business correspondence etiquette

Office correspondence is a very special genre that you must master if you are going to climb the corporate ladder. Good business writing skills will serve you faithfully: they will help you communicate with subordinates, superiors and partners, emphasize your education and outlook. The style of communication should be restrained, purposeful, without deviating from a given topic.

Any communication, both personal and written, is interaction with people in order to exchange information, impress, and negotiate. Nothing human is alien to us, we sometimes give vent to emotions, but in the business sphere there should be no place for the violent manifestation of our feelings, character traits and temperament.

An important feature of business communication is that it cannot be cut off in mid-sentence. For every letter you receive, you need to write a reply, even if you don't feel like it.If you receive a call and you do not have time to pick up the phone, be sure to call back. Of course, communication with some people is unpleasant. That is why the list of mandatory qualities of a manager includes stress resistance.

A business meeting, a phone conversation or a business e-mail correspondence will certainly have some purpose. As a result, the parties must come to conclusions, discuss the project, agree on a strategic partnership, and so on.

In written speech, there are perhaps even more restrictions and conventions than in oral speech. Communicating with the interlocutor directly, in a personal meeting, we can make an intonational emphasis on this or that fact, clarify something if the interlocutor did not understand us. If a speech error is made, we can correct it immediately. But in a business letter, we must be extremely clear and precise so that the words do not imply a double interpretation.

They used to say: “Paper will endure everything,” implying that even unreliable facts can be written. We are of the opinion that business correspondence should be as honest as possible. By the way, now paper letters are sent less and less. Basically, they transport contracts and other documents. In this case, letterheads are used as evidence of the high status of the organization.

Nowadays, in most cases, business correspondence takes place in the virtual space, and it has its own characteristics. When the dialogue is just starting, it is customary to write a greeting according to etiquette, for example: “Hello, dear Oleg Sergeevich! ". And at the subsequent address during the working day, the greeting can be omitted.

Written communication, including by e-mail, requires adherence to language norms and impeccable literacy. After all, correspondence will reveal your gaps to an educated interlocutor. Therefore, we advise you to check what is written with the help of special services, if you are not completely sure of your own knowledge.

We list the general rules that require the ethics of electronic communication. They are quite simple, but many, alas, neglect them:

• the beginning of each sentence is capitalized;
• a period is put at the end of the phrase so that the meaning of what is read is clear;
• to sort out the problem and suggest solutions, it is useful to use a bulleted or numbered list;
• for clarity, it is good to use tables, graphs, charts;
• do not specifically try to seem like an intelligent, educated interlocutor, do not complicate simple thoughts with excessive participial and participle turns;
• the simpler you express your thoughts, the better;
• although in everyday speech culture requires avoiding jargon, in a business environment, professional jargon and borrowings from English are now considered good form (but do not overdo it!).

There are the following types of messages:

• promotional offers;
• thanksgiving;
• accompanying;
• warranty;
• reminders;
• warnings;
• cooperation proposals.

In addition to general rules, it is important to know some details of business writing.We will give the rules that will be appropriate in the vast majority of cases.

The beginning of an email is called a header. It has the logo of the organization. It is useful to always have at hand (that is, on the desktop of your computer) a template in which this logo is entered.

Unlike offline communication, modern rules do not oblige you to greet the addressee, and you can immediately state the essence of the matter by calling him by name and patronymic. However, many continue to write at the beginning of the message: “Good morning! ", "Hello! ", "Good evening! ' or 'Greetings.' And in this, too, there is no deviation from the norm.

The requirements for the body of the letter suggest that it is in it that the meaning of the correspondence lies. Dividing the text into paragraphs is considered good form, a sign of an attentive attitude towards the interlocutor. In each paragraph, one or another aspect of the topic is named and disclosed. In addition to identifying the problem, it is customary to suggest ways to solve it. So to speak, to reveal a business idea in miniature.

In the final part of the message, you can express both formal and more personal feelings. The wording “Respectfully…”, “Best regards…” (“best regards” in English) or a more emotional wish “Have a nice day! ".

In a personal signature, it is imperative to indicate the last name and first name (and in some circles, also the patronymic). There should also be phone numbers that you can call: mobile and office city. Recently, an electronic signature with a company logo has come into fashion.

An additional link to the organization's electronic portal serves as additional advertising and may increase traffic to this site in the future.

Most office employees have a very extensive archive of letters in their e-mail box. So that the interlocutor does not get confused in a long correspondence, it is recommended to send a letter in the form of a reply. When you click on the appropriate box at the beginning of the subject of the letter, the English abbreviation “Re…” appears. This is very convenient, because the addressee will immediately remember the progress of the correspondence.

You can save the entire history of virtual communication with this interlocutor, or you can leave only the last or most significant quotes. Modern business etiquette requires you to respond quickly to emails. After all, we spend a significant part of our day at a work computer. In addition, mail can be checked from mobile devices.

If the message is of particular importance and urgency, then it is allowed to write sms or make a phone call to remind about the letter.

Among creative figures, the use of stamps is not accepted and, moreover, is ridiculed and condemned. But in business correspondence, stamps help reflect standard situations.

It is useful to have a virtual piggy bank of set expressions and phrases. Indeed, structured communication, office work, and the solution of formal issues are built on these clichés. For example, sympathy is expressed by the turnover "Unfortunately, we have to inform you ...".A sense of appreciation is reflected in this duty formula: "Thank you for your invaluable contribution ...". And, finally, joy: "We are proud to inform you that ...". But the final phrase: “We look forward to further fruitful cooperation” expresses hope for further business contacts.

So, we talked about the etiquette of business correspondence. These rules are necessary in order to make communication as comfortable and fruitful as possible. Use them and you will see that your work in the service has gone smoothly!

For more information about the rules of business correspondence, including email, see the following video.