English for Business Communication

Contents
Module 1 Written
communication------ an
overview
Module 2 Establishment of
Business Relations
Module 3 Inquiries and replies
Module 4 Making Quotations &
Offers
Module 5 Counteroffers &
Declining Orders
Module 6 Acceptance & Orders
 Contents
Module 7 Terms of Payment
Module 8 Letter of Credit
Module 9 Packing & Shipment
Module 10 Insurance
Module 11 Complaints & Claim
Learning Objectives
Be able to grasp the basic principles of
business letter writing
Be able to grasp the layout of business
letters
Be able to grasp the envelope addressing
Be able to grasp e-mail writing
 Preface
1.Definition
English business correspondence refers to the
letters , cables, telexes, faxes and e-mails dealing in
international business, as well as in domestic trade,
of course.
2. Aim
The purpose of this course is to help you learn
how to write good business letters by using up-to-
date expressions in the simplest possible language.
 3. Features
1. It has its unique language style and jargons
2. It is full of business terminations and abbreviations
3. There is a close relations between EBC and international
trade

Examples:
We are in the market for silk blouses and shou
ld be pleased if you could kindly quote us you
r keenest prices CFRLondon for the goods be
low
Offer quotation order counteroffer letter
of credit CIF FOB
YL11/11RVD
S/C123 L/CUNRCV PLSRUSH
Task 1
Warming-up Discussion
Suppose you work for China National Garmen
ts Imp. & Exp. Corporation. Counsellor's Offi
ce of the British Embassy in Beijing, from whi
ch you note that they are in the market for silk
blouses. Now, you are requested to write a lette
r to the buyer. Can you list the layout of your b
usiness letter?
Specimen Letters Study
The Layout of business letters
A. The standard parts

B. The optional parts

 Layout of Business Letters

A. The standard parts

(1) the letterhead

(2) the inside address
(3) the date
(4) the salutation
(5) the body of the letter
(6) the complimentary close
(7) the signature
 Layout of Business Letters
B. The optional parts

(1) the references

(2) the special markings
(3) the subject line
(4) the enclosure
(5) the carbon copy notation
 Form of a business letter

1.The fully blocked style

This layout reduces typing time as all typing lines

begin at the left margin there are no indentations for
new paragraphs or the closing section.
 1 J&J Plaza New Brunswick,
NJ 089333 U.S.A.
Tel: 732-524-0400
Fax: 732-525-0622
E-mail: carrie@jnj.com
Date: 22nd July, 20--

Soft Health Care Product Corp.

Room 2301 Yili BLD,

35 Nanjing Road,
Shanghai, China

Attention: Mr. Wang , Import Dept.

Dear Sir,

Re: SHAMPOO

Weve received your letter of July 10th enquiring about our JOHNSON'S Baby Shampoo
With Natural Lavender, but unfortunately, the stock of this product is running low due to the
heavy demand. But we will inform you as soon as the new supplies come up.

We sell a wide variety of Babys Shampoo. All of them are made of the NO MORE TEARS
formula. For your reference, we enclose an illustrated catalogue of our shampoos and we hope
you will find it interesting.

We hope that we can close business to our mutual advantage in the future.

Yours faithfully,

Johnson & Johnson
Dori s F ergoson
Doris Fergoson
(Manager)
 Form of a business letter
2. Indented style

Indented style refers to each paragraph (body of

the letter) taking in the first line of each
paragraph in the body of the letter, five spaces
for type, and other parts are the same as a fully-
blocked style.
 Nippon International Trading Co.Ltd.
3 Mihonbashi, Honcho 3 Chome
Chuo-ku Tokyo 104
Japan
The Wilson Company
1377 Main Stree
Dallas, Texas 7522
U.S.A.
Attn.:Shipping Dept.
Shipping Advice
Dear Sirs,
We are pleased to advise you that your Order for 5,000 pcs of mens shirts have been forwarded onto S/S
Peace this morning.
Enclosed please find a full set of copy shipping documents as required in your L/C No.332.
We are very glad to have been able to executed your order as stipulated and assure you of our close
cooperation with you in all your future dealings.
Yours faithfully,
Nippon International Trading Co.Ltd
Sales Manager: YOKOYAMA

Enc. As Stated.
 Form of a business letter

3. Modified Blocked-Style with Indented

Paragraphs

Placement of the letterhead, the date, the

complimentary close and the signature on the
right side of the paper. Paragraphs have
indentation with five spaces from the left margin
in the letter. And this form is current used.


 Envelopes addressing

The principles of addressing envelopes:

accuracy
clearness
appearance
 Envelopes addressing
Name and address of the receiver should be typed
above half way down the envelope, leaving enough
space for the postmark or stamps.
the return address should be printed in the upper left
corner of the envelope.
Post notations such as Registered, Certified or
Confidential should be placed in the bottom left-hand
corner.
 Envelopes addressing
When a letter is mailed to a third person who is bound
to pass it onto the addressee, write the third person's
name down below the addressees, write the words
care of in front of it.


CHINA NATIONAL CEREALS, OILS AND FOODSTUFFS IMP & EXP CORP.
11th Floor, Jingxin Bldg. 2A Dong San Huan Beilu stamp
Beijing, Peoples Republic of China

EL MAR PACKING COMPANY

12 MAIN STREET, FRESNO
CALIFORNia, USA
Confidential

Par Avion


MESSRS WILLIAM & SONS
76 Lancaster House stamp
Manchester,
England
Mr. Wang Kai-ming

CHINA NATIONAL TRANSPORT CO.

120 Nanjing Road
Shanghai, China
Registered

Mr. Charles Wood
Kindness of Mr. J. W. Smith

Mr. J. W. Smith
Mr. Charles Wood


Mr. Part Davis Mr. Brian Tories

c/o Mr. Harold Bean c/o Overseas Trading Co.
32 Bright Street 153 Market Street
Rangoon, Burma London

Layout of E-mails

 Language and tone
Choose the method of communication carefully.
Create the document thoughtfully.
Present the document so that it looks good and gives
an impression of efficiency and reliability.
Use a format that is neat, easy to read and structures
logically.
Use appropriate tone, considering the circumstances,
the situation and the recipient.
Ensure your message is accurate in terms of
grammar, spelling and punctuation.
1. Remember your ABC

Accurate Check facts carefully

Include all relevant details
Proofread thoroughly
Brief keep sentences short
Use simple expressions
Use non-technical language
Clear Use plain, simple English
Write in an easy, natural style
Avoid formality or familiarity
2. Be courteous and considerate
Reply promptly to all communications-answer on the
same day if possible.
If you cannot answer immediately, write a brief note and
explain why. This will create goodwill.
Understand and respect the recipients point of view.
Resist the temptation to reply as if your correspondent is
wrong.
If you feel some comments are unfair, be tactful and try
not to cause offence.
Resist the temptation to reply to an offensive letter in a
similar tone. Instead, answer courteously and do not lower
your dignity.
3. Use appropriate tone
If your letter is to achieve its purpose the tone must be
appropriate. The tone of your letter reflects the spirit in
which you put your letter across.
You alter your tone of voice to convey messages in
different ways. Much of what you say is also interpreted
through non-verbal clues----- eye contact, gestures,
inflections of the voice, etc. This type of reading between
the lines is not possible with the written word. Therefore it
is vital to choose your words carefully. You can be firm or
friendly, persuasive or conciliatoryit depends on the
impression you wish to convey. It is important to try to get
the tone right because using the wrong tone could cause
real offence to your reader.
4. Write naturally and sincerely

Try to show a genuine interest in your reader and

his/her problems. Your message should sound sincere
while written in your own style. Write naturally, as if
you are having a conversation.
5. Remember the KISS principles

KISS stands for:

Keep
It
Short and
Simple

KISS means instead of long or complex words,

use short ones.
6. Use modern terminology

Old-fashioned phrases add nothing to your meaning.

Such unnecessary, long-winded phrases are likely to
give a poor impression of the writer and may even lead
to confusion. A good business letter will use no more
words than are necessary to convey a clear and
accurate message.
7. Include essential details

If the recipient of your letter must ask a

question, or if something is unclear, then
something has been omitted from your
message. Do not leave anything to chance.
Include all essential information.
8. Be consistent
Consistency is not only important in the
way your massage is presented, it is
important within the message itself.

The people attending will be George Bush, Bill

Clinton and Denny from the Sales.

The people attending the next committee meeting

will be George Bush, Bill Clinton and Denny
Smith.
9. Use active not passive voice
Voice is a grammatical term that refers to whether
the subject of the sentence is acting or receiving the
action. Using active voice can considerably improve
your writing style. Active voice makes your writing
more interesting, more lively and more -- well,
active!
Make comparisons:

Active voice: Tom played the violin.

Passive voice: The violin was played by Tom.
10. Compose CLEAR communications

CLEAR objectives. Your message should be:

Clear Leave no doubt in your readers mind.
Help yourself by being specific, avoiding
vague expressions, using familiar words and
using simple English. Remember also to use
straightforward language that your reader
can understand, written in a friendly, natural,
conversational style.
10. Compose CLEAR communications

CLEAR objectives. Your message should be:

Logical Structure your message logically,
remembering to use the 4 point plan. Start with
an introduction, develop your points logically in
the central section, and come to a natural
conclusion in which you state the action you need
from the reader. Finish with an appropriate one-
line.
 CLEAR objectives. Your message should be:

Empathetic Put yourself in your readers place

and ask yourself how the reader will feel when
he /she reads your letter. If anything is unclear, or
if anything is worded badly, then change it before
you sent it.
Accurate Make sure all the relevant details are
included------times, dates, names of commodity,
facts and figures.

Right Proofread carefully (not just spell check) to

make sure everything is 100% right before you sent the
message.
 The Seven Cs
Consideration
Courtesy
Clarity
Conciseness
Concreteness
Correctness
Completeness
Effective Business Writing Criteria

Courtesy
Consideration Correctness

Completeness
7Cs Conciseness
Concreteness
Clarity
 The motto in business letter-writing
A letter is personal contact. The
exchange of information is basic to
business. Letters should be easy to
read and easy to understand, they
must be friendly and courteous.
Business letters should develop
goodwill.
Structuring communications
4 POINT PLAN Introduction
(Background and Basics)

1
Details
(Facts and Figures)
2

Response or Action
3 (Conclusion)

Close
(A simple one-liner)
4
Situational Training---1
Headings
Date
Inside address
Special markings
Salutation
Subject line
Body
Complimentary close
Signature
Enc. CC to
Situational Training---2
Senders name & address stamp

recipients name & address

Postal ways