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The Do’s and Donts of emails Before hitting the "send" button, there are a few things to consider: Is my email too long? Try to keep the email to about one page so that readers can read the entire mail without scrolling. Do spell out purpose of the email within the first paragraph. Did I include the right attachment? Title the document that you are attaching in a way that is easy for the recipient to find once he or she downloads it. Before sending attachment of large file size, be sure you know your recipient’s mailbox capacity to avoid returned emails. Am I saying it right? For each new subject email, it serves no harm to write some greetings! However, if you are responding to emails over the same topic (for example, a meeting day and time), greetings can then be excluded. In your subject line, write an appropriate and specific subject that lets the recipient know what to expect. Would it be better if I dont send the email? Some issues, if dealt with through emails, may result in serious consequences should misinterpretation occurs. Among some of these issues are: l Disciplinary action l Conflicts about personal information l Concerns about fellow colleagues l Complaints When a conflict arises, try to end it by a short and simple written response first. If it does not work, it maybe better to deal with the unpleasant situation by talking or meeting in person. What is a Memo? Memo can be used as a form of communication to solve problems within a company. In writing a memo, one should clearly state his/her purpose at the beginning, and request the action he/she wants at the end. Planning for a memo Depending on the purpose of your memo, there are several ways to prepare it: 1. To convey routine information or relaying news, consider approaching your memo through direct plan. It starts out by stating the most important points, and moves to supporting details. 2. When you need to arouse interests in your readers, the indirect plan maybe used. It makes an appeal or spews out evidence first and arrives at a conclusion/action to be taken based on these facts. 3. When relaying bad news, a combination approach can be used for the balanced plan, as it combines information and persuasion. Parts of a Memo Heading - generally it follows this format: TO: (readers names and job titles) FROM: (your name and job title) DATE: (complete and current date) SUBJECT: (what the memo concerns) Opening - the opening paragraph mainly consists of 3 parts: context of your problem, specific task(s) required, or that you are undertaking in order to fix the problem, and the purpose of the memo. Be assertive that a real problem exists, but include only key information that decision-makers need. Summary - a brief statement of your key recommendations. To make a strong statement, state references used to come to your ideas. But remember to keep it short and simple. Discussion - Details that support your ideas can be spelled out in this part. Start with the most important information to get readers attention to the matter. Vital details can be presented in the format of bullet points or tables. Closing - In a courteous manner, state what action you may want your reader to make. The desired action can be beneficially to your readers, so state any that the action may bring. Attachments (if any) - If you have prepared graphs, tables and other documents to support your findings, attach them at the end of the memo. Throughout your memo, you may need to make references to your attachments by adding notations such as this: Business Writing Skills - General Overview The letter below, although grammatically correct, is not well written. It is written in an unnecessarily official style using out-of date expressions and rather complex grammatical structures. It is also inconcise, using far more words than are needed. Finally, little attention has been paid to the structure and organisation of the document. RE-WRITE Dear Sir RE: Savings Account No. 80-5-25467 Thank you for your letter dated 18 April 2003 with enclosure. As you instructed, we withdrew HKD17,884.00 from the above account on 13 April 2003 by issuing Cashier Order No. 483728 to "The Hong Kong Government". We delivered the cashier order to The Inland Revenue Department the following day to settle your tax. We have enclosed the relevant advice for your reference. Please call us if we can be of further help. Yours faithfully FOR ABC BANK LIMITED Replies to Letters, Faxes, and Emails of Enquiry MOST REPLIES to letters/faxes/emails of enquiry have a similar organisation. Usually, they consist of three or four paragraphs, although the length of the paragraphs varies depending on the nature of the enquiry. The second paragraph, in particular, may be either very short (in the case of a reply to a request for documentation) or quite long (in the case of a reply to a request for advice or a request for a quotation). Lets look in more detail at the typical organisation of such replies, and at some expressions commonly used in this type of business document. OPENING PARAGRAPH Acknowledge enquiry. Refer to date of enquiry and summarise request. l Thank you for your letter of 1 July enquiring about our range of womens handbags. l I have received your letter of 2 August requesting information about our photocopiers. l I was pleased to receive your letter of 15 July regarding your companys decision to use our training services. PARAGRAPH 2 (AND FURTHER SUB-PARAGRAPHS) 1. Repeat the query as briefly as possible. 2. Supply enough information to fully answer the query and answer further queries the reader may have later. 3. Arrange information so that it can easily be understood, e.g. first, second, third; use numbered or lettered sub-paragraphs. Replies to Requests for Services Would it be convenient for our technician to visit your office on 13 July at 10.00 a.m.? We can arrange for our service engineer to visit you within two days of receiving your confirmation. Replies to Requests for Advice Use conditional statements for explanation of a problem: In order to avoid this, store your paper in a dry place Ensure that the paper is dry so as to avoid this problem. Use modal verbs to speculate on the cause of a problem: Your copier may be jamming because of damp paper. Damp paper could be causing your copier to jam. Replies to Requests for Documentation State that you have enclosed the requested documentation: We have enclosed the sales brochure you requested. Replies to Requests for Quotations Give full details of the quotation: The above prices include all packing and shipping costs. Prices quoted are inclusive of shipping costs. State terms of the quotation and when goods will be delivered: This quotation is valid until the end of August 2003. Shipment will be within 10 days of receiving your order. Please allow three weeks for delivery. Replies to Requests for Quotations Give full details of the quotation: The above prices include all packing and shipping costs. Prices quoted are inclusive of shipping costs. CLOSING PARAGRAPH Express the hope that the information given will be useful and look forward to hearing from the reader in the future: l I hope this information will prove useful to you. l I hope this quotation will prove acceptable to you. l I now look forward to receiving your confirmation of the arrangement I have provisionally made regarding the visit of your representative. Invite the reader to make further enquiries: Please call me if you require any more help on this or any other matter. We look forward to hearing from you again in the near future. a sample of Reply to Enquiry Dear Mr Wong, Subject: Faulty Prontoprint Typewriters Thank you for your letter of 30 July 2003 requesting advice about the problems you are having with the Prontoprint typewriters you purchased from our company last year. I was sorry to hear that you have been experiencing problems. In your letter you mention that there are three main problems. First, the keys keep sticking. Second, the machines are overheating, and third, the print is of poor quality. In order to solve the above problems, I would like to make the following recommendations: 1. Store the machines in a dry room to prevent the keys from becoming sticky. 2. Try not to run more than one machine from a single electric socket to avoid overheating. 3. Replace the daisy wheels. The wheels will have become ruined if you had not removed the protective film before using them. This may have been the result of the poor print quality. I hope this advice helps you to overcome the problems you have been facing with the machines. Please call me if you require further help. Yours sincerely Starting and Finishing Letters, Memos & Emails In letters, memos and emails, clear beginnings and endings are very important. These are the first and last things that are read, and are therefore likely to leave the greatest impression on the reader. Starting Well Your first sentence should be clear, concise and written in modern English. This is easily done if you can avoid three common errors. ■ Error 1: Writing an Incomplete Sentence All these sentences are incomplete: Further to your letter of 3 June concerning the trustees of the P F Smith 1994 Settlement. With reference to our previous communication notifying you of the transfer of the administration of the above policy to National Mutual with effect from 9 May. In response to your letter to John Hui dated 19 April. Regarding your claim for attendance allowance. Referring to your letter of 10 January about delayed frequency allocations. Each statement needs to be continued and completed, inserting a comma instead of a full stop. For example: Further to your letter of 3 June concerning the trustees of the P F Smith 1994 Settlement, I am pleased to enclose the form you requested. Regarding your claim for attendance allowance, I need to ask you for some more information. Alternatively, you could insert a main verb at the start to complete the sentences: Thank you for your letter of 3 June concerning the trustees of the P F Smith 1994 Settlement. I refer to your claim for attendance allowance. Other verbs that will do a similar job include I acknowledge, I confirm, I write to explain. These alternatives are preferable for another reason; they use personal words like I, you and we. Dont be afraid to write a one-sentence paragraph at the start of a letter, memo or email. Thank you for your letter of 13 April 2003. If you are taking the initiative, rather than responding to an enquiry, these phrases may be helpful to get your first sentence off to a good start: You are warmly invited to... You may be interested in... This is an opportunity to... Now is a good time to consider... Or you could ask a question - preferably one to which the reader will answer yes: Does your office have old and outdated law books gathering dust in corners? Would you like to create some extra space for yourself, and see those books go to a good cause at the same time? If so... Business Letter Writing Basics 1 How to Write a Business Letter There are many different reasons for writing a business letter. However, most business letters follow some general guidelines as described below. l Use the fully blocked style - do not indent paragraphs l Include the address of the person you are writing to at the top of the letter, below your company address l After the address, double space and include the date l Double space (or as much as you need to put the body of the letter in the centre of the page) and include the salutation. Include Mr. for men or Ms. for women, unless the recipient has a title such as Dr. l State a reference reason for your letter (i.e. "With reference to our telephone conversation..." l Give the reason for writing (i.e. "I am writing to you to confirm our order...") l Make any request you may have (i.e. "I would be grateful if you could include a brochure..." l If there is to be further contact, refer to this contact (i.e. "I look forward to meeting you at...") l Close the letter with a thank you (i.e. "Thank you for your prompt help...") l Finish the letter with a salutation (i.e. "Yours sincerely") l Include 4 spaces and type your full name and title l Sign the letter between the salutation and the typed name and title Become Familiar with Standard Phrases The basics of good business letter writing are easy to learn. The following table provides some of the phrases that are usually found in any standard business letter. By using these standard phrases, you can give a professional tone to your business letter in English. These phrases are used as a kind of frame and introduction to the content of business letters. The Start: l Dear Frank (use if the person is a close business contact or friend) l Dear Sir or Madam (use if you dont know who you are writing to) l Dear Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms (use if you know who you are writing to, and have a formal relationship with - VERY IMPORTANT use Ms for women unless asked to use Mrs or Miss) The Reference: l With reference to your advertisement in the Hong Kong Standard, ... l Further to your letter of 23 March, ... l Regarding our meeting last week, ... l Thank you for your letter of 5 May. The Reason for Writing: l I am writing to enquire about ... apologise for ... confirm ... Requesting: l Could you possibly ... ? l I would be grateful if you could ... l I would appreciate it if you could ... l Please would/could you ... Agreeing to Requests: l I would be glad/happy to ... Giving Bad News: l Unfortunately ... l I am afraid that ... l I regret that we are unable to ... Enclosing Documents: l I enclose ... l We have enclosed ... l Enclosed you will find ... Closing Remarks: l Thank you for your help. l Please contact us again if we can help in any way / if you have any problems/questions/queries. Reference to Future Contact: l I look forward to hearing from you soon. l I am looking forward to meeting you next Tuesday. The Close l Yours faithfully, (If you dont knowthe name of the person youre writing to) l Yours sincerely, (If you know the name of the person youre writing to) l Best wishes, l Best regards, (If the person is a close business contact or friend) Sample Letter Dear Ms Chang I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted for the position of Administrative Assistant in our company. We ask all our new recruits to attend a week of training with us before taking up their full-time duties. Therefore, could you please report to Ms Rachel Lui, the Assistant Human Resources Manager, at 9.00 a.m on 4 January 2001. We look forward to having you as part of our team and hope you will enjoy working with us. Yours sincerely Patricia Cheng HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Patricia Cheng Business Letter Writing Basics 2 - Making and Replying to Enquiries Making Enquiries We write an enquiry when we want to ask for more information concerning a product, service or other information about a product or service that interests us. These letters are often written in response to an advertisement that we have seen in the paper, a magazine, or a commercial on television when we are interested in purchasing a product, but would like more information before making a decision. Remember to place your or your companys address at the top of the letter (or use your companys letterhead) followed by the address of the company you are writing to. The date can either be placed double spaced down or to the right. Important Language to Remember The Start: Dear Sir or Madam To Whom It May Concern: The Reference: With reference to your advertisement in... Regarding your advertisement in! K Requesting a brochure, catalogue, etc. (After the reference, add a comma and continue) - With reference to your ..., would/could you please send me details of ... Requesting Further Information: I would also like to know ... Could you tell me whether ... The Close: Yours faithfully - (very formal as you donot know the person to whom you are writing) Sample Letters To Whom It May Concern: With reference to your advertisement in yesterdays South China Morning Post, could you please send me a copy of your latest catalogue? I would also like to know if it is possible to make purchases online. Yours faithfully Dear Sir or Madam Business English Courses Regarding your Business English courses, I would appreciate it if you could fax me details of your upcoming courses. Furthermore, could you fax me a subscription form for The Language Key magazine? Yours faithfully Replying to Enquiries It is very important to make a good impression when responding to enquiries from potential customers. Of course, the best impression will be made by providing the materials or information that the perspective client has asked for. This positive impression will be improved by a well written response. Remember to place your or your companys address at the top of the letter (or use your companys letterhead) followed by the address of the company you are writing to. The date can either be placed double spaced down or to the right. You can also include a reference number for correspondence. Important Language to Remember The Start: Dear Mr. Ms. Mrs. Miss (VERY IMPORTANT use Ms. For women unless asked to use Mrs or Miss) Thanking the Potential Customer for His/Her Interest: Thank you for your letter of ...enquiring / asking for information about ... We would like to thank you for your letter of ... enquiring / asking for information about ... Providing Requested Materials: We are pleased to enclose ... Enclosed you will find ... We enclose ... Providing Additional Information: We would also like to inform you ... Regarding your question about ... In answer to your question/enquiry about ... Closing a Letter Hoping for Future Business: We look forward to ... hearing from you / receiving your order / welcoming you as our client/customer. The Close: Yours sincerely (remember use Yours faithfully when you dont know the name of the person you are writing to and Yours sincerely when you do). Sample Letter Dear Mr Chan 2001 Catalogue Thank you for your enquiry of 12 September asking for the latest edition of our catalogue. We are pleased to enclose our latest brochure. We would also like to inform you that it is possible to make purchases online at www.jacksonbros.com. Moreover, you will receive a discount of 10% for any purchases made online. We look forward to welcoming you as our customer. Yours sincerely Standard Phrases in Business Letters REFERENCE/ OPENING ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION REQUESTING Dear Mr Leung Maintenance Work I have received your fax of 5 January about the maintenance work you are doing for us. We would like to point out that according to our contract, all work would be completed by March. As you did not specify a completion date in your fax, we would be grateful if you could clarify this. In view of this, I must remind you that according to Section 2 Clause 7 of the contract, a penalty of DM2,900 per day will be added for any late work. We would appreciate it if you could let me know as soon as possible when you expect to finish the work. Yours sincerely DRAWING ATTENTION REMINDING APOLOGISING CLOSING Dear Ms Weiss Rearrangement of our Appointment I refer to our fax of 31 January regarding our appointment on 5 February. I am afraid that, I will not be arriving in Berlin until 17 February due to unforeseen production delays. Therefore, would you mind re-a