Office Correspondence and Business Letters

Introduction
Business correspondence means the exchange of information in a written format for the
process of business activities. Business correspondence can take place between organizations,
within organizations or between the customers and the organization. The correspondence
refers to the written communication between persons.
A businessman writes and receives letters in his day to day life. A correspondence
between two organizations or within an organization comes under this category. Minutes of the
meetings, memoranda, complaint letters, letter of inquiry are some of its examples.
The importance of business correspondence lies in the fact that it is the formal way of
exchanging information by which professional relationships are maintained between
organizations, employees, and clients. Since it is in a written form, it can serve as a future
reference for the information being communicated.

A. Minutes of the Meetings

Meeting minutes are notes that recap the events that occurred during an organizational
meeting. They function as a written record for a given meeting, including the projects that
managers or supervisors assigned, the employees to whom they assigned those projects, the
requirements for them to follow and any other important workplace decisions mentioned during
it.
They help employees who attended the meeting remember what they discussed during
the meeting and notify employees who couldn't attend of what the meeting was about so they
don't miss any important information.

What to include in meeting minutes

When creating meeting minutes, consider any details that you feel might be beneficial
for meeting participants to reference at a later time. In addition, determine how much content
you want to include in them to use as a reference for future planning. Here are the primary
elements to include when writing meeting minutes:

 Why the meeting happened

  First and last names of attendees
 The date and time of the meeting
 Projects assigned during the meeting and their deadlines
 Decisions employees and leadership made during the meeting
 Any corrections to previous meeting minutes
 Motions that passed or failed
 Date and time of the next meeting, if applicable

How to write meeting minutes

Here are seven steps you can take to write and distribute meeting minutes:
1. Prepare a template before the meeting
To ensure you're prepared for the meeting, create a template or an outline with the
necessary information filled out directly before the meeting is to occur. This can help you save
time during the meeting and concentrate on taking more relevant notes. In your template,
create placeholders for specific items of discussion and information.
Consider discussing what information is most important for you to include in the minutes
with the professional who's planning to lead the meeting if you're unsure. You can also request
to view past meetings to learn how to format your minutes properly.
Once you know what to include in the minutes, you can edit your template and begin
filling in the blank fields. Here are some placeholders you might want to include in your
template:
 Organization name
 Meeting purpose
 Start and end times
 Date and location
 List of attendees and absentees, if necessary
 Space for important information like motions passed or deadlines given
 Space for your signature and the meeting leader's signature
 An agenda, if the meeting leader provided you with one

2. Take notes during the meeting

Once the meeting starts, you can begin taking notes about important actions, decisions,
assigned projects and discussions that occur during it. Try to limit your notes to the most
important information provided by participants, rather than attempting to document everything
they mention. If a participant tries to pass a motion, document who requested the motion, what
it was and if it was able to pass. In addition, document each time a vote occurs among
participants.
Record the names of participants who provide reports or presentations and summarize
their contents. You can also note any assignment updates or new projects that managers
assign to employees. Include the name of the project or assignment, along with its details and
due date.
If possible, include a timeline for completing the project and submitting the deliverables
associated with it. Depending on the meeting, it may also be necessary to note any discussions
that occur. If you're recording a conversation, use objective language and try to avoid using
adjectives or including your personal opinion.

3. Collect copies of any reports or presentations

If any participants shared a report or presentation, request the documents or slides
associated with it after the meeting from the presenter or meeting leader. If they're unable to
provide you with a physical copy, ask if they can email it to you.
Once you receive the necessary materials from the report or presentation, you can
attach it to your meeting minutes to share with participants. This can help them remember what
the topic of discussion was and help the people who couldn't attend view the information they
missed.

4. Review your notes

After you ensure that you have all the additional materials required for your meeting
minutes, note the time that the participants concluded the meeting. Review your notes to make
sure that you didn't miss any important information and to determine if there's anything that
might be useful for you to add.
If the person you need additional information from is still present in the meeting room,
ask for their assistance if they're not busy. If you aren't able to collect information from
someone in person, you can send a professional email asking for these details shortly after the
meeting.

5. Create a final draft

As soon as you've finished writing your notes, type them into paragraphs while you still
remember them clearly. Write a separate paragraph for each decision or action from the
meeting and emphasize what the meeting accomplished. Keep your meeting minutes in the
same present tense throughout the entire document and ensure that the verbiage is objective
and easy for the participants to understand.

Once you've typed your minutes, you can number the pages if there's more than one
page. Attach any important supporting documents and proofread for clarity, spelling and
grammatical issues.

6. Request approval from leadership

After creating a final draft of your meeting minutes, you can send them to the meeting
leader or your immediate supervisor for approval. Before you do this, make sure you include
your name on the document as the person who created them.
Depending on your organization, it may also be necessary for you to submit the meeting
minutes to several people to receive their signatures of approval and any final requests. If they
read the minutes and request any corrections, apply them quickly and note them in the minutes
before sending them out.

7. Deliver the meeting minutes

When you're ready to share your minutes, ask the meeting leader for guidance on how
to distribute the document to all the participants. While you can submit most meeting minutes
by email, it's useful to learn the method your leadership prefers.
Ensure that you send the minutes with the necessary documents attached and that you
provide them to all the participants, including those who didn't attend. It's beneficial to verify the
list of participants with the meeting organizer. In addition, ask them if they'd like you to send the
minutes to any additional employees who weren't on the participant list.

Tips for writing meeting minutes

Here are some tips to help you write more effective meeting minutes:
 Distribute an attendance sheet if needed
Since your supervisor or meeting leader may not provide you with a list of participants
prior to the meeting, it's useful to create an attendance sheet for participants to fill out on the
day of the meeting. Have them include their name and contact information, such as an email
address. This ensures that you're able to send the documents to the necessary employees
after the meeting.
 Record only important meeting items
Verify with your manager or meeting leader what items they'd like you to record once
again prior to the meeting. Once you know what to document, you can make your writing more
concise by only writing important meeting items.
Consider using bullet points to keep your main points brief and improve readability. This
helps you become more prepared for the next time your manager may require you to write
meeting minutes.

 Use shorthand to help you write quicker

Shorthand is a method of writing that can help you record ideas quicker and include
more information. Developing a shorthand can help you document meeting information more
efficiently. For example, you could write each participant's initials rather than using their full
names or use acronyms to present processes or phrases regularly used during meetings.

 Use a recording device

To help you remember everything that the participants discussed during the meeting,
consider bringing a device to record the full meeting. This can be especially useful if a meeting
leader requests that you include more information than usual.
You can refer to the device as you're typing up your meeting minutes to ensure that you
were able to include the most pertinent information. Before the meeting, it's good etiquette to
request approval from the meeting leader and to inform the participants of your intention to
record them and obtain their consent.

 Find a pre-made template

Consider using a pre-made template to structure your meeting minutes. You can search
for one online, save it and edit it to fit your desired format. After you find the right template, you
can refer to it regularly for each meeting. This allows you to ensure consistency and enables
participants to retrieve the information they need quickly.

Sample Templates

Informal team meeting minutes template

Date: Today's date

Attendees

 List of attendees

Agenda

 Item 1 including key discussions, decisions made, next steps

 Item 2
 Item 3

Next steps

 List goes here in format: action item, responsible person, date

 Example: Brian to follow up to this group with a list of target companies by end of week

Formal board meeting minutes template

DATE: Date of the meeting

PRESENT: First and last names of all those present at the meeting

ABSENT: First and last names of Committee members who are unable to attend the meeting.

1. CALL TO ORDER/OPENING REMARKS

 The time that the meeting was called to order and by whom.
 Any opening remarks summarized here.

2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM (DATE)

 You need a motion to approve the prior meeting's minutes.

 Motion: To approve the minutes of (DATE) as circulated (or AMENDED) Motion By: Name of person (FIRST &
LAST) who made the motion
 Seconded By: Name of the person (FIRST & LAST)) who seconded the motion Carried or Defeated

3. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA

 If there are additions to the agenda or requests for the next meeting's agenda, these would be bulleted here.

4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

 Motion: to approve the agenda as circulated (or AMENDED)

 Motion By: name of person (FIRST & LAST) who made the motion
 Seconded By: name of person (FIRST & LAST) who made the motion Carried or Defeated

5. BUSINESS FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING

 Any items from the previous meeting that need to be discussed further

6. ITEM # 1 TO BE DISCUSSED
  Put a summary of the discussion around the topic
 If any motions were made, put the information here
 If further information is needed, put follow-ups, names, and a target date here

7. ITEM # 2 TO BE DISCUSSED

 Any other items

8. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA

 Any added agenda Item, including a summary of the discussions around this item
 If any motions were made, put information here
 If further information is needed, put follow-ups, names, and a target date here

9. ADJOURNMENT

 Record the time the meeting was adjourned

10. NEXT MEETING (DATE)

 The next meeting date should be decided at the end of the meeting before everyone leaves. It's a handy
reminder to include it at the bottom of the minutes template so it isn't missed.

B. Memorandum

A memorandum, more commonly known as a memo, is a short message or record used

for internal communication in a business. Once the primary form of internal written
communication, memorandums have declined in use since the introduction of email and other
forms of electronic messaging; however, being able to write clear memos certainly can serve
you well in writing internal business emails, as they often serve the same purpose.

Purpose of Memos
Memos can be used to quickly communicate with a wide audience something brief but
important, such as procedural changes, price increases, policy additions, meeting schedules,
reminders for teams, or summaries of agreement terms, for example.

Writing Effective Memos

Communications strategist Barbara Diggs-Brown says that an effective memo is "short,
concise, highly organized, and never late. It should anticipate and answer all questions that a
reader might have. It never provides unnecessary or confusing information."
 Be clear, be focused, be brief yet complete. Take a professional tone and write as if the
world could read it—that is, don't include any information that's too sensitive for everyone to
see, especially in this age of copy and paste or "click and forward."

Format
Start with the basics: to whom the article is addressed, the date, and the subject line.
Start the body of the memo with a clear purpose, state what you need the readers to know, and
conclude with what you need readers to do, if necessary. Remember that employees may just
skim the memo upon receipt, so use short paragraphs, subheads, and where you can, use lists.
These are "points of entry" for the eye so the reader can refer back easily to the part of the
memo that he or she needs.
Don't forget to proofread. Reading aloud can help you find dropped words, repetition,
and awkward sentences.

Sample Memo
The following is a fictional memo to set up a meeting with members of a team who are
returning from a trade show.

To: Trade Show Team

From: C.C. Jones, Marketing Supervisor

Date: July 10, 2018

Subject: Trade Show Return Meeting

Upon your return to work Friday, July 20, from the trade show, let's plan a noon lunch meeting in the east wing
meeting room to go over how the show went. Let's plan to discuss what worked well and what didn't, such as:

 Number of days in attendance

 Amount and types of marketing materials provided
 Booth displays
 How the giveaways were received
 The location of the booth and traffic at different times of day
 What sparked interest in passersby
 Booth staffing levels

I know that when you get back from a trade show you have a million things to follow up on, so we will keep the
meeting to 90 minutes or less. Please come prepared with your feedback and constructive criticism on the
marketing aspects of the show. Existing-customer feedback and new customer leads will be covered in a separate
meeting with product and sales teams. Thank you for your work at the show.