of the addressee's letter is filled out for a specific purpose.
By sending a letter to the main addressee and indicating another in the "copy" section, the addressee informs the second interlocutor about what is happening, but does not require him to answer and directly participate in the correspondence.
- Subject of the letter: concreteness and uniqueness.
The ultimate specificity of the topic should help both the addressee and the addressee navigate the topic of the discussion and distinguish between many problems and tasks: not just “Report from Katya”, but “Report for May 2015. Draft version”. Please note: the name this case it is useless, since the addressee is already clear to the addressee from the name of the e-mail box.
Emails are equally easy to read on a desktop monitor and on a tablet - The body of the letter should contain 3 key elements.
First, a greeting (if this is the first letter of the day, for example) and an address (in each letter). Secondly, the presentation of the question: a presentation of oneself (if the letter is the first), a reminder of the tasks to be solved, a description of the problem or its solution. Thirdly, a request or a call to action.
- The email read notification feature requires delicacy.
It should be used if the letter is really important, but there is no way to ask about receiving it by phone, for example. This function usually imposes vague, vaguely formulated psychological obligations on the addressee, so it should not be abused. A correct and not so categorical option is a polite request at the end of the letter to report reading.
- The signature requires conciseness and at the same time capacity.
The wording may contain the standard formula "Sincerely yours" or be limited to the last name and first name. The signature, including the name, position, name of the organization and contact details, should not exceed 7 lines. It is advisable to indicate alternative contact details, in addition to mailbox: telephone,Skype, ICQ, other popular messengers.
- Attachments: the main thing is to warn and correctly name files.
Network etiquette requires reporting about the document in the file attached to the letter: about the format, its volume and content. Attachment should not be more than 3-5Mb. Its title, like the subject of the letter, should be extremely brief, specific and unique.
normal view email
The reaction time of a letter in netiquette is different from the time inoff— line. Two to three hours is a comfortable waiting time for a response to an urgent email. In response to emails that are urgent or marked important, it is sometimes sufficient to warn thate— mailreceived and taken into account. If the problem requires a long consideration, then the addresser needs to inform his interlocutor about the time it will take to answer the question.
For reference: One day is a comfortable time for responding to emails. If there is no answer within 3 days, the rules of etiquette allow you to send a second letter or contact the addressee using alternative source communications - telephone,Skype, ICQ. Silence for 5-7 days or in response to a second request can be regarded as unwillingness to continue business correspondence.
The reputation of a business person and a company is made up not only of the efficiency and effectiveness of the business, but also of the little things and nuances of any stage of doing business. business negotiations. Compliance with the principles of business correspondence is required from each representative of the company: from an insignificant clerk to a public relations specialist and the head of the company.
Video: How to write business letters clearly, clearly and understandably
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Rapid development business relations with other countries led to the need to get acquainted with the rules of business etiquette, which until recently have been given little time.
The word "etiquette" is borrowed from French, one of the meanings of the word "etiquette""inscription". Etiquette is called component external culture of man and society. It includes those requirements that take on the character of a more or less strictly regulated ceremonial and in compliance with which special meaning has a certain behavior.
It is impossible to imagine the activity of a business person without working with documents. Economists have calculated that some categories of employees of the administrative apparatus spend from 30 to 70% of their working time on compiling official documents and working with them.
There are people behind every document, it indirectly expresses the relationship between them, therefore it is no coincidence that in the field of business relations there are quite strict requirements for compiling official documents and conducting business correspondence, which are included in business etiquette.
From a correctly drawn up order, a correctly written letter, in many respects depend a good relationship in a team, with business partners and, ultimately, the success of the business.
One of the Western businessmen once remarked: “Everyone who is engaged in business must remember that the written word is your face and the face of your company. …Writing a letter or memo just as important as the calculation." Ron Tepper, author of the US-popular How to Master the Art of Business Writing, points out that good business papers are works of art. And masterpieces, as you know, are not created in a few minutes.
Authors of effective messages and business papers spend a lot of time preparing their documentation. People who are fluent in the style and art of business conversation often find themselves helpless in the face of the need to draw up a particular document. The reason for this is the formalization of service documentation, which requires conciseness, clarity, and monosyllabic language. Documents should not be overloaded with unnecessary words. speech turns and must comply with the etiquette of business correspondence.
Maximum information with a minimum of words is the basic rule for their compilation.
According to the rules of business communication adopted in the United States, a merchant writing a message to a client must necessarily use some personal moment: a football game, children, school, a mutual friend mentioned in the conversation. In our domestic business practice, such familiarity is considered unnecessary.
In the same time general principles business communication through documentation is practically uniform all over the world.
When writing a business letter, it is important to observe the following requirements:
The performer must clearly imagine the message that he wants to convey, or the question to which he wants to receive an answer, and know exactly how to express it in an understandable and concise form;
The text of the letter should be simple, specific, logical, without ambiguity, allowing for several interpretations so that the addressee can understand its content;
The letter is composed of only one question. The text of the letter is divided into paragraphs, each of which should address only one aspect of the issue;
The letter must be convincing, with sufficient reasoning;
The letter is written in a neutral tone of presentation, which does not allow for emotional and expressive coloring;
The volume of a business letter, as a rule, should not exceed two pages of typewritten text, however, the performer should in no case sacrifice politeness of tone for the sake of brevity;
A letter with spelling, syntax and stylistic errors makes a bad impression and irritates the addressee.
It should be borne in mind that the perception of a letter largely depends not only on the content, but also on the envelope, the letterhead of the company. Business letters are written on special forms that meet the standards and have an established set of required elements (details) arranged in a certain order.
1.1. Requirements for the execution of a business letter to foreign partners
1. It is customary to write business letters on printed letterheads of a company (organization, institution). The form contains the name and address of the sender. This information should be easy to read and at the same time be designed by a professional designer. The opinion of the recipient of the letter about your company depends, among other things, on appearance letterhead, level of printing performance, paper quality.
Details on the form intended for correspondence with foreign partners must be on English language(can be duplicated in the state). In addition to the full address of the company, telephone, telex and fax numbers must be indicated. Business letters should only be written on the front side, whether it be letterhead or a plain blank sheet.
2. If the letter takes more than one page, then at the end of it they write: "to be continued" ("continued over"). In international business practice, the text, as a rule, fits on one page.
3. For numbering use Arabic numerals, on the first page the number is not put.
The letter must be typed on a computer. The width of the field on the left side is at least two centimeters (in order to make it more convenient to hem). The text is printed in two or at least one and a half intervals. The paragraph starts with a red line - five intervals from the margin. It is customary to write an appeal to the addressee without a paragraph. Word wrapping should be avoided.
5. Corrections in the text of the letter, even the most accurate ones, are not allowed.
6. It is desirable that the letter in the envelope be folded no more than once (with the text inside). For especially important letters, an envelope of such a format is selected so that the sheet remains unfolded. On the envelope, you can place all the details available on the form, including the company logo. Large envelopes in which letters are sent unfolded should be made of thick paper so that their contents do not wrinkle during transmission.
7. Mourning envelopes (with black lining inside) should be used for their intended purpose.
8. It is customary to make resolutions on received correspondence only in pencil. If - in ink, then it should be written on a separate sheet, which is pinned to the letter.
9. A reply to a telegraphic inquiry must be given within three days. To the letter - before the expiration of 10 days. If it is not possible to give a detailed, comprehensive answer in time, then it should be reported within three days that the letter has been taken into account, and the final answer should be given no later than 30 days later.
Business conversation impossible to imagine without correspondence, since personal meeting to resolve issues of cooperation is not always possible. Most pressing business correspondence problems
Business communication cannot be imagined without correspondence, as a personal meeting to resolve issues of cooperation is not always possible. Business correspondence helps to solve most of the pressing problems in short time, but non-compliance with the rules of etiquette or an illogical construction of a letter can harm partnerships or alienate a potential customer. As in official negotiations, there are certain rules: writing style and communication style.
General rules for conducting business correspondence
1. Before writing a letter, decide on its characteristics:
type of letter (covering, guarantee, order, reminder, notice, etc.; presentation letter or suggesting a response);
the degree of accessibility for the addressee (whether you can state all the necessary points in one letter or you need a second, clarifying one);
urgency of delivery (if the letter is urgent, it is better to send it by registered mail or by e-mail).
2. Design a letter according to existing templates, based on its type, and also rely on GOST R 6.30-2003. “Unified Documentation Systems. Unified system of organizational and administrative documentation. Documentation requirements.
3. Any business letter has the following general structure:
- name of the sending organization;
- date of writing;
- recipient's address, indication of a specific correspondent;
- opening address;
- an indication of the subject and purpose of the letter;
- main text;
- conclusion (politeness formula);
- sender's signature;
- an indication of the application and distribution of copies (if any).
4. When preparing a business letter, use the text editor Microsoft Word:
use a headset Times New Roman, size 12-14 p., line spacing - 1-2 p.;
put down the page numbers of the letter at the bottom on the right side;
when printing text on A4 forms, use 1.5–2 line spacing, A5 format and less - one line spacing. Requisites are always typed through one line spacing.
5. If you are acting on behalf of an organization and intend to send a letter in hard copy, be sure to use letterhead, since its presence will be calling card your company. Treat the design of the official form with special care, this skill should be mandatory for any office employee.
6. For international correspondence, the letter must be written in the language of the addressee or in English(as the most common in business dealings).
7. Keep a proper, businesslike tone. Start your letter with an appeal, which, depending on the degree of your closeness with the correspondent, can begin both with the words “Dear + F.I.O.”, and “Dear + F.I.O.”. Remember, the words in the appeal or in the indication of the addressee should in no case be abbreviated (for example, “respected” as “respected” or “head of department” as “head of department”) - these are the rules of business etiquette. Always end your letter with thanks for your cooperation. The signature should be preceded by the phrase "Respectfully, ..." or "Sincerely, ...". Referring to "you" in official correspondence is unacceptable, even if you maintain friendly relations with the correspondent.
8. Carefully select vocabulary, avoid inaccuracies and ambiguous phrases, excessive use of professionalism. The letter must be understandable.
9. Divide the content of the letter into semantic paragraphs so that it is not cumbersome and difficult for the addressee to understand. Follow the rule: the first and last paragraphs should contain no more than four printed lines, and the rest no more than eight.
10. Respond to business emails according to accepted etiquette: to a written request - within 10 days after receipt; to letters sent by fax or e-mail - within 48 hours, excluding weekends.
Intraorganizational business correspondence
Business correspondence between employees of the company is more simplified in comparison with correspondence sent to a third party.
- be concise;
- be of a business nature;
- the date must be indicated in the letter;
- at the end of the letter there is a courtesy formula and a signature.
An example of intra-organizational business correspondence can be a letter of congratulations on behalf of a leader or team addressed to a hero of the day or an employee who has received a promotion.
When discussing projects in writing, only some of the mandatory elements of a business letter are usually used - an indication of the subject, an appeal, summary essence of the matter and the courtesy formula with a printed signature.
Remember that the form of the letter and the required template must be chosen based on the level of business correspondence and the type of information that you want to provide to the addressee.
In letters smart person reflects the nature of those to whom they are addressed.
[Lichtenberg Georg Christoph]
Write letters that you would like to receive.
[Antique aphorism]
Writing is a powerful argument in the business world.
[Bekhtereva Victoria]
1. Why have uniform corporate standards in business correspondence?
E-mail is a mandatory attribute of business communication for any company. There are practically no companies that do not use e-mail. But ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you ever feel like you're sending an email to a black hole when you send an email to a colleague and you might not get a response?
- When employees call each other and ask to read an urgent email, and this happens all day
- When you absolutely cannot understand what exactly they want from you in an email
- When complex and difficult issues, when discussed by e-mail, are drowned in a sea of information, details, and the issue is not resolved
If these questions are relevant to you, then you can save a lot of time every day by introducing uniform rules for electronic correspondence. In this article, we will talk about the etiquette of business correspondence.
2. Seven main rules of business correspondence ethics
We conditionally separate the rules of business correspondence on the rules of ethics and rules of communication and information exchange.
Communication rules are governed by the rules for exchanging information within business processes and projects. We will devote a separate article to them. The rules of ethics form the style internal relations employees of the company and inevitably influence the formation of the image of your company among partners. For example, I recently received a letter from one of our partners beginning with the words, "Good afternoon, Bekhterev." What do you think about our cooperation?
In order not to “lose face” of the company while conducting business correspondence, it is necessary to follow the “golden rules” of the ethics of business correspondence:
- We always start a letter with an appeal
- The subject line of the email must be
- Before sending it is necessary to check spelling, punctuation, speech errors
- The letter must be structured (NO water!)
- The letter must contain the correct wording
- If we send attachments in a letter, then we will definitely write that there are attached files (this move will help to avoid situations when you send a letter and the file is not attached; the recipient, having read the letter and not finding the attached document, can quickly respond and write to you that the attached documents that you indicated in the letter are missing).
- We never delete messages. One of the most important points. The message history should never be deleted, since a letter is a document. If necessary, you should always be able to raise the history of correspondence. Radislav Gandapas, for example, even included a request not to delete the history of correspondence in his signature.
3. Types of letters
There are many various classifications, we propose to distinguish letters according to the design structure:
- Letter of communication (letter of refusal, letter of claim, letter of recognition, letter of justification, etc.)
- Letter of agreement
Letter-communication
In this type of letter, we include all types of letters that the employee uses in the course of his professional activities.
Letter structure
The letter should not be formatted in a single text. It should be clearly structured and well-formed so that the recipient does not lose sight of important information. The structure of the letter consists of clear components:
Letter subject
The subject of the letter should contain the specific action that you expect from the respondent: “negotiate a contract”, “propose issues for consideration”, “send a report”, etc.
If you are sending documents, then the subject line should contain a clear wording of the documents contained in the letter attachment.
Why is it important to write the right subject line?
By the subject of the letter, it is very easy to find the necessary letter in the daily flow of information. No letter will be lost.
Note: if you send a letter within the company, then the subject of the letter is formatted according to a given standard; if you send a letter outside the company, then it is advisable to format the subject according to the template: Company name: purpose of the letter.
The more constructive in the body of the letter, the better! One of the key skills in business correspondence that you should develop in your employees is the ability to clearly and concisely articulate your thoughts.
P.S. If we, when composing a letter, mention a fact from the letter of the interlocutor, it must be quoted, separating it with color or font.
Corporate Signature
The corporate signature design template must be the same for all employees of the company.
The signature should contain all the key details of the addressee so that, if necessary, the recipient of the letter can easily contact you.
Sincerely,
Full name, position.
P.S. If we want a warm relationship with a partner / client, then it is worth issuing a personal signature. Any person is pleased to receive a letter with a personal attitude, even in formal correspondence.
The personal signature always refers to the body of the letter. Example: Have a good day/ Thank you / It was a pleasure to talk today / Thank you for taking the time for such an important issue / Greetings to family and children, etc.
To/Cc
We fill in the "To" and "Cc" fields last so as not to accidentally send the letter when it is not yet ready.
What is the difference between the "To" and "Cc" fields?
In the "To" field, we insert the address of the person from whom we want to perform some action.
In the "Copy" field, we insert the address of a person who would benefit from reading the contents of the letter.
P.S. Our experience has proven that the "Copy" field is very useful. If we are negotiating with an ordinary employee, we discuss important questions, but we do not receive answers on the merits and on time, then it is worth inserting a letter from the director or a higher manager into a copy, as soon as the correspondence begins constructively.
Unfortunately, in many companies the level corporate culture not at the proper level, as a result of which there are situations when, in order for an employee to do his job well, strict control by the management team is necessary.
Also in Outlook there is a function like "Bcc" - an important tool that allows you to inform interested parties about the letter, but at the same time not to embarrass the recipient that the letter is not addressed to him alone!
Letter of agreement
An important type of letter that allows you to summarize the results of the meeting, in writing to form agreements, designate a time frame for completion and make it clear: did both parties understand correctly what they must do?
It is useful to write such letters after a meeting, negotiations and meetings in order to have written agreements and a common vision of their implementation.
Letter structure:
- Greetings, appeal and gratitude to the participants of the discussion.
- Repetition of the purpose of the meeting at which the agreements were formed.
- A listing of all the issues that were discussed, in conjunction with the decisions made on them and the appointment of a person responsible for execution.
- Fixing ideas that do not require urgent implementation for history.
- Question to the recipients: Is everything taken into account? Are there any comments or additions?
For example:
Letter design
Font
The font of the letter should be uniform, italics can be used to highlight key points in the text, headings, but it is imperative to adhere to a single design style.
P.S. You should always remember that words written in capital letters are perceived as a rise in tone. They should be avoided.
Paragraph
It is desirable to arrange each separate thought in a separate paragraph so that the text is easier to perceive.
Indentation
Paragraphs should not merge with each other. To make the letter more readable, indentation should be after the salutation, before each paragraph and before the signature:
To make the letter look more attractive visually, it is better to format the links in the body of the letter as hyperlinks:
Writing style
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