UNIT II

BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

INTRODUCTION

Business Letter
A business letter is a letter written in formal language, usually used when writing
from one business organization to another, or for correspondence between such
organizations and their customers, clients and other external parties.
IMPORTANCE OF A BUSINESS LETTER:

Letter is as an indispensable tool of communication in business. Business letters are

used to sell the products, make an inquiry about customers or prices of goods, seek
information and advice, maintain good public relation, increase goodwill and
perform a variety of other business functions. With the continuous growth of
commerce and industry, usefulness and importance of business letter are also
increasing gradually. Some points highlighting the benefits or importance of
business letter are discussed below:

 Exchanging business information: Letters are the most economical and convenient

means of exchanging information. With the help of letters, executives can easily
exchange information with customers, suppliers, investors, government offices;
regulatory authorities etc.
 Establishing business relationship: Business letter plays an important role in
establishing and maintaining relationship with various parties. Business letters
reduce the distance between a business and its customers, suppliers, creditors and
other public groups.
 Creation of markets: Circular letter a form of business letter, helps to create new
markets for goods and services. This letter contains information about utility,
features and usefulness of the products and induces the customer to buy the products.

 Substitute to personal visit: Introduction of letters in business world

relieves the business executives’ form visiting their clients, suppliers,
creditors and other public groups by traveling a long distance. For this reason,
commercial letters are called alternative technique to a personal visit.

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 Saving cost and time: Business letters relieve busy executives from visiting
personally their clients and other concerned parties. Therefore, valuable time
and costs can be saved.
 Maintaining secrecy: Business letters also help to maintain secrecy of
information. Non one other than the sender and receiver can know the
message contained in the letter.
 Increasing goodwill: Business letters, like inquiry letter, circular letter, order
acknowledgment letter, adjustment grant letter, etc help to increase goodwill
of a business with the customers.
 Formal agreement: Business letter acts as formal agreement between buyer
and seller. For example, an order letter contains name of items, price, and
quantity, time of delivery and mode of payment. All these are regarded as the
conditions of an agreement between buyer and seller.

Difference between Personal and Business Letters:

Differences between Business Letter and Personal Letter

Here are the top 10 difference seen between business letter & personal letter writing
etiquette.

1. Personal business letters are formal written communication between colleagues

with the same objective but work for different companies. It helps a great deal in
maintaining professional relationships and developing contacts within your network.
On the other hand a personal letter is a communication between friends on strictly
non-official purposes.  In this case, handwritten personal letter is also legible.

2. The format of personal business letters is normally kept formal. They have single
spacing, are left justified with no paragraph indentation. They strictly have to be
typed. Personal letters on the other hand requires following no set format. It is up to
the writer to decide on what and how he wants to write the letter.

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3. The language is kept very formal in personal business letters. Salutations and
closings are chosen very carefully to the most professional business sentiment.
Colons are used more often (for example, RE: DATE:). Personal letters requires no
such formalities. Because of their informal tone, senders often ignore the basic
punctuation and capitalization standards.

4. Personal business letter has a lot of business related issues and information to
include. Personal letters are restricted only to personal or family affairs.

5. Personal business letter are normally kept short and to the point. One does not go
for useless exaggeration in such letters as none has the time to kill in leisure in the
business world. Length does not matter in Personal letters. All you need is to convey
the right sentiment in the right way.

6. Personal business letter are categorized according to its purpose. However,

personal letters do not fall into any set categories.

7. Salutations in personal business letters are kept formal. Examples may be Sir,
Dear Sir, and Dear Mr. X etc. In case of personal letter salutations are not at all
formal. You may use Dear Friends, My Dear X, Dear X etc.

8. In personal business letters, the language is kept quite easy and simple. Use of
professional tone is highly advocated. Whereas on the other hand, the language used
in personal letter is poetic, emotional and caring.

9. Whenever any personal business letter is exchanged between organizations, a

copy of it is preserves for future reference. In case of personal letter, stocking of the
sent letter is not necessary.
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10. Personal business letters uses a direct and persuasive method where as personal
letters are only direct.
Henceforth, Business personal letters are kept different from personal letters
because both are completely different entities. Business letters are written for a
purpose and is expected a quick response and is all about meeting deadlines.
Personal letters have no such issues linked to it

Structure and Format of a Business Letter:

Structure of a business letter: Conventional Parts of a Business letter

Each of these types of business letters, while providing different information to the
recipient, usually follows a similar format and includes the same basic components.

When writing a business letter of any kind, anticipate including these elements:

Sender's address: The sender's address is your address or the address of your

business.

Date: Include the date you wrote and sent the letter.

Recipient's address: This is the address of the person you're sending the letter to.

Salutation: Use a formal greeting along with the recipient's name.

Introduction: The introductory paragraph of the letter introduces the purpose of the

correspondence to the recipient.

Body: The body paragraph or paragraphs provide details about the letter's subject or
purpose.

Closing statement: The closing paragraph of the letter summarizes and concludes

the message.

Complimentary close: Use a professional phrase along with your signature.

Enclosures: If you're including any additional documents, like a sales brochure, a

resume or an itemized receipt, specify that under the enclosures heading.
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 The following steps of should be followed in writing a business letter.

 Proper planning: The first step in writing a business message is planning. This is

the rewriting stage in which we think our writing project and develop a plan for
doing it. The writer of the business letter should properly thinking and planning
regarding what, when, whom, and how to write the letter.

 Setting purpose: Before writing the business letter, the writer should select the main
purposes of the letter.

 Determine the scope of subject: The writer of the business letter should determine
the scope of the messages. Here, scope refers to what the writer wants to know and
what the writer wants to convey.

 Gather relevant facts and information: The second step in writing a good business
letter is to get all the information we need. For this purpose, we should consider.

 Analyzing and organizing information: In this step, we analyze and organize the
information that has been collected in step-2. If we predict to the reader will react to
our message positively or even neutrally, we will usually organize the message in a
direct plan. Direct plan means to without any opening explanation or introductory
remarks.
On the other hand, if we think that the reader will react to the message negatively,
we should write the message in indirect order.

 Knowing and evaluate the readers: here, the writer should know and evaluates the
reader’s knowledge and level properly.

 Determine the approaches: The writer should also determine any of the following
approaches for analyzing and organizing the information within the letter.
Direct approach
Indirect approach
Persuasive approach

 Selecting the format: After determining the approaches the writer should select any
of the following formats:
Indented style, Full block style and Hanging style
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 Outlining the contents: Here, the writer should outline the contents into convenient
part and paragraphs of the letter.

 Writing the first draft: After outlining the contents of the messages, writing the
first draft of the letter as rough.

 Editing: In this step, the writer should properly read again and again of the letter to
find out the grammar, spelling and other careless mistakes for corrections.

 Writing the final draft: In last step, the writer should write the final draft after
editing of the letter

Format of a Business Letter as given below:

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Types of Business Letters:

Business organizations make use of different types of business letters on a day-to-

day basis. It is a life-breath of any business, no matter if it is big or small. Even after
the availability of digital modes of communication, conventional mail is still in
vogue.

Business Letters implies any written communication that plays the role of the

company’s representative. Hence, a good business letter is characterized by courtesy,
convincing ability, knowledge and politeness. Further, a business letter starts with a
salutation and ends with a signature. Its contents are professional.

Here are a number of types of business letters that the companies use for different
purposes. Here, we are going to discuss each of them in a precise way:

Formal Invitation Letter

Companies send this letter to invite media, clients, suppliers and dignitaries on
special occasions and events like the launch of a new product, inauguration of a new
outlet or manufacturing unit, annual sales meeting, etc. this is generally printed like
an invitation card.

Sales Letters

These letters are meant to present a new product or service to the company’s client
or customer. Sales personnel use these letters to contact prospective buyers and also
to strengthen their terms with long-term clients.

Enquiry Letters

Generally, a client or customer writes this letter and sends it to the organization to
ask for details or seek clarifications about the goods. This will include their quality,
quantity, rates, size, delivery charges, discount rates, packing, time of delivery and
other terms and conditions for procuring them from the seller.

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 Quotation Letter

This is written in response to the enquiry letter. A quotation letter is a letter that a
seller writes and sends it to the buyer indicating the terms and conditions regarding
the sale transaction. On the receipt of the quotation letters from all the suppliers, the
buyer compares them. Thereafter, the buyer picks the three best ones.

Order Letters

As the name suggests, businesses use order letters to place orders for products or
services from a vendor or supplier. So, the motive for writing this letter is buying of
materials. Also, it contains the terms and conditions as per which the buyer and
seller are ready to transact.

Compliance Letter

On receiving the order from the buyer, it is mandatory on the part of the supplier to
supply goods as early as possible or as instructed by the buyer. At the time of
delivery of the goods to the customers, we call it compliance of an order. Further, the
letter which the seller writes to notify the dispatch of the goods is a compliance
letter.

Acceptance Letter

When the prospective buyer places an order for buying the goods, the seller receives
the information regarding that. Thereafter, it becomes necessary for the supplier to
confirm the order first. So, as the letter of acceptance reaches the buyer, acceptance
is said to be complete.

Refusal Letter

The seller writes this letter to the buyer when he refuses to accept the buyer’s
proposal of buying the goods. This happens due to the reasons like

 Difference in price
 Non-availability of stock
 Disagreement with terms and conditions
 Worker’s strike, etc.
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Complaint Letters
First of all, this letter shows dissatisfaction of the customer. Customer sends this
letter to the organization when they are not happy with the product or services they
have bought. Also, he wants to draw the attention of the seller to the issue that he/she
is experiencing, through this letter. Customer usually writes this letter when the
product is defective, damaged or of substandard quality.

In the case of B2B companies, businesses also write complaint letters to the vendor
when they are not satisfied with the product or service quality.

Adjustment Letters

This letter is written in response to a complaint letter. It is an attempt to reassure the

aggrieved customer, who might damage the company’s reputation. This is to
acknowledge the complaint and inform the customer that the company has taken
significant measures to rectify the situation.

Collection Letter

You might be aware of the fact that in business, all the transactions do not take place
in cash. Businesses often supply goods on credit. In this regard, the creditor mails a
collection letter to the debtor to persuade for making payment.

Cover Letters

Applicants send a cover letter along with the resume to the employer at the time of
applying to a job. Not all employers require this. It is used to tell what is enclosed,
the reason for sending it and what the recipient is supposed to do with it.

Letters of Recommendation

It is written in the interest of another profession to confirm their qualifications and

work ethics. Its aim is to make the application more impactful be it for employment,
education or any sort of professional opportunity.

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 Follow-Up Letters

An interview follow-up letter is one that an interviewee sends to the interviewer to

acknowledge them for giving their time and also to restate interest in the position.
The interviewee mails the follow-up letter usually within a day of the interview.

Offer Letter

The employer sends an offer letter to the candidate who had gone through the
recruitment procedure and successfully qualified all the rounds. This informs
him/her that the company wants to hire them. This letter comprises important
information regarding:
 Designation
 Pay scale
 Date of joining
 Benefits
 Timings and
 Other terms of employment.

Appointment Letter
A contract of employment in writing between employer and employee, which the
human resource department of the organization issues. It sets out the terms and
conditions of employment which are binding on both the parties concerned. This is
provided when a new candidate joins the organization.

Welcome Letter

Companies use this letter as a medium to introduce an employee and give basic
information to all the recipients.

Letters of commendation

Employer uses this letter to exhibit pride and appreciation for the extraordinary
performance of the employee. This is to show how worthy an employee is for the
company. The entire staff of the organization congratulate him on his achievement.
This not just sets a standard among employees but also encourages them to do better,
in their respective jobs.
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Thank You Letter

A professionally written thank you letter is a great way of showing gratitude to your
colleagues, employers, vendors, partners etc. that you genuinely value their time or
effort.

Announcement Letters

Letters which the company uses to declare or inform employees, vendors, customers
or media about something important, about the company. This may include changes
in policy, mergers or acquisitions, new product launches etc.

Request Letter

With the help of this letter, one can formally ask or request for something at the
workplace, such as a raise/increment, training session, etc.

Letters of Resignation

Employee sends this letter to an employer to inform them about his/her intent to
resign. Employee sends resignation letter to the immediate boss or manager to
inform him about the resignation and the last working day. In some situations, the
employee can also mention the reasons for leaving the organization.

Some organization does not need a formal resignation letter. Rather a verbal
notification about the employee’s plans to leave is enough.

Termination Letter

The employer writes this letter to the employee to list down all the points, reasons
and terms for his/her termination.

Characteristics of a Business Letter:

1. Simplicity:
A business letter should be simple. It should be written in a lucid (easy) language so
that it is clear to the receiver. The language can be similar to that of social letters as

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long as formality is maintained. The letter should make an instant appeal to the
reader.

2. Conversational style:
An effective letter is one that gives an impression of face to face communication.
Letters are the written media by which sender of the message speaks to the receiver.
Hence a letter should be written in a conversational style. Conversational style is
interactive in nature and is more or less informal.

3. Clarity of goal:
The writer should be clear about what he wishes to convey. He should keep all the
facts and figures of the information handy. The letter should be written in such a way
that it reflects the goal clearly and easily. There must not be any ambiguity.

4. Public relation:
Business letters reflect the image of the organisation. All business letters should
therefore be drafted keeping in mind the objective of enhancing the organisations
goodwill, image and public relations.

5. The ‘You’ attitude:

The business letters should be written keeping in mind the reader’s point of view. It
should be able to convey the sender’s interest in the reader. For this the ‘You’
attitude should be adopted. The T’s and ‘We’s’ should be avoided and more of
‘You’s’ should be included. This will show the sender’s interest in the reader.

6. Courteous:
The business letter should be courteous. Courtesy implies that the letter seeks favour
politely and expresses gratitude profusely for the favours done. Thus the language of
the letter should be polite and appealing. When the ‘You’ attitude is adopted,
automatically the letter becomes polite and appealing.

7. Persuading:
The basic idea behind every business correspondence is to persuade the reader be it a
sales letter, letter of enquiry or letter of complaint. Thus to persuade the reader in an
effective way the piece of correspondence should be well written. So as to persuade
the reader in ones favour.

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8. Sincere:
The business letters should be sincere. This means that the letter should be written in
such a way that the readers believe what the letter says. It should not hide reality. It
should also be free from hypocracy making tall claims. The matter should be stated
erectly and genuinely.

9. Positive language:
The words of the letter should be chosen with care. As far as possible the language
of the piece of letter should be positive. The use of negative words should be
avoided as it gives an impression of negative outlook and approach.

10. Due emphasis:

Proper emphasis should be put on the content of the piece of correspondence. This
requires logical thinking on the part of the writer. The writer should himself be clear
in his mind what he wants to convey.

Only then he can emphasis properly. Proper emphasis is to be given according to the
message Conveyed. Proper punctuation aids to this. It should also be noted that short
sentences are better than long sentences.

11. Coherence:
The information present in the letter should be arranged in a logical way. This is
done by using carefully the linking devices, pronouns, and reputing the key words.
Unless arranged in a logical way the information will lose its meaning and thus the
objectivity of the correspondence will be lost.

12. Care for culture:

All business correspondence seeks to be written keeping in mind the reader’s point
of view. As such no words should be used which offends the cultural background of
the reader? The best way is to avoid use of culturally derived words, slangs,
colloquialisms etc. Harmless and in offensive words should be used.

13. Tactful approach:

The writer should adopt a tactful approach while writing a business letter. It can be a
direct approach letter, an indirect approach letter or a middle approach letter

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depending on the message to be conveyed. Generally good news is conveyed
directly where as a bad news or a complaint adopts indirect or middle approach.

14. Ethical standard:

A business letter reflects the image of an organisation. Therefore all business
correspondence should maintain certain ethical standard. Although business
correspondence should be persuasive and tactful, without ethics they will be
fruitless. It may pay in short run but it will not reap harvest in long run.

15. Brief but complete:

Brevity is the soul of correspondence. In short the receiver must know what the
sender wants to transmit. But briefness does not mean incomplete. An incomplete
letter does not fulfill its objectives. All necessary matter should be incorporated in
the letter. Thus the quality of brevity and completeness should be there in business
letter.

Writing E-mail-Email Etiquettes-Overcoming Problems in E-mail

What is the difference between formal and informal emails?

The difference between formal and informal emails is the recipient. You likely
write formal emails to colleagues, co-workers, managers, or clients with polite,
professional language and use the best email etiquette possible. Informal emails
go to friends and family with laid-back language, personal anecdotes, and few
structure or formatting requirements.

Keeping track of what makes an email formal isn’t always intuitive. Here are a
few general email etiquette rules to remember when crafting an informal or
formal email.

Formal emails

A formal email is for professional correspondence sent to someone we don’t

know personally or a colleague or client with whom we have a business
relationship or are writing for the first time. A business email always requires
good email etiquette, appropriate formatting and template styles, and the right
tone.
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 Here are four characteristics of a formal email:

1. Structure: Respecting the recipient's time is critical to business email etiquette.

A formal email should efficiently summarize information and let the receiver
understand the reason for your email quickly and clearly.

An appropriate format includes:

 Clear subject line

 Salutations
 Brief email body
 Closing
 Sign off

2. Tone: The language of formal emails should be respectful, professional, and

polite. Think about how you would deliver a presentation to a client or discuss a
challenge with a manager. The same tone should apply to your email
communication.
3. Setting: Formal emails are used for business and professional purposes.
Examples include:

 Cold-emailing a potential client

 Requesting a meeting with a manager
 Following up on a job offer
 Asking for help from a college professor

4. Etiquette: Our online communication is an extension of ourselves and tells

our recipient what to expect from a continued working relationship. Instead of
handshakes, eye contact, facial expressions, and body-language that we observe
in face-to-face meetings, formal emails require phrasing that communicates
professionalism. You should avoid using emojis, exclamation points or
abbreviations the recipient may be unfamiliar with.

Informal emails

An informal email is used for personal correspondence sent to those we have a

friendly relationship with, like friends and family. A personal email is written
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 with simple and casual language and can use a playful or personal tone. Unlike a
professional email, an informal email has no format or templates to stick to.

A informal email template should follow these four basic rules:

1. Structure: There’s no true structure to follow, as an informal email can be a

quick response without a greeting or a long email that meanders.
2. Tone: The language of an informal email is casual and may include jokes,
images, and sharing of personal information.
3. Setting: Informal emails are used for personal reasons. Examples include:

 Inviting a friend to a birthday party

 Announcing a new move to a family member
 Catching up with an old friend

4. Etiquette: Informal emails don't have specific etiquette to follow — it’s

entirely dependent on the type of relationship you have with the recipient

What is email etiquette, and why is it so important?

Email etiquette is a set of principles that guide appropriate business

communication when writing to potential and existing clients, business partners,
co-workers, managers, and acquaintances in your professional network.

Solid communication skills help you thrive in your professional growth. Writing
with respect, clarity, and efficiency builds better connections across your
team and avoids miscommunications that are both counterproductive and reflect
poorly on you and your organization.

Here are four professional benefits of learning proper email etiquette:

1. Establishes professionalism. The way you write and communicate is a

representation of how you work. Our communication style sets expectations
about what it will be like to work with us. The right tone, proper structure, and
appropriate language tell your reader that you’re trustworthy serious, and
professional.

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2. Improves communication. Healthy communication is key to building solid
relationships and team dynamics. Communicating clearly, respectfully, and
efficiently will develop better relationships with managers, co-workers, or
employees and can improve collaboration, connection, retention, and creativity.
3. Saves time. Learning professional email writing will stop writer's block by
teaching you what to say. Less time spent staring blankly at an email means
more time spent on other tasks.
4. Avoid misunderstandings. Online communications go against our nature.
Humans depend on non-verbal cues to understand the other person's demeanor
and intentions. Writing with the correct language and tone avoids interpersonal
misunderstandings that strain professional relationships.

15 rules of email etiquette

1. Use an appropriate salutation

It’s important to know how to start an email professionally. Start the email with
the correct salutation, which will change depending on your relationship with the
recipient. You don't need to get creative. The main salutations, "Hi" and "Hello"
are less formal, or you can choose the more traditional "Dear": 

If you're writing directly to a colleague or someone you have a friendly

professional relationship with, you can start with the following, start with
"Hello" or "Hi."  Someone you‘ve never met or have a formal professional
relationship with, like a hiring manager or a new or potential client, should be
greeted with "Dear."

2. Don't misidentify or misgender

"Dear Sir," "Dear Madam," "Dear Mr." or "Dear Mrs." might unintentionally

misgender and offend someone. If you don't know how someone prefers to be
addressed, stay gender-neutral and use their first or full name. Neutral greetings
like “Hey there,” “Hey folks,” or “Hey again” also avoids assumptions of
gender.

3. Add a professional greeting

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 Getting straight to the point doesn't mean you shouldn't greet someone. Keep it
simple. Here are a few acceptable greetings:

 I hope this email finds you well.

 How are you?

4. Use a professional email address

Having a professional email address is a show of professionalism and

seriousness. If you’re representing a business, always use your company email.
If you’re a freelancer or contractor without a professional website, create a
Gmail with your full name. Leave the nicknames for informal emails. 

If you forward all your correspondence to one inbox, ensure you’re sending
messages from the correct email.

5. Reply to all of your emails

If someone took the time to write to you, be respectful and follow up with an
answer. Responsiveness should be a top priority. Set aside time to go through
emails at the beginning and end of your day. Not responding isn't just
disrespectful — it will likely make people perceive you as unreliable and
unprofessional.

6. Let people know when you’re unavailable

If you’re going to be away for a vacation, create an out-of-office auto-reply to

manage people's expectations. They won’t think you’re ignoring their emails or
feel frustrated when they don’t hear from you. Keep it brief:

 Hi! I’ll be out-of-office from [start date to end date]. If you have an urgency,
please get in touch with my colleague at [email address]. Thank you.

7. Think twice before hitting "reply all"

Pay special attention to email threads. When you use the “reply all” button, you
might send the email to a recipient who is no longer involved or wants to be left
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 out of the correspondence. Double-check who you’re replying to before hitting
send.

8. Blind carbon copy is your best friend

If you’re writing a new email to many recipients, using the blind carbon copy, or
bcc, the feature is best. Adding email addresses in the bcc field makes those
addresses invisible to the other recipients. This both respects your recipients'
privacy and avoids unwanted email threads when someone hits “reply all.”

9. Use appropriate punctuation

Relying on lots of em dashes (An em dash is a punctuation mark that can be used
to replace commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons, in general), semi-colons,
or parenthesis to explain a situation indicates that your email is better suited for
a phone call or meeting. Don't overuse unnecessary punctuation. Exclamation
points are appropriate for specific situations like:

 Announcing exciting news

 Congratulating someone
 Sharing the success of a challenging project

For day-to-day conversation, stick to the tried and true period and remember to
keep it brief.

10. Avoid unnecessary embellishments

Choose a font that’s easy to read and avoid unnecessary embellishments like
memes, gifs, and emojis. They’ll just distract from your point.

11. Shorten URLs and hyperlink: (URL-Uniform Resource Locator)

Copying and pasting an entire link looks sloppy and demonstrates a lack
of attention to detail. Always shorten URLs or hyperlinks over text.

12. Let people know you’re sending an attachment

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 If you need to include a document, make sure that you mention to your recipient
that you’re sending an attachment and double-check that it works properly. If
you’re sending a large file through a third-party platform, confirm that the
recipient received a notification.

13. Proofread

Proofread to ensure that your message is clear, concise, and polite. Double-
check for typos and grammar errors, and always run the spell-check feature. If
you don't have professional copy-editing skills, download a grammar app to
make sure you have crossed your digital t's and dotted your i's.

14. Spell the recipient's name correctly

Spelling someone's name wrong is a quick way to make a bad first impression. If

their full name isn't in their email address, check their LinkedIn profile or hover
over their email address.

15. Use an email signature

A signature block is a valuable space to provide additional information about

yourself and your brand. A work-appropriate email signature might include the
following information about you:

 Full name
 Position
 Company name with a hyperlink to the company website
 Additional contact information, such as a phone number

Links to appropriate social media platforms, like LinkedIn. Only use Instagram

and Twitter if you use your social media accounts to  promote your personal
brand.

Start emailing with confidence

Communication skills are among the most important skills you can learn. As
remote work remains present and online communication grows, taking the time

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to build better-written communication habits will help you nurture respectful
relationships, save time, and stay productive.

Writing memos, Circulars and Notices:

Memorandum: According to Merriam-Webster dictionary a memorandum is: A

brief written message or report from one person or department in a company or
organization to another. A memorandum is used for internal communication. A
memorandum is also referred as ‘Memo’. Literally the purpose of a memo is to
inform or to reveal. A memo is generally used to provide information to other
employees of an organization about a specific issue. It is a written statement, a
sender specifically prepares for receivers to appraise or inform them about a
particular matter or specific issue. These receivers also belong to the same
organization as of the sender’s. The shape of memo can be of a short note. A note
that is crisp in terms of its information content.

A memo can be meant for a single person or a group or a committee. When

colleagues have to communicate within the organization, they can use telephone as
mode of communication. But during a professional communication, a situation
sometimes demands to keep a record of communication. In that case, memo can be
used to communicate for purposes such as requests, instructions, action taken, and
suggestion etc. A memo is not used for lengthy communication.

Format for a Memo:

Although a memo serves the purpose similar to a letter but its format is different.
Generally companies go for a pre- decided format including all the components of a
memo that are fixed or standardized.
A memo format consists of following components:
Letter Head: A memo is written on a letter head. A letter head signifies the address
of the office of the sender. As the sender and receiver of the memo are from same
organization, it indicates the internal communication. In case, a company is having
different business units, the letter head conveys inter unit communication.
Memorandum mentioned: Under the letter head, the word ‘Memo’ or
‘Memorandum’ is specifically mentioned to convey the type of internal
communication.

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Memo number: A memo number is the identity of a memorandum. It differentiates
it from other memo and similar kind of communication. This number is also
mentioned while referring to a specific communication.
To: It indicates the information about the receivers of the memo. First and last name
of a receiver can be mentioned here. If information is meant for the all the members
of a department then name of the department can be mentioned. In case, information
is for everyone in the organization, a phrase ‘for everyone’ or ‘all the employees’
can be stated.
From: This part of the memo declares the sender of the information. Just like ‘To:’
in ‘From:’ column name of a person, a committee, or a department can be
mentioned.
Date: It indicates the date, month, and year of the writing of a memo. A proper date
format should be used and usage of abbreviations should be avoided.
Subject: A subject line indicates the specific purpose of writing a memo. Just like a
subject line of a letter or an email, it provides a hint about the main content of a
memo to the receiver. On the basis of subject line, a receiver generally decides about
the relevance of the information.
Main content: It is the main body of a memo that conveys the complete message.
All the principles of effective writing can be applied while writing the message. It
includes reference to the issue, factual information related to issue, action to be taken
or suggestions given related to the issue.
Cc: It tells about all those receivers who must receive the same information.
Generally, the name of persons indirectly concerned with the issue is mentioned
here.
Signature: Signature followed by name of the sender (in parentheses) is mentioned
here. This name sometimes represents a group, committee, unit, or department.
Block format of a memo:

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 Tips for creating a memo: For writing an effective memo, you require fundamental
knowledge about principles of effective writing. Apart from that few points must be
remembered at the time of drafting a memo.
These points are as follows:
o Avoid using salutation. Unlike letter, a memo does not carry a salutation. So do not
use dear or respected…
o Avoid using complementary closing. A memo does not include a complementary
closure, so avoid phrases like yours sincerely, yours faithfully, sincere regards etc.
Always keep your subject line simple and specific. It increases the effectiveness of a
memo.
o Organize the matter for main content of the memo on the basis of priority of
information.
o Make sure that the word ‘Memo’ is clearly visible on the format.
o Try to draft the memo using second person. Instead of saying everyone is expected,
say you are expected.
o Use headings and subheads wherever required to present the information.
o Always put less important information at the end of a memo.

Example of a Memo:

Circulars: An office circular or a circular is related to wide circulation of

information. It is used to provide information to all or larger number of employees of
an organization. The information can be related to opening up of a new facility,
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 inviting suggestions, seeking interest, visit of a specialist, a party, rules and
regulations etc. The basic purpose of a circular is to make the receiver aware about a
stated issue. A circular is also treated as an advertisement meant for wider
distribution. It is like information for each and every one.
Following are the few tips that can be used while drafting a circular:
 As a circular is meant for larger audience, a simple and jargon free language should
be preferred.
 It should be short and to the point.
 It should be properly signed by an authority.
 It must bear a unique number indicating specific communication.

Example of a Circular:

Notices:
They are short pieces of communication intended to imitate or inform people or
members of an organisation about a decision taken or about to be taken.
Notices are internal communication within an organisation and are limited to a
certain group within the organisation. They are widely used within organisations for

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the purposes of giving and exchanging information with other members of the staff.
They are usually displayed on boards specially used for this purpose. The notice is
put up for the target audience to read.
Notices generally contain information or announcements meant for all the employees
of an organisation.
Purpose of Notices:
The purpose of a notice is to pass on specific information meant for specific
receivers. A notice is always issued by an authorized person. A notice needs to be
drafted in a summarized way so that the receiver could understand the information
by just having a glance. Notices can also be pinned on the notice board to convey the
information to the intended receivers. A notice is also having a legal relevance. For
example, in case of ending a contract of employment, a notice is issued. Another
more popular purpose of drafting a notice is to notify about a meeting. Before calling
a meeting, it is essential to notify all the members about it.

This information must be sent to all the members who have a right to attend the
meeting. The proper circulation of the information has to be ensured by the secretary
in consultation with the Chairperson of the meeting. Such a notice must mention
information about the day, date, time, and venue of the meeting. If decided, agenda
items may be mentioned in the notice or attached separately. It has to be ensured that
notice reaches all the members within reasonable time before the meeting.
Language: When drafting notices it is effective to request than to command or
threaten. Therefore the language has to be polite and unambiguous so the reader of
the notice does not feel angry or insulted.

E.g. The correct way to frame a notice is

“Members of the staff are requested to …”
“All members are kindly requested to assemble in …”
E.g. The wrong way to frame a notice is
“Workers will not be permitted to …”
“Workers should not encourage or indulge in…”
It is crucial that the words are considered before the message is typed and put
up on the notice board.
The necessary information on a notice
Notices should state
- Your name or the name of the organisation
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- The postal address of the premises
- The address where the licensing authority register is maintained
- The date by which a responsible officer of the organisation may make
representations to the relevant licensing authority
- The representation should be made in writing
- Awareness that it is an offence to knowingly or recklessly provide false
information with regard to the application and that a person guilty of such an offence
will be liable to a fine not exceeding level five on the standard scale.

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