Without business correspondence in business anywhere. It doesn't matter if you are writing on behalf of a company, or on behalf of yourself as a private entrepreneur - business correspondence will always play important role. More specifically, how you abide by its rules. Your potential business partners or clients will judge you a lot by how you communicate with them. A business letter is, one might say, the “face” of a businessman. And in order not to lose this “face”, it is important to know about the golden rules of business correspondence.
Business Email Rules
Since now e-mail is used much more often than regular mail, we decided to pay attention to how to properly conduct business correspondence in the network. Here are a few recommendations for you, the observance of which will not allow you to lose face in front of your interlocutor.
Mailbox name
The first thing that catches our eye when we open a new email is the address it was sent from. Many underestimate the importance of this moment and send business emails from their personal email accounts. There is nothing wrong with this if the email address contains only your name in a human-readable format. But if there are various nicknames like “kissa1988” or “pupsik-26”, then sending a business letter from such a mailbox is simply unacceptable. Imagine what emotions a person will have when he receives a business proposal from a "baby" or "sun".
Also, in business correspondence, mailing addresses that begin with [email protected], [email protected] etc. Such addresses are simply not taken seriously, and there is a high probability that the letter will not even be opened. Most the best way is to conduct business correspondence with mailbox [email protected], where name is your first and last name, company is the name of the company.
Recipients
In email correspondence, it is possible to send a letter to a direct recipient and put other recipients in a copy. It is assumed that the recipients in the copy of the letter should not respond to it. They are like invited observers. Therefore, in advance, before sending a letter, determine from whom exactly you want to receive a response to the letter, and correctly arrange the recipients. However, if possible, do not put several people in the direct recipients of letters. It may happen that none of them will answer you if everyone mentally decides to “shift” this responsibility to another addressee.
If you yourself ended up in a copy of a business letter, then, as you already understood, the sender is not waiting for your answer. But if it became necessary to answer specifically to you, then you can do this, but it would be polite to apologize at the beginning of the letter for “interfering”.
Letter design
Formal business style. In business correspondence, of course, is used official style letters. This style is characterized by the absence of descriptive adjectives, unnecessary clarifications and details. Only specifics, clarity and logic. After writing a business letter, it is useful to read it again and remove all phrases that do not carry a special semantic load and do not change the essence of what was written. Only when you are convinced that all such words and phrases are removed, then you can say that this rule for writing a business letter has been observed.
Literacy. Saying that a business letter must be written correctly and without errors is like saying "a snowman must be made of snow." However, it is impossible not to mention this rule. Literacy is a fundamental element of any writing. A person who writes a business letter with spelling errors is unlikely to be taken seriously by anyone.
Topic of the letter. It is a must to write it. Moreover, try to write it briefly, but succinctly - so that at one glance it becomes immediately clear to the recipient what the letter will be about. In no case should the topic consist of one word. "Information", "Question", etc. - Wrong business email subject lines. "Trade offer from company X" is the right topic. If the information in your letter is particularly important, then you can mark it with a special “importance” flag, which is available in almost all e-mail services.
Font. The text of the letter should be, first of all, readable. Therefore, use the font Arial or Times New Roman, choose an average size (for example, in mail.ru mail, the optimal font size is 3). Don't experiment with fonts or colors. In business correspondence, this is inappropriate. Don't use caps lock, exclamation marks, etc. Special symbols(including emoticons). The only thing that is allowed is the selection of some phrases in italics or bold. But try to use this only when absolutely necessary.
For ease of reading and a better message, you can use subheadings in the text of the letter. But there should not be too many of them - no more than 3-4.
One paragraph of the letter should not be stretched for more than 4 lines of text. When we read very long paragraphs, the text merges and the main idea can be lost.
Any transfers and lists should be made out with the help of special markers.
Corporate template. It will be great if you develop a corporate email template in your corporate style. And you will send all business letters only with this template. This will allow you to stand out from the rest, but maintain the formality required by a business letter. However, you should not overdo it with "branding" - excessive creativity will only harm the letter. After all, we are talking about business communication, not entertainment. Do not forget also that recipients can read your letters not only on a computer, but also on mobile devices. Therefore, the template must be optimized for different screen resolutions.
There should be only one informational reason in one letter. And accordingly, only one target action should be implied from the recipient. It is considered incorrect to contain several questions, suggestions or requests to the recipient in one letter at once.
Any business letter should be divided into the following parts:
- introduction;
- main part;
- conclusion.
In the introduction, briefly state the purpose of the letter and the reasons for writing it. The main part is the very essence of the letter. In conclusion, you need to summarize the above - these can be conclusions, requests, instructions, suggestions, and so on. It is highly undesirable to use any "postscripts" in business correspondence. The letter should not contain aphorisms, metaphors, proverbs, and so on.
If you need to submit a graphic image in the letter, then do not insert it into the text of the letter itself, but attach it as a separate file. Images may not display correctly on different devices or be completely disabled in the interface mail program recipient. In the text of the letter, where necessary, simply indicate "the information is in the attached file." If there are several such files, be sure to write their names.
If you use abbreviations and abbreviations, you must be 100% sure that the recipient will understand what you mean. In general, it is better to play it safe and not use such things.
Lack of emotion. Business letters should not contain any emotional coloring. At all. Even if you write a complaint and you really want to show the fullness of your indignation, or, on the contrary, you sincerely thank your partner for a successful deal. A business letter should be restrained and even somewhat cold-blooded. Each person appreciates his individuality, but business correspondence is not The best way to manifest it. A formal letter from a cheerful or sad person, a janitor or CEO should be the same.
Use of business vocabulary. To link sentences in business correspondence, the following are used: set expressions:
1) for that reason;
2) on the basis of what;
3) due to (something);
4) in accordance with;
5) based on;
6) considering;
7) considering;
what served.
Etc. Also in business letters it is allowed to use abbreviations and abbreviations that are generally accepted in the industry within which the letter is written. If you doubt whether the recipient will understand a specific abbreviation, then it is better to write the phrase in full.
Greetings. Please don't ever use the cliché "Good day". This, one might say, is a bad form not only of business correspondence, but also of e-mails in principle. The best option greetings - "Hello, Name / Name Patronymic." By the way, it is good to address the recipient of the letter by name, not only in the greeting, but also further along the text. If you are writing a letter to a person you do not personally know, you must indicate at the very beginning of the letter where you got the recipient's address from.
Letter size. A business letter is not piece of art and not your personal thoughts "on the subject." The letter should be as short as possible in order to convey the fullness of the information in it. It is optimal if the text of the letter fits into one "screen". Reading long letters is tiring, and it annoys many people.
Responses to letters. When you reply to an email you receive, always click the "Reply" button, not the "Compose email" button. With the first option, the entire history of correspondence will automatically be pulled up in your answer. This is correct, because a person may not immediately remember who you are and what you want from him if he does not see the background. Especially if after last letter It's been over 5 days now. You can absolutely safely quote your interlocutor while answering his letter. This will give him the opportunity to remember what was discussed in the previous letter.
Always thank the interlocutor where it is appropriate. For example, you can write "Vladimir, thank you for your letter" or "Irina Alekseevna, thank you for such a quick response." Such nuances will show your respect for the interlocutor and soften the mood of electronic communication.
If the interlocutor sent you a letter in which he expressed his dissatisfaction or even frankly rude to you, try not to answer him in the same way, no matter how much you would like to. Situations vary, but always respond politely and with restraint.
Of course, the sooner you respond to the letter, the better. Great if you can answer within a few hours. This time frame is optimal. But let's say the answer is within a few days. Psychologists say that the most comfortable time for a person to wait for a response to an email is 48 hours, that is, two days. If you have to wait longer, then this may already be perceived as disrespectful or ignored. If the issue that is raised in the letter requires more time for you to respond, then be sure to write that you received the letter, accepted it for consideration and will respond within a certain time. So the sender at least, will not feel ignored.
Conclusion of the letter. You should not write phrases at the end of the letter that can be perceived as an attempt to manipulate: “I really hope for beneficial cooperation"," Thanks in advance for your answer "and so on. It is better to say goodbye in electronic business correspondence with the phrases “Respectfully”, “My sincere wishes" etc. Yes, such phrases are stereotyped, but they are the best suited for business communication. In the signature, write your name, surname, position and company name. Also leave contacts by which you can be contacted, except for email.
The time the letter was sent. Of course, e-mails are not meant to be read as soon as they are received. However, in the business ethics of e-mail, it is considered incorrect to send letters on weekends and holidays and also late in the evening or at night. Try to stick to standard business hours.
And of course, before clicking the "send" button, carefully check the spelling of the recipient's name and his email address, and also reread the entire text of the letter and check it for typos or incorrect phrases.
Plan. 1. Introduction2. rules of ethics 3. basics of business correspondence etiquette4. conclusion5. bibliography Introduction.
The etiquette of conversation refers, in its essence, to ethics - the science of morality and morality. In modern world when in business, everyday life, government circles, in production, in international relations, conflicts arise, increasingly their resolution is carried out through a business conversation, negotiations. The essence of conflicts, the causes of their occurrence in business areas and ways to resolve conflicts belong to the science of management - management. Managers even classified conflicts: "conflicts of purpose, conflicts of knowledge, sensory conflict (emotions)" and developed methods for resolving them. Negotiation methods are the basis for resolving disagreements and conflicts, which are strategically divided into three types: soft, hard and principled. The soft method consists in a strategy of concessions, the hard one is in a contest of wills, the principled method combines both and solves problems in their essence, making it possible to achieve the goal within the limits of decency. Many factors influence the results of negotiations, as well as disputes: perception, emotions, positions different sides and others. To resolve various disputes, it is very important to clarify the way of thinking, the thinking of opponents, which is very conducive to successful negotiation. An important point in negotiating is also emotions that need to be suppressed by the so-called "steam release" method, which allows you to get rid of feelings of anger and fear that arise in disputes. . In addition, a hostile situation is removed by apologies, expressions of regret, handshakes, inexpensive gifts. The behavior of principled negotiation involves two questions: how to develop objective criteria? How to apply them in disputes. Objective criteria should be legal and practical, regardless of the wishes of the parties.
Ethics is a philosophical discipline, the object of study of which is morality. Morality is the most important component of culture, one of the main ways to regulate human behavior. Therefore, according to many thinkers, ethics is the most important part of philosophy. She considers those moral problems that inevitably arise before every person: what is the meaning of life and death; what is the essence of good and evil and what are the criteria for their differentiation; how to deal with suffering; is it possible to combine the fulfillment of moral duty and the achievement of happiness; how to evaluate the actions of people - by intentions or by results; what are the criteria for fairness; what is the place of love in human life; why altruism is preferable to selfishness; whether good and useful are compatible, etc.
Ethics not only describes the real existing relationship between people, but also seeks to create an ideal of these relations, i.e. not only analyzes what exists, but also outlines the outlines of what should be. Ethical ideas are the realization of a person's need for ideals and values.
Ethics strives for a rational justification of moral values, although their rationalization inevitably encounters difficulties, since these values are associated not only with the mind of a person, but also with his feelings, beliefs, and moral faith. Each historical era, each thinker enriches ethical questions with his spiritual searches, his experience, reveals their new aspects. Therefore, it is necessary to study ethics through consideration of diverse theoretical and life positions. Having touched upon the problems of ethics, we get acquainted with ethical standard, that is, the postulates professional ethics entrepreneur. Such postulates form the basis of what can be defined as the ethical code of the entrepreneur.
Civilized Entrepreneur:
I am convinced that my work is useful not only for myself, but also for others, for society, for the state;
He proceeds from the fact that the people around him want and know how to work, strive to realize themselves together with the entrepreneur;
Believes in business, regards it as attractive creativity, treats
to business as to art;
Recognizes the need for competition, but also understands the need for cooperation;
Respects himself as a person, and any person - as himself;
Respects any property state power, social movements, social order, laws;
Trusts himself, but also others, respects professionalism and competence;
Appreciates education, science and technology, computer science, culture, respects the environment;
Strives for innovation;
Is a humanist.
Forming ourselves as an entrepreneur, we must be clearly aware that such behavioral traits as politeness, tact, delicacy are absolutely necessary not only for “the ability to behave in society”, but also for ordinary everyday life. We must not forget about the culture of communication, a sense of proportion, goodwill, you need to fully manage your emotions and stress. To have one's own, but certainly a civilized style of behavior, one's own, but certainly a noble image. The very image of an entrepreneur, which guarantees us not only half of the success, but also constant satisfaction from the activity.
IN modern life there is a tendency to simplify the forms that oblige in relations with people. It also manifests itself in relation to clothing, however, there are certain rules.
Specificity entrepreneurial activity makes very serious demands on appearance its members. A businessman must always be neat: a poorly tied tie or uncleaned shoes is evidence of undemanding to oneself or indifference to others, absent-mindedness and lack of concentration. Carefully selected clothing corresponding to the time of day testifies to the love of order and aesthetics, gives good health, is a sign of taste, elegance, as well as respect for the people among whom we are.
Wanting to dress with taste, we adhere to certain principles:
1. All parts of the wardrobe should always be clean, ironed, in perfect order.
2. When choosing clothes, we take into account height, figure, skin color, hair, eyes. Don't buy clothes just because they're trendy.
3. Every situation requires appropriate clothing.
4. Don't wear clothes bright colors or too colorful patterns. For the leader, conservatism in clothing is preferable: suits in soothing colors and classic styles, plain light shirts, carefully selected ties and no jewelry.
5. Do not place a pen, pencil, eyeglasses, comb, or other items in the outer pockets.
Formal receptions require certain attire, as indicated in the invitation: - full dress, tailcoat, tuxedo or casual suit. A suit worn on formal occasions should not be sporty, but a jacket and trousers different color. Women for lunch, dinner, evening reception evening toilet is recommended.
When driving a car, remember not only the rules traffic but also about the passengers. It is not necessary to entertain them, but it is necessary to take care of their comfort. Drive calmly and smoothly, do not comment on the behavior of other drivers and pedestrians.
You need to watch your gait: you should walk firmly, straight, not waddling and not bending, with dignity.
Wean yourself from bad habits: you should not sit “lounging” in an armchair, swing on a chair, sit on its very edge, cross your legs, wiggle your leg while talking, etc.
Keep your hands under control - gestures should be restrained and appropriate. Do not touch the interlocutor with your hands - this can be extremely unpleasant for him.
Never forget that your appearance and manners are always noticed. World history testifies that in the organization of people personal charm is miraculous. Many "earn" personal charm as participants in the controversy. Today is the time for verbal battles. Their winners, as a rule, cause sympathy and delight. In the discussion, the holistic image of the speaker is especially significant. The clearer it is, the more active is the process of its third-party perception.
Have a sense of proportion - any deviations annoy others and work against you. Do not be too lively, noisy, passionate, just as do not be too sluggish, quiet and indifferent.
Be sure to follow the impression that you make on others, but not for the sake of narcissism, but for self-correction. And most importantly, you need to remember a few rules to be thought of as a person - a model in business and just in life.
1. Remember that a high-class entrepreneur is able to turn harmful into useful.
2. Develop the habit of seeing everything you encounter for its benefit to your cause.
3. Keep promises on time. If you couldn’t do it, don’t make excuses, determine new term and keep your word, albeit belatedly.
4. Be attentive and objective to "useless" offers
5. Reject unnecessary offers, but tactfully and politely.
6. Being self-confident, avoid being overconfident.
7. Do not shift the responsibility for making the right decision to subordinates if this is not within their competence or they have not received the appropriate task from you.
8. Remember that nothing compromises an entrepreneur more than his confusion.
9. To effectively subordinate, know how to obey at least the circumstances.
10. Never forget that your opinion or position is not always good, there are others.
11. Do not leave without a thorough analysis of any case of failure, miss.
12. Do not forget that the knowledge of the personal motives of people is one of the most important foundations for effective interaction with subordinates.
13. In communicating with people, learn to understand what is not said.
14. Be guided in your work by three "not": do not get annoyed, do not get lost, do not spray.
15. Supreme form disrespect for partners and subordinates - to delay the start of work due to being late or unprepared for the event.
It has long been no secret to anyone that speech is divided into slang and literary - correct. It is quite logical that the correct speech should be not only oral, but also written. Every intelligent person needs to master the culture of literate writing. And even more so for those who actively communicate on business through correspondence. What are the letters?
What is etiquette
Before talking about a business letter, you must first remember what etiquette is. This is an established order of behavior in society, a set of manners and rules of the so-called good manners, which every intelligent, well-mannered person must observe, so as not to be branded as uncultured. These historically established rules are an integral part of the life of society.
Written speech culture: general characteristics
Of course, this applies not only to business writing. There are many types and ways of written communication. They are all different, each has its own characteristics, but there are also common features. Among them are the following:
- reliance on normalized book language with the assumption of non-bookish vocabulary;
- use of complex syntactic constructions;
- fixed word order in a sentence;
- a clear structure of the text;
- high literacy.
business letter etiquette
When might we be required to write a business letter? Of course, if we do business with organizations and/or individuals. What we write to our partners, colleagues, clients, how we arrange our letter, will become the face of our company and present us either in a favorable light, or in a not so good one. Unless, of course, we are not competent in drafting etiquette business letters. In order not to lose face, you need to learn the wisdom below. By the way, having such knowledge is also useful because the slightest mistake, a tiny discrepancy with the rules, can turn a business letter into a legally incompetent one.
Specifics of business relations
Before talking directly about letters, you should understand how they generally differ business relationship what characterizes them, what are their features. The main feature of relationships at work is the absence (either complete or almost complete) in these very relationships of a personal nuance. As a rule, at work, each of us is extremely collected, calm, polite - hardly anyone will dance with a tambourine, for example, or do other things that are quite logical in the company of friends, but rather ridiculous for a work environment. By the way, this applies not only to actions, but also to emotions - you can allow yourself to laugh or smile, or even a slight manifestation of anger, but Homeric laughter, tantrums, tears, and the like look rather inappropriate (all this applies exclusively to emotions at work). At work, we usually wear masks, demonstrating skill, restraint and composure.
Business communication cannot be ended when you want it. A business partner or client will not understand if in the middle important meeting we suddenly get up and leave the audience. It is impossible to ignore the interlocutor, it is impossible not to answer calls or letters. All these features together help to better understand how it should be speech etiquette business letter.
General requirements
The first thing we notice when we receive a letter is the paper. According to the requirements of business letter etiquette, the paper for it should always be crystal clear and in no case wrinkled. The recipients of the message will have a better impression of the organization if the letter is written on letterhead with the company logo. The first page is not numbered, all the rest are affixed with Arabic numerals.
There is another very important point in the etiquette of business correspondence. Business assumes high literacy and the absence of spelling errors. Therefore, in the event that there are gaps in the knowledge of Russian grammar, it is recommended not to rush to send correspondence, but to double-check it for possible shortcomings.
Also a general recommendation for both paper and email is a wish not to use in one's own writing complex structures- this is appropriate only in legal documents. Abbreviations should not be used - only generally accepted ones. But the norm of business etiquette includes a variety of stamps and slang - professional jargon. The entire document is maintained in an official business style.
Another important point that is read from the letter: it should be as polite and friendly as possible. There can be no talk of any tactlessness, rudeness. In addition, a business letter requires specifics, a clear presentation of one's thoughts.
If the addressee of the letter does not speak Russian, the text of the message should be written in his language, or in international English. By the way, such a document should be written only on one side of the sheet, the second must remain clean.
When preparing documents, you need to ensure that there are no transfers. The text itself must be typed at one and a half to two intervals, with a margin of two centimeters on the left.
Nuances
A business letter has its own clear, special structure. At the same time, there is no single standard for paper documents: different companies may have their own variations. They adhere only to a certain composition of the parts of the letter: they must certainly contain a "cap", a greeting, a main part and a farewell. Do not forget about the personal signature at the end of the letter.
By the way, the so-called framing of the message - the initial and final phrases - are called the etiquette frame. It is she who helps to establish with the addressee right relationship. In addition, the rules of etiquette for business letters and examples of their writing demonstrate the use of various speech clichés in messages (they will be discussed later).
An important nuance the design of a business letter remains a correctly used appeal. Before the revolution in our country, the appeal "sir" or "madame" was in use: it was considered universal, so they called anyone. Now there is no such universal appeal, although the word "mister" or "madam" is often found in business letters - which has lost its popularity earlier, it is gradually returning to everyday life. You can address this way to a business partner, an official, but not to a client or colleague.
The most common and universal is currently considered the appeal "Dear" or "Dear Sir", but in fact it is not. In a similar way, for example, you can not turn to the so-called VIPs - especially important people, which are considered governors, mayors, presidents. IN this case you will need to start your letter with the appeal "Dear" (another option is "Highly respected").
If the message is addressed to several people at once, and they are all representatives of the same profession, it would be appropriate to use such an address as "Dear Colleagues" (if all the addressees are women, it is allowed to write "Dear Ladies", if men - then "Dear gentlemen"). If the letter is addressed to one person, it is strictly forbidden not to use a nominal or surname address. This is permissible only in the above case (when the addressee is a group of persons) or when interacting with a legal entity.
As for the end of the message, it must be remembered that it is no less significant than the beginning. It is at the end of the letter that confidence is expressed in a successful and / or speedy resolution of the issue, and the like. Here, one should also not point out the difficulties that have taken place before - for example, the delay in answering or not receiving one at all. These phrases are considered negative signs etiquette of business letters and are considered as unwillingness to continue the relationship, as well as disrespect for the interlocutor. It is important to understand that this is unacceptable.
Email: business etiquette
Second possible variant correspondence - by e-mail. Here, too, there are a number of features. So, for example, if the addressee receives the message for the first time, then it is necessary to start it with a presentation of your own company, a description of your activities, with possible tasks that are supposed to be performed. With a long correspondence, you need to save the history of past letters, on the basis of which each next message is built.
The first letter must contain a greeting and an appeal. In subsequent, if you need a quick response, you can omit the appeal (if appropriate). In Internet communication, many do not consider it necessary to put punctuation marks, and also write without capital letters. In business e-mail etiquette, this is unacceptable.
The size of an e-mail should not be too large - as a rule, it is half the size of a paper counterpart. In the same case, if it is required to inform the addressee of a large amount of information, only a brief accompanying note must be indicated in the body of the letter, and the material itself must be attached as an attachment with a Word or any other file - this is required by the etiquette of a business letter by e-mail. An example of such a message might be: “Good afternoon, dear Mr. Ivanov! We send you samples of our advertising booklets. You can see them in the attachment…”.
As for the signature, it must be. You can sign at the end of each letter, or you can make an automatic signature that will be affixed automatically. This option is often used by representatives of large companies. The signature must indicate your name, surname, position, contact information, place of work. It must be designed in such a way that it fits into seventy characters and takes no more than five to six lines.
It is necessary to say a few words about the answer to the message. Business e-mail etiquette involves receiving a response to the message within two days - no more. If more time is required, the interlocutor should be notified of this. The response to all messages maintains the reputation of the company or entrepreneur. In order to know exactly whether the letter has reached the addressee, you can use the notification of receipt function - a confirmation of delivery will come automatically. In addition, it is not forbidden to make a control call.
Speech formulas, or cliches
Cliche, speech formulas, speech stamps - whatever you say, it will still be an integral part of business correspondence. From the school course, we remember that clichés are called set expressions. There are not so many of them:
- Regret can be expressed using the following phrases: “Unfortunately, we are not able to agree ...”, “We regret to inform ...”, “Unfortunately, we are forced to inform ...”, and so on.
- Gratitude is indicated by such clichés as: "Let me express my gratitude ...", "Thank you ...", "Considering your contribution ...".
- You can invite an addressee to a particular event using stamps: “We have the honor to invite you ...”, “We hope for your consent ...”, “We are pleased to invite you ...”, “We will be glad to see you ...” and the like.
- You can complete the letter with the phrases: “We are waiting for new ideas from you…”, “We wish you success…”, “We hope for further fruitful cooperation…”.
Golden Rules for Business Correspondence
Common business writing mistakes
There are several seemingly trifles that, nevertheless, can become fatal in the case of business communication. Often, it is these little things that lead to the termination of mutually beneficial relationships, the termination of transactions, and similar unpleasant things. You need to know the enemy in person!
- You can’t write (and call too!) About work after hours! How often we, not wanting to wait until the morning, disturb our partners, clients, colleagues at nine, ten, or even eleven in the evening. It seems to us that overnight everything will disappear, collapse, collapse, and it will no longer be possible to save the situation. And those rare specimens who are able to hold out until the morning, for some reason, believe that six in the morning is the time to communicate. After all, if I do not sleep, then no one sleeps. Alas, such behavior only irritates and sets us against ourselves.
- This has already been indirectly mentioned, but nevertheless - there can be no familiarity! Communication at work takes place exclusively on “You” (with a capital letter, this means politeness and respect).
- Excessive exchange of pleasantries can also hurt. Firstly, it takes up valuable time, and secondly, it looks a little annoying and boring. No need to be zealous.
In our time, there is so much literature that sometimes eyes run wide. There are also enough books on the culture of speech, including writing.
Those who wish to savvy in this area can be advised the following works: "Etiquette of business writing" by Oleg Davtyan, "Culture of written speech" by Tatyana Degtereva, "Etiquette of Russian writing" by Natalia Formanovskaya and Alla Akishina, "Business etiquette" by Elena Ber, "Russian speech etiquette" by Natalia Formanovskaya and many others.
- Business letter etiquette requires the use of exclamation point at the end of an address in order to emphasize the issue or person.
- A nominal address to the addressee shows closer and long-established relations, and a surname emphasizes the distance.
- The etiquette of business letters in Russia is characterized by gender leveling, since most professions are often only masculine.
It is not so difficult to follow the rules of business correspondence, because there are not so many of them. Memorizing them is a small science. But in the eyes of others, a person who owns the etiquette of business letters will always be well-mannered and cultured, someone with whom it is pleasant to deal.
We all had to receive or write and send business letters ourselves. They are called business because they are written or sent strictly on business. The most businesslike were the British. It was they who, a century and a half ago, were the first to send business letters in the form that we see today. The British have worked hard on the rules for compiling such letters and the etiquette of business correspondence. This can be judged only because these rules are used by business and not very people to this day.
I'm not sure - such data probably does not exist - but it seems to me that many great deals and proposals did not come to an effective final just because the business proposal letter was incorrectly formatted. I can say for sure - my boss will not even delve into if the letter is written without observing the rules of business correspondence. Why waste time on a person who did not even bother to write a letter according to the rules? Conclusion: this indicates that he treats business carelessly.
The rules of business correspondence etiquette apply not only between the organization and the individual, but also within the company. And it is very important to convey any information to colleagues. Not only that - to convey, it is necessary that there be and Feedback. I don’t know about you, but personally I am very annoyed when there is no reaction to your letter, which contains information that requires a response. From the word GENERALLY. This happens especially often with letters that have multiple recipients. 40 percent of respondents respond to such letters. We have to send it again with the notes “Important” and with notifications in order to know for sure what we received and read. Bottom line: letters sent, answers received, time and nerves spent.
It also happens: when figuring out some pressing problem, the correspondence resembles a “novel with a sequel”, consisting of several dozen letters with unambiguous questions and, even more so, unambiguous and short answers. Thus, business correspondence turns into chatting.
To avoid such incidents and troubles, there are very simple rules- Etiquette of business correspondence - following which you will make life easier for yourself and your correspondence opponents.
RULE #1. Letter to one addressee.
According to the rules of not only business correspondence, but also good manners, it is strongly recommended to send a letter to one addressee.
RULE #2 . If you receive a letter, you simply MUST reply.
The main thing here is not to spread thought along the tree. The style of business correspondence is dry, clerical, and you need to answer only the essence of the letter. If you have free time to play Masha and Dubrovsky with notes, this does not mean at all that your correspondent has this time. Compose a letter or response so that it requires a minimum of explanation and clarification. Don't forget: one letter - one answer. The cycle is complete.
RULE #3. If you need the meaning of your letter to be understood by several interlocutors, then simply add their addresses to the "Copy" line.
In this case, only the person to whom it was addressed must necessarily answer this letter. That is, the person whose initials are in the "To" line. He is obliged to answer (see Rule No. 2), if only out of courtesy. All the rest, whose addresses are in the "Copy" line, in this case, it is not necessary to answer. If they have a desire to answer - you are welcome. And no - and there is no court. They were just informed
RULE #4. Do mass mailing to many addressees it is possible in those cases when you do not expect a response to your letter.
This is, for example, sending price lists to customers or notifications about work schedules to employees, etc. The reasons for such letters, in fact, are not so many, so you should not do mass mailing without special need.
RULE #5. The letter should always include a subject line. That's what the "Subject" field is for.
Save your time! The specified subject will shorten your search for your letter or the answer to your letter among other correspondence.
RULE #6. In the letter - first a greeting, then - an appeal to the addressee.
It does not matter at all - who is your addressee to you: a colleague or completely stranger. You address by name and patronymic and the person understands that he is important to you. Believe me, there are many benefits from this!
RULE #7. Literacy of writing - first of all!
Have you ever received letters with spelling errors? It's just a nightmare! You write a letter on a computer - do not be lazy, check the spelling so that later you will not be painfully ashamed of an illiterate letter. This, it would seem, would be a trifle, but still leaves an unpleasant aftertaste.
That, in fact, is all! As you can see, nothing complicated - everything is very simple. If you follow these simple rules constantly - they will become familiar to you and you will follow them automatically. And by your personal example, teach others to adhere to these simple rules.
A beautiful, correct style of writing speaks not only about your business qualities but also about you as a person. In addition, it is excellent discipline.
Remember: a business letter is often the first contact that will form the first impression of you and your company. Therefore, leave an impression of yourself as a professional and a high-class specialist!
Effective business correspondence!
Specialists in the problems of the culture of business speech suggest that when writing a letter, observe the following rules 31:
I. It is necessary to begin a letter with an address, which is a generally accepted form of politeness. The problem of choosing an appeal is rather delicate. The most common are the following calls:
Dear (name and patronymic)!
Dear Sir / Madam... (first name, first name and last name)!
Dear Sirs!
Dear colleagues!
Your Majesty!
Dear (name and patronymic)!
Dear Sir...! Dear...!
Note. The word mister in the Ukrainian language has been used for at least seven centuries and in the etiquette sense has no semantic contact with the word mister in the understanding of belonging to a privileged class. So it shows respect for the addressee, in official documents the form mister is used with the given name, surname, position title, rank. Name and patronymic with the word pan is not combined. That is to say or write Mr. Mikhail Petrovich, Olga Stepanovna or contact Mr. Nikolai Ivanovich, Mrs. Ekaterina Vasilievna is a violation of the rules literary language and does not correspond to Ukrainian traditions.
In correspondence, it is customary to indicate the title of the addressee or indicate his profession:
Dear Minister! Dear (Honorable) Professor! Dear Director! Honorable Mr. Prosecutor! Dear Judge!
The President of the State should address:
Your Highly Honorable Mr. President! Dear Mr. President! Honorable Mr. President! Mr. President!
It is necessary to remember and clearly adhere to the forms of addressing the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Patriarch
Metropolitan (Chairman of the Church) Metropolitan, Archbishop Bishop
Archimandrite, abbot, as well as protopresbyter, archpriest who took the tonsure Deacon, protodeacon and priest in monasticism
Protopresbyter, Archpriest Priest, Protodeacon
Appeal
Your Holiness!
Your Bliss!
Your Eminence!
Your Eminence!
Your Reverend!
Your Reverend!
Your High Blessing!
Your blessing!
Bishops of any rank are also addressed with the word lord with a definition that corresponds to the rank, for example. Eminent Lord! * And to the priests - the word Father ( Reverend Father!), Most Honorable Father! Almighty Father!
In the set should be treated: His Beatitude Metropolitan; His Eminence Vladyka; The Most Reverend (Venerable; All-Honorable) Fathers
The clergy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church are addressed by:
San Appeal
Pope Your Holiness!
Patriarch Your Holiness!
Metropolitan Your Eminence!
Cardinal Your Preveli ebnoste!
Bishop Your Eminence!
"The UGCC is also addressed to the bishop by the words Your Eminence! (Lat. EtipeShia -" perfection, perfection "or Your Excellence!(Latin Exeieptia - "superiority, advantage"). For priests, as in the UOC, the appeal Father! is used, to which appropriate definitions can be attached, for example. Reverend Father!; All-honorable (ish) First Father! and others, but to the bishops, Vladyka!, for example: Eminent Vladyka!; Eminent Lord!
In Ukrainian, addresses are used in the form vocative. Replacing it with a nominative form like "Dear Oksana Dmitrievna!", "Dear Director!" Is non-standard.
Usually, an appeal to an official ends with an exclamation point and the first word of the text of the letter is written with a capital letter and a paragraph.
The absence of an appeal can be interpreted as a disregard for the addressee and a violation of the etiquette of business correspondence.
II. It is very important to carefully consider the initial phrase of the letter, on which a lot depends, because it is she who should convince the addressee of the legitimacy of writing the letter. If this letter is a response to an invitation, request, gratitude, then in the first sentence it would be appropriate to politely express gratitude.
We express our sincere gratitude for...
We sincerely thank you for your letter of advice and guidance on...
First of all (first of all) let me thank you for...
Please accept our sincere (sincere) gratitude for...
This letter is a manifestation of our gratitude for...
We are sincerely grateful to you for...
Let me express my gratitude...
Thank you for the invitation...
Thank you for the opportunity (offer) ...
In confirmation letters, you should use the following initial phrases:
We acknowledge with gratitude the receipt of the letter-response... We officially confirm our consent to...
In confirmation of our preliminary agreement, we inform you... We confirm receipt of your telegram... We have received your letter with notification of... and we are sincerely grateful to you... Common opening phrases in business letters include references to a meeting, a previous letter, phone conversation, event: In response to your letter of (date) ...
In accordance with contract no. which was signed between our institutions...
In response to your inquiry dated (date) ...
According to the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine, section... Articles No. ...
According to our agreement, we send you...
For your request for... we give a written answer.
In response to your request, we inform...
Taking into account your request from (date), we offer you. ..
According to our agreement from (date) we inform. ..
Investors, heads of institutions (organizations, enterprises), clients, partners often have to make requests. The opening phrases of these letters may be as follows:
Please inform us about...
We will be grateful if you confirm your participation in ...
We are asking you for a small donation to the fund. ..
Please pay urgently...
We ask you to carefully study our proposals and give a final answer. ..
Please send comments and additions to the draft agreement on. ..
Please take an order...
In the business world, for various reasons (you were late for a few days with an answer, you were unable to complete the instructions on time, if you showed up late for a meeting, mixed up the documentation), sometimes situations arise when you need to apologize, apologize for the trouble that you caused to the addressee. In this case, the letter should begin like this:
We apologize for the unfortunate misunderstanding that happened. ..
We sincerely apologize for the delay in reply ...
We apologize for not being able to complete your order on time. ..
We would like to apologize for the additional hassle caused to you. ..
Sorry for the extra worries about...
We would like to sincerely apologize for the unfortunate mistake that has occurred. ..
In reminder letters that belong to psychologically difficult ones, you need to politely, tactfully and unobtrusively indicate that, for example, the due date for paying an invoice or completing an order has passed. Such letters should start like this:
We consider it our both "bonds to remind you of ... We are very sorry to have to remind you of ... Sorry to bother you again, but we have not received a response to the letter dated (date).
We are forced to remind you that we have not yet received a paid invoice from you.
Sorry, but we have to remind you of the need to pay the bill for ... We think that this is just a misunderstanding. We feel it necessary to remind you... Let me remind you that...
Sometimes delicacy, tact do not give the desired results, mother-in-law should reveal categorical and decisiveness. This can be done like this:
Despite repeated reminders and Taken measures, Your debt is not repaid, instead it continues to grow. We consider it necessary to warn you of our intention to terminate the contract.
Due to the fact that you, despite our urgent request to pay off the debt, have not yet sent a paid check, we are forced to suspend the execution of all your orders.
All our attempts to force you to pay the debt were in vain, so we are filing a lawsuit in court.
Refusal letters belong to the complex category. If you do not have the opportunity to answer positively, then say "no" should be reasoned, correct, friendly, because the person had hopes for you. Subject to these tips, the addressee will understand that you had no other choice. Formulate a denial like this:
We, having studied in detail the project proposed by you, regret to inform you that we cannot...
Unfortunately, we cannot accept your offer...
We're sorry, but we can't accommodate your request for many reasons...
It is a pity, but given the complication of the situation, we cannot support your project.
We sincerely apologize, but the current situation does not allow us to...
Sorry, but we cannot provide (agree, forward) ...
In message letters, one of the following introductory phrases would be appropriate:
We are informing you...
We would like to announce that...
We are pleased to inform you that...
Unfortunately we have to inform you that...
Let me inform you that...
We are glad to inform you that...
With this letter we announce that...
III. The choice of closing sentences is also very important and depends primarily on the content of the letter. So, you can repeat the gratitude expressed at the beginning, or simply thank you for the help paid attention, since the word "thank you" is the most common words of every educated and decent businessman, entrepreneur, banker, every business person:
Let me thank you again...
We express our thanks again...
Thanks for the help...
Thank you again for everything you have done for... Thank you for...
Thank you once again for your continued support... Thank you again and we hope that... Let me thank you again for... thank you again for the honor...
An appropriate and useful end of the letter is the assurance of the addressee of what was said in the text:
We assure you that you can fully count on our support.
We will call you to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet.
We will be glad to cooperate with you.
We assure that our cooperation will be fruitful.
We assure you that if you repay the debt within a month, all orders will be fulfilled and we will continue to cooperate on the same terms in the future.
We will be glad to help you.
If you have a desire to meet with our representative - we are at your service at any time convenient for you.
We assure you that we are doing our best to complete...
We assure you that in the future we will make every effort to avoid such unfortunate misunderstandings.
We will be glad to establish mutually beneficial contacts with your company.
At the end of the letter, one can express hope:
We hope that our offer will interest you.
We hope that you understand us correctly.
We hope that our refusal will not offend you and in the future we will still have the opportunity to cooperate mutually beneficially.
We hope that you will consider our proposals in the near future and let us know about your decision.
Masma hope that this will benefit the cause.
We believe that in the future we can become useful to you.
We look forward to close and mutually beneficial cooperation with you.
We hope that our cooperation will be fruitful.
We hope that future cooperation will be fruitful, successful and beneficial for you and for us.
We hope that you will not refuse to help us.
We hope for a quick response and wish you success. We cherish the hope to meet with you again.
We express the hope that this is only a successful start of our cooperation, and in the future you will help us more than once in business.
We sincerely look forward to your continued financial support.
We hope that our innovations will interest you, and look forward to establishing a mutually beneficial partnership.
I hope that all the efforts made will not be in vain.
We hope that in the future we will once again have the opportunity to meet and exchange experiences and opinions.
We sincerely hope that you will find time to visit...
We hope that this misunderstanding will not affect our further relations.
At the end of the letter, you can apologize for the disturbance or repeat the apologies for the delay in responding or being late:
Once again, we apologize for the troubles caused (troubles, troubles, inconvenience).
We sincerely apologize for...
Sorry again for this annoying mistake. Let me apologize again for...
IV. Do not forget the farewell phrase. The following forms are most often used in letters:
FROM respect
With respect and best wishes
With gratitude and respect
With due respect to you
Remain with respect
With sincere regards (honor)
With sincere respect to you (honor)
With respect, gratitude and best wishes
With gratitude and true respect
We wish you success
After the farewell formula of politeness separator sign not set, with new line the requisite "Signature" is issued.
A postscript (postscript) at the end of the letter is possible only on the condition that after it was written an event occurred that you must certainly inform the addressee about. After the postscript, you need to sign again.
V. If you want to succeed, be sure to take care that the letter was perfect in all respects, because even a slight non-observance of the rules will lead to a distortion of its content, a change in tone.
Letters should be printed on well-executed forms that are " calling card"of your institution. Such details will contribute to creating a good impression of you and your activities. Therefore, only high-quality paper should be used for the manufacture of letterheads. The envelope should match the letterhead in its design; it must be selected in size so that there is no need to compose a letter more twice.
VI. Business letters should not be too long. You should express your thoughts clearly, concisely, in fact, then all the information provided will come in handy.
Compliance with the rules of correspondence etiquette is evidence of your respect for the addressee, courtesy, good manners and contributes to the establishment of good relations between colleagues and partners.
