Business professional correspondence: basics and rules. How to conduct business correspondence correctly: etiquette requirements

The letters of an intelligent person reflect the character of those to whom they are addressed.

[Lichtenberg Georg Christoph]

Write the kind of letters that you would like to receive.

[Ancient aphorism]

A letter is a powerful argument in the world of business.

[Bekhtereva Victoria]

1. Why have uniform corporate standards in business correspondence?

Electronic correspondence is a mandatory attribute of business communication for any company. There are practically no companies that do not use email. But ask yourself the following questions:

• Does it ever happen to you that when you send an email to a colleague, it feels like you are sending a letter into a black hole, and they may simply not respond to you?
• When employees call each other and ask each other to urgently read an email, and this happens all day long
• When you absolutely cannot understand what exactly they want from you in an email
• When complex and difficult issues when discussed by email drown in a sea of ​​information, details, and the issue is never resolved

If these issues are relevant to you, then you can gain a lot of time every day by implementing uniform rules for electronic correspondence. In this article we will talk about business correspondence etiquette.

2. Seven main rules of business correspondence ethics

Let’s conditionally divide the rules of business correspondence on the rules of ethics And rules of communication and information exchange.

Communication rules are governed by the rules for exchanging information within business processes and projects. We will devote a separate article to them. The rules of ethics shape the style of internal relations between company employees and inevitably influence the formation of the image of your company among partners. For example, I recently received a letter from one of our partners that began with the words, “Good afternoon, Bekhterev.” Do you think our cooperation worked out?

In order not to “lose face” of the company by leading business correspondence, it is necessary to follow the “golden rules” of business correspondence ethics:

1. We always start a letter with an appeal
2. The subject of the letter must be
3. Before sending, please check spelling, punctuation, speech errors
4. The letter must be structured (NO water!)
5. The letter must contain correct wording
6. If we send attachments in a letter, then be sure to write that there are attached files (this move will help avoid situations when you send a letter and the file is not attached; the recipient, having read the letter and not finding the attached document, can quickly respond and write to you that the attached the documents you indicated in the letter are missing).
7. We never delete correspondence. One of the most important points. Message history should never be deleted, since a letter is a document. If necessary, you should always be able to raise your correspondence history. Radislav Gandapas, for example, even included a request not to delete the correspondence history in his signature.

3. Types of letters

There are many various classifications, we propose to differentiate letters according to their design structure:

1. Communication letter (letter of refusal, letter of claim, letter of recognition, letter of justification, etc.)
2. Letter of agreement

Letter communication

In this type of letter we include all types of letters that an employee uses in the course of his professional activities.

Letter structure

The letter should not be formatted in a single text. It must be clearly structured and well-designed so that the recipient does not lose sight of important information. The structure of the letter consists of clear components:

Letter subject

The subject of the letter should contain the specific action that you expect from the respondent: “agree on an agreement”, “suggest issues for consideration”, “send a report”, etc.

If you are sending documents, the subject line must contain a clear statement of the documents contained in the attachment of the letter.

Why is it important to format your email subject correctly?

It is very easy to find the necessary letter in the daily flow of information based on the subject of the letter. Not a single letter will be lost.

Note: if you send a letter within a company, then the subject of the letter is formatted according to a given standard; if you send a letter outside the company, then it is advisable to format the subject according to the template: Company name: purpose of the letter.

The more constructive in the body of the letter, the better! One of the key business writing skills that you should develop in your employees is the ability to clearly and concisely formulate your thoughts.

P.S. If, while composing a letter, we mention a fact from the interlocutor’s letter, it must be quoted, separated by color or font.

Corporate signature

The corporate signature template must be the same for all employees of the company.

The signature should include all the key details of the addressee so that if necessary, the recipient of the letter can easily contact you.

Sincerely,

Full name, position.

P.S. If we want a warm relationship with a partner/client, then it is worthwhile to issue a personal signature. Any person is pleased to receive a letter with a personal attitude, even in formal correspondence.

The personal signature always refers to the body of the letter. Example: Have a good day/ Thank you / It was a pleasure to talk to you today / Thank you for taking your time on such an important issue / Hello family and children, etc.

To/Copy

We fill out the “To” and “Cc” fields last, so as not to accidentally send a letter when it is not yet ready.

What is the difference between the To and Cc fields?

In the “To” field we insert the address of the person from whom we need to perform some action.

In the “Copy” field we insert the address of the person who would benefit from reading the contents of the letter.

P.S. Our experience has proven that the Cc field is very useful. If we are negotiating with an ordinary employee, we discuss important questions, but we do not receive answers on the merits and in fixed time, then it is worth inserting into a copy of the letter from the director or higher manager, and the correspondence will immediately begin in a constructive manner.

Unfortunately, in many companies the level corporate culture not at the proper level, as a result of which situations arise when, in order for an employee to do his job well, strict control by the management team is necessary.

Outlook also has a function like “Bcc” - an important tool that allows you to inform interested parties about the letter, but at the same time not confuse the recipient that the letter is not addressed to him alone!

Letter of agreement

An important type of letter that allows you to summarize the meeting, in in writing formulate agreements, set deadlines for completion and clarify: did both parties correctly understand what they must do?

It is useful to draw up such letters after meetings, negotiations and meetings in order to have written agreements and a common vision of their implementation.

Letter structure:

1. Greetings, addresses and thanks to the discussion participants.
2. Reiteration of the purpose of the meeting at which agreements were formed.
3. A list of all the issues that were discussed, in connection with the decisions made on them and the appointment of the person responsible for execution.
4. Recording ideas that do not require urgent implementation for history.
5. Question to addressees: Has everything been taken into account? Any comments or additions?

For example:

Formatting a letter

Font

The font of the letter should be uniform; key points and headings can be highlighted in italics, but you must adhere to a single design style.

P.S. You should always remember that words written in capital letters are perceived as raising the tone. They should be avoided.

Paragraph

It is advisable to formulate each individual thought in a separate paragraph to make the text easier to understand.

Indentations

Paragraphs should not merge with each other. To make the letter more readable, indentations should be after the greeting, before each paragraph and before the signature:

To make the letter visually more attractive, it is better to format the links in the body of the letter as hyperlinks:

Writing style

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Plan. 1. Introduction2. rules of ethics3. basics of business correspondence etiquette4. conclusion5. bibliography Introduction.
Etiquette of conversation refers, in its essence, to ethics - the science of morality and ethics. modern world When conflicts arise in business, everyday life, government circles, production, or international relations, they are increasingly resolved through business conversation, negotiations. The essence of conflicts, the reasons for their occurrence in business areas and ways to resolve conflicts belong to the science of management - management. Managers even classified conflicts: “goal conflicts, cognitive conflicts, sensory conflict (emotions)” and developed methods for resolving them. The basis for resolving disagreements and conflicts are negotiation methods, which according to strategy are divided into three types: soft, hard and principled. The soft method consists of a strategy of concessions, the hard one is a contest of will, the principled method combines both and solves problems at their essence, making it possible to achieve the goal within the framework of decency. The results of negotiations, as well as disputes, are influenced by many factors: perception, emotions, positions of different parties and others. To resolve various disputes, it is very important to clarify the way of thinking, the thinking of opponents, which greatly contributes to successful negotiations. An important point in negotiations are also emotions that need to be suppressed by the so-called method of “letting off steam”, which allows you to get rid of the feelings of anger and fear that arise in disputes . In addition, a hostile situation is removed by apologies, expressions of regret, shaking hands, and inexpensive gifts. Principled negotiation behavior involves two questions: how to develop objective criteria? How to apply them in disputes. Objective criteria must be legal and practical, regardless of the wishes of the parties.

Ethics is a philosophical discipline whose object of study is morality. Morality is the most important component of culture, one of the main ways of regulating human behavior. Therefore, according to many thinkers, ethics is the most important part of philosophy. She's looking at those moral problems questions that inevitably confront every person: what is the meaning of life and death; what is the essence of good and evil and what are the criteria for distinguishing them; how to deal with suffering; is it possible to combine the fulfillment of moral duty and the achievement of happiness; how to evaluate people's actions - by intentions or by results; what are the criteria of fairness; what is the place of love in a person’s life; why altruism is preferable to selfishness; are goodness and benefit compatible, etc.

Ethics not only describes actually existing relationships between people, but also strives to create an ideal of these relationships, i.e. not only analyzes what exists, but also outlines the outlines of what should be. Ethical ideas are the realization of a person’s need for ideals and values.

Ethics strives for a rational justification of moral values, although their rationalization inevitably encounters difficulties, since these values ​​are associated not only with a person’s reason, but also with his feelings, beliefs, and moral faith. Each historical era, each thinker enriches ethical issues with their spiritual quests, their experience, and reveals new aspects of them. Therefore, it is necessary to study ethics through consideration of diverse theoretical and life positions. Having touched upon the problems of ethics, we get acquainted with the ethical norm, that is, the postulates of the professional ethics of an entrepreneur. Such postulates underlie what can be defined as code of ethics entrepreneur.

Civilized Entrepreneur:

I am convinced of the usefulness of my work not only for myself, but also for others, for society, for the state;

It proceeds from the fact that the people around him want and know how to work, strive to realize themselves together with the entrepreneur;

Believes in business, regards it as attractive creativity, treats

to business as art;

Recognizes the need for competition, but also understands the need for cooperation;

Respects himself as a person, and any person as himself;

Respects any property state power, social movements, social order, laws;

Trusts himself, but also others, respects professionalism and competence;

Values ​​education, science and technology, computer science, culture, respects the environment;

Strives for innovation;

He is a humanist.

Forming ourselves as an entrepreneur, we must clearly realize that such behavioral traits as politeness, tact, and delicacy are absolutely necessary not only for “the ability to behave in society,” but also for ordinary everyday life. We must not forget about the culture of communication, a sense of proportion, goodwill, you need to completely manage your emotions and stress. Have your own, but certainly civilized, style of behavior, your own, but certainly noble image. The same image of an entrepreneur that guarantees us not only half of the success, but also constant satisfaction from our activities.

IN modern life There is a tendency to simplify forms that are binding in relations with people. It also manifests itself in relation to clothing, however, there are certain rules.

Specifics entrepreneurial activity makes very serious demands on the appearance of its participants. A businessman must always be neat: a poorly tied tie or unclean shoes is evidence of undemandingness towards oneself or indifference to others, absent-mindedness and disorganization. Carefully selected clothing appropriate to the time of day demonstrates a love of order and aesthetics, gives good health, is a sign of taste, elegance, and also respect for the people among whom we find ourselves.

Wanting to dress with taste, we adhere to certain principles:

1. All parts of the wardrobe must always be clean, ironed, and in perfect order.

2. When choosing clothes, we take into account height, figure, skin color, hair, eyes. Don't buy clothes just because they're fashionable.

3. Each situation requires appropriate clothing.

4. Avoid wearing bright colors or patterns that are too colorful. For a manager, conservatism in clothing is preferable: suits in calm colors and classic styles, plain light shirts, carefully selected ties and no jewelry of any kind.

5. Do not put a pen, pencil, glasses, comb or other items in outer pockets.

Official receptions require certain clothing, as indicated in the invitation: - full dress, tailcoat, tuxedo or regular suit. A suit worn on formal occasions should not be a sports suit, but a jacket and trousers different color. Women are recommended to wear evening dress for lunch, dinner, and evening receptions.

When driving a car, remember not only the rules traffic, but also about passengers. It is not necessary to entertain them, but it is necessary to take care of their comfort. Drive calmly and smoothly, do not comment on the behavior of other drivers and pedestrians.

You need to watch your gait: you should walk firmly, straight, without waddling or bending, with dignity.

Wean yourself off bad habits: you should not sit “lounging” in a chair, sway on a chair, sit on the very edge of it, cross your legs, swing your leg while talking, etc.

Keep your hands under control - gestures should be restrained and appropriate. Do not touch your interlocutor with your hands - this can be extremely unpleasant for him.

Never forget that people always pay attention to your appearance and manners. World history testifies that in the organization of people personal charm is miraculous. Many people “earn” their personal charm as debaters. Today is the time for verbal battles. Their winners, as a rule, evoke sympathy and delight. In a discussion, the holistic image of the speaker is especially important. The more visual it is, the more active the process of external perception is.

Have a sense of proportion - any deviations irritate others and work against you. Don't be too lively, noisy, passionate, just as don't be too sluggish, quiet and indifferent.

Be sure to monitor the impression you make on others, but not for the sake of narcissism, but for self-correction. And most importantly, you need to remember a few rules so that they think of you as a person - an example in business and simply in life.

1. Remember that a high-class entrepreneur is able to turn harmful things into useful things.

2. Develop the habit of considering everything you encounter in terms of benefit to your business.

3. Keep promises on time. If you couldn’t fulfill it, don’t make excuses, set a new deadline and keep your word, even if it’s late.

4. Be attentive and objective to “useless” offers

5. Decline unnecessary offers, but tactfully and politely.

6. While being confident, avoid being overconfident.

7. Do not shift the responsibility for making the necessary decision to subordinates if this is not within their competence or they have not received the appropriate task from you.

8. Remember that nothing compromises an entrepreneur more than his confusion.

9. To effectively subordinate, know how to submit at least to circumstances.

10. Never forget that your opinion or position is not always good, there are others.

11. Do not leave without careful analysis any case of failure or blunder.

12. Don't forget that knowing people's personal motivations is one of the most important foundations effective interaction with subordinates.

13. When communicating with people, learn to understand what is not expressed.

14. Be guided in your work by three “don’ts”: don’t get irritated, don’t get lost, don’t get distracted.

15. The highest form of disrespect for partners and subordinates is to delay the start of work because you are late or unprepared for the event.

Business correspondence is an integral part of the company’s image and business man. Establishing contact, maintaining connections, discussing business issues in writing is sometimes preferable, and often simply necessary, therefore the image created in business correspondence must fully correspond to the external image that is formed by live communication. At the same time, in business correspondence, compliance with rules and requirements is mandatory not only in general principles, but also in small things and details.

Principles and etiquette of business correspondence

Business correspondence etiquette is generally no different from general requirements business communication. Here are its basic principles:

• politeness, respect,
• clarity of goal setting,
• result-oriented and contact-oriented,
• responsible attitude towards other people's time and obligations,
• logical consistency and accuracy,
• factual specificity,
• literacy,
• neutrality of tone, rigor and formality of speech,
• observance of subordination and traditions.

These requirements are not original, but their implementation guarantees constructive interaction with partners and clients.

Letter form and language formulas

The letterhead is the face of the company, so it required attributes– literacy, accuracy of details, external neatness and modest originality of design.

Whether it is a corner or longitudinal version of the form, the full name of the organization, postal, actual and official address, telephone, fax, email addresses and the address of the official electronic page must be easy to read. The list of details is not strictly regulated, but completeness of data always looks more advantageous.

For reference: Information about the registration of correspondence is also desirable - about the date, number in the list, about the specific executor who prepared the document for sending. If this is a response letter, then a reference to the request letter is necessary.

In a business letter, it is also possible to indicate the genre, which simplifies the formatting of correspondence: information letter, proposal, request, petition, apology, condolences, gratitude.

Letter on the official letterhead of the organization

The first part of the letter is an address, the formula of which contains the name and patronymic of the addressee or a more official version - the word “Mr.”:

• Dear Fedor Fedorovich!
• Dear Mr. Smirnov!
• Dear Mr. Director!

The main part of the letter - informative - contains a short, understandable and succinct message and clear tasks: provide information, clarify information, resolve a supply issue, etc. If the letter contains a refusal, then it is correct to start the first half with a clear and evidential justification. Language formulas may be different, depending on the chosen tone:

• The company asks to consider the issue...
• The President and Board of Directors request to be informed about...
• Please consider the opportunity...
• Please respond as soon as possible...

The final part of the letter is gratitude, apology, assurances that the issue will be resolved as soon as possible, and hope for further cooperation.

Business letters require compliance with official procedures: if the letter requires the signature of a manager, then it must be signed by the manager (at least, his deputy).

Online Business Etiquette and Business Emails

Emails, like paper letters, consist of several important elements, requiring competent filling out not at all because of speculative rules, but precisely because these elements can be informative and very convenient from a utilitarian and practical point of view. A correct letter guarantees a correct and prompt response, as well as constructive solution question.

For reference: Companies often have their own email servers and programs, and also develop a corporate style for designing emails and internal rules correspondence that usually does not contradict the standard ones, but complements them.

1. Addressee: It is customary to indicate one address in the addressee line.

This indicates not only a respectful attitude towards the interlocutor, but will also protect hime— mailfrom spam, unnecessary mailings and prying eyes.

1. A copy of the addressee's letter is filled out for a specific purpose.

By sending a letter to the main addressee and indicating another in the “copy” section, the addressee informs the second interlocutor about what is happening, but does not require him to respond or directly participate in the correspondence.

1. Subject line: specificity and uniqueness.

The utmost specificity of the topic should help both the addressee and the addressee navigate the topic of discussion and distinguish between many problems and tasks: not just “Report from Katya,” but “Report for May 2015. Draft.” Please note: the name in this case is useless, since the addressee is already clear to the addressee from the name of the email box.

1. The body of the email should contain 3 key elements.

First, a greeting (if this is the first letter of this day, for example) and an address (in each letter). Secondly, a statement of the question: a presentation of yourself (if the letter is the first), a reminder of the tasks to be solved, a description of the problem or its solution. Thirdly, a request or encouragement to action.

1. The email read notification function requires sensitivity.

It should be used if the letter is really important, but there is no way to ask about its receipt by phone, for example. This function usually imposes unclear, vaguely formulated psychological obligations on the recipient, so it should not be abused. A correct and not so categorical option is a polite request at the end of the letter to indicate that it has been read.

1. The signature requires conciseness and at the same time capacity.

The wording may contain the standard formula “With respect” or be limited to the last name and first name. The signature, including name, position, organization name and contact information, should not exceed 7 lines. It is advisable to indicate alternative contact information, in addition to the mailbox: telephone,Skype, ICQ, other popular messengers.

1. Attachments: the main thing is to warn and name the files correctly.

Netiquette requires information about the document in the file attached to the letter: about the format, its volume and content. The investment should not be more than 3-5Mb. Its title, like the subject of the letter, should be extremely short, specific and unique.

Normal type of email

The reaction time of a letter in netiquette differs from the time inoff— line. Two to three hours is a comfortable time to wait for a response to an urgent letter. In response to urgent or important messages, sometimes it is enough to warn thate— mailreceived and information taken into account. If the problem requires lengthy consideration, then the addressee needs to inform his interlocutor about the time it will take to answer the question.

For reference: One day is a comfortable time to respond to emails. If there is no response within 3 days, the rules of etiquette allow you to send a second letter or contact the addressee using an alternative communication source - telephone,Skype, ICQ. Silence for 5-7 days or in response to a repeated request can be regarded as an unwillingness to continue business correspondence.

The reputation of a business person and a company consists not only of the efficiency and effectiveness of the business, but also of the little things and nuances of any stage of business business negotiations. Compliance with the principles of business correspondence is required from every representative of the company: from a minor clerk to a public relations specialist and the head of the company.

Video: How to write business letters clearly, clearly and understandably

In contact with

We've all had to receive or write and send business letters. They are called businesslike because they are written or sent strictly to the point. The British turned out to be the most businesslike. It was they who, a century and a half ago, were the first to send business letters in the form that we see today. The British put a lot of effort into the rules for writing such letters and the etiquette of business correspondence. This can be judged only because these rules are used by business people and not so many people to this day.

I can't say for sure - there probably isn't such data - but it seems to me that many great deals and proposals did not come to an effective conclusion simply because the business proposal letter was not formatted correctly. I can say for sure that my boss will not even delve into it if the letter is written without following the rules of business correspondence. Why waste time on a person who didn’t even bother to write a letter according to the rules? Conclusion: this indicates that he treats business carelessly.

The rules of business correspondence etiquette apply not only between an organization and an individual, but also within the company. And it is very important to convey any information to colleagues. Not only that, but it needs to be communicated; there also needs to be feedback. I don’t know about you, but I personally find it very annoying when there is no response to your letter, which contains information that requires a response. From the word GENERALLY. This happens especially often with letters that have several addressees. About 40 percent of respondents respond to such letters. You have to resend it with the notes “Important” and with notifications in order to know for sure that you received and read it. Bottom line: letters are sent, replies are received, time and nerves are wasted.

It also happens: when clarifying some pressing problem, the correspondence resembles a “novel with a continuation,” consisting of several dozen letters with unambiguous questions and, even more, unambiguous and short answers. Thus, business correspondence turns into chatting.

To avoid such incidents and troubles, there are very simple rules - Business Correspondence Etiquette - by following which you will make life easier for both yourself and your correspondence opponents.

RULE #1. Letter for one addressee.

According to the rules not only of business correspondence, but also good manners It is strongly recommended to send the letter to one addressee.

RULE #2 . If you receive a letter, you simply MUST respond.

The main thing here is not to let your thoughts wander. The style of business correspondence is dry, clerical and you only need to respond to the essence of the letter. If you have free time to play Masha and Dubrovsky with notes, this does not mean at all that your correspondent has this time. Compose your letter or response so that it requires a minimum of clarification and clarification. Don't forget: one letter - one answer. The cycle is complete.

RULE #3. If you need the meaning of your letter to be understood by several interlocutors, then simply add their addresses to the “Copy” line.

In this case, only the person to whom the letter was addressed must respond. That is, the person whose initials appear in the “To” line. He is obliged to answer (see Rule No. 2), at least out of politeness. In this case, all others whose addresses are in the “Copy” line do not have to respond. If they want to answer, you are welcome. But if not, there is no trial. They were simply informed

RULE #4. You can send a mass mailing to many recipients in cases where you do not expect a response to your letter.

This is, for example, sending price lists to customers or notifications about work schedules to employees, etc. In fact, there are not so many reasons for such letters, so you should not send mass mailings without special need

RULE #5. The letter should always include a subject. That's what the "Subject" field is for.

Save your time! The specified topic will shorten your search for your letter or response to your letter among other correspondence.

RULE #6. In a letter there is first a greeting, then an address to the addressee.

It doesn’t matter at all whether your recipient is a colleague or a complete stranger. You address him by his first name and patronymic and the person understands that he is important to you. Believe me, there are many benefits from this!

RULE #7. Good writing comes first!

Have you ever received letters from spelling errors? It's just a nightmare! You are writing a letter on the computer - don’t be lazy, check your spelling, so that later you won’t be painfully ashamed of an illiterate letter. This may seem like a small thing, but it still leaves an unpleasant aftertaste.

That's all, actually! As you can see for yourself, there is nothing complicated - everything is very simple. If you follow these simple rules constantly, they will become familiar to you and you will follow them automatically. And by your personal example, teach others to adhere to these simple rules.

A beautiful, correct writing style speaks not only about your business qualities, but also about you as a person. In addition, it is excellent discipline.

Remember: a business letter is often the first contact through which a first impression will be made about you and your company. Therefore, leave the impression of yourself as a professional and a high-class specialist!

Productive business correspondence!

There is no way in business without business correspondence. It doesn't matter whether you're writing on behalf of a company or on behalf of yourself as an individual entrepreneur - business correspondence will always play an important role. Or rather, how you follow its rules. Your potential business partners or clients will largely judge you by how you communicate with them. A business letter is, one might say, the “face” of a businessman. And in order not to lose this “face”, it is important to know about the golden rules of business correspondence.

Rules for business correspondence by email

Since now by email are used much more often than usual, we decided to pay attention to how to properly conduct business correspondence online. Here are a few recommendations that, if followed, will prevent you from losing face in front of your interlocutor.

Mailbox name

The first thing that catches our eye when we open a new email is the address from which it was sent. Many people underestimate the importance of this moment and send business letters from their personal email accounts. There's nothing wrong with this as long as the email address only contains your name in a human-readable format. But if there are various nicknames like “kissa1988” or “pupsik-26”, then sending a business letter from such an email account is simply unacceptable. Imagine what emotions a person will have when he receives a business proposal from a “babe” or “sweetie”.

Also, email addresses that begin with info@, inbox@ and the like are not welcome in business correspondence. Such addresses are simply not taken seriously, and there is a high probability that the letter will not even be opened. Most the best option– is to conduct business correspondence from a mailbox [email protected], where name is your first and last name, company is the name of the company.

Recipients

In email correspondence, it is possible to send a letter to a direct recipient and copy other recipients. Recipients in the copy of the letter are not supposed to respond to it. They are like invited observers. Therefore, before sending the letter, determine in advance from whom exactly you want to receive an answer to the letter, and arrange the addressees correctly. However, if possible, do not list multiple people as direct recipients of your email. A situation may happen that none of them will answer you, if each mentally decides to “shift” this responsibility to another addressee.

If you yourself find yourself in a copy of a business letter, then, as you already understand, the sender is not waiting for your response. But if there is a need to respond specifically to you, then you can do this, but it would be polite to apologize at the beginning of the letter for “interfering.”

Formatting a letter

Official business style. In business correspondence, of course, a formal writing style is used. This style is characterized by the absence of descriptive adjectives, unnecessary qualifications and details. Only specifics, clarity and logic. After writing a business letter, it is useful to read it again and remove all phrases that do not carry any special meaning and do not change the essence of what was written. Only when you are sure that all such words and phrases have been removed, then you can say that this rule of writing a business letter has been followed.

Literacy. Saying that a business letter must be written correctly and without errors is the same as saying “a snowman must be made of snow.” However, this rule cannot be ignored. Literacy is a fundamental element of any writing. A person writing a business letter with spelling errors is unlikely to be taken seriously by anyone.

Letter subject. It is a must to write it. Moreover, try to write it briefly, but succinctly - so that at one glance it immediately becomes clear to the recipient what the letter will be about. The topic should never consist of one word. “Information”, “Question”, etc. – incorrect business letter topics. " Trade offer from company X" is the right topic. If the information in your letter is especially important, then you can mark it with a special “importance” flag, which is available in almost all e-mail services.

Font. The text of the letter must, first of all, be readable. Therefore, use the font Arial or Times New Roman, select a medium size (for example, in mail.ru mail optimal size font – 3). Don't experiment with fonts or colors. This is inappropriate in business correspondence. Don't use Caps Lock exclamation marks and various special characters (including emoticons). The only thing that is allowed is highlighting some phrases in italics or bold. But try to use this only when absolutely necessary.

For ease of reading and better communication of ideas, you can use subheadings throughout the text of the letter. But there should not be too many of them - no more than 3-4.

One paragraph of the letter should not be extended to more than 4 lines of text. When we read very long paragraphs, the text blurs together and the main idea can be lost.

Any enumeration and lists should be drawn up using special markers.

Corporate template. It would be great if you developed a branded email template in your corporate style. And you will send all business letters only with this template. This will allow you to stand out from the rest, but maintain the formality required by a business letter. However, you should not overdo it with “branding” - excessive creativity will only harm the letter. Still, we are talking about business communication, not entertainment. Do not forget also that recipients can read your letters not only on a computer, but also on mobile devices. Therefore, the template must be optimized for different screen resolutions.

One letter should contain only one news item. And accordingly, only one target action should be expected from the recipient. It is considered incorrect to include several questions, suggestions or requests to the recipient in one letter at once.

Any business letter should be divided into the following parts:
- introduction;
- main part;
- conclusion.

In the introduction, briefly state the purpose of the letter and the reasons for writing it. The main part is the very essence of the letter. In conclusion, you need to summarize the above - these can be conclusions, requests, instructions, suggestions, and so on. It is highly undesirable to use any “postscripts” in business correspondence. The letter should not contain aphorisms, metaphors, proverbs, and so on.

If you need to submit in a letter graphic image, then do not insert it into the text of the letter itself, but attach it as a separate file. Images may not display correctly on different devices or be completely disabled in the recipient's email program interface. In the body of the letter, where necessary, simply indicate “the information is in the attached file.” If there are several such files, be sure to write their names.

If you use abbreviations and shortened words, you must be 100% sure that the recipient will understand what you mean. In general, it is better to play it safe and not use such things.

Lack of emotions. Business letters should not contain any emotional overtones. At all. Even if you are writing a complaint and you really want to show the fullness of your indignation, or, on the contrary, you sincerely thank your partner for a successful transaction. A business letter should be restrained and even, to some extent, cold-blooded. Each person values ​​his individuality, but business correspondence does not The best way manifest it. An official letter from a cheerful or sad person, a cleaner or general director should be the same.

Use of business vocabulary. To link sentences in business correspondence, the following stable expressions are used:

1) for that reason;
2) on what basis;
3) due to (something);
4) in accordance with;
5) based on;
6) taking into account;
7) considering;
what served.

And so on. Also in business letters it is allowed to use abbreviations and abbreviations that are generally accepted in the industry within which the letter is written. If you doubt whether the addressee will understand a specific abbreviation, then it is better to write the entire phrase.

Greetings. Please never use the cliche "Good afternoon." This, one might say, is bad form not only for business correspondence, but also for emails in general. The best option greetings - “Hello, First Name / Patronymic Name.” By the way, it’s good to address the recipient of the letter by name not only in the greeting, but also further along the text. If you are writing a letter to a person you do not know personally, you must indicate at the very beginning of the letter where you got the recipient's address from.

Letter size. A business letter is not a work of fiction or your personal thoughts “on a topic.” The letter should be as short as possible to convey all the information in it. It is optimal if the text of the letter fits into one “screen”. Reading long letters is tiring, and many people find it annoying.

Replies to letters. When you reply to an email you receive, always click the “Reply” button rather than the “Write Email” button. With the first option, your entire correspondence history will be automatically included in your response. This is correct, because a person may not immediately remember who you are and what you want from him if he does not see the background. Especially if more than 5 days have passed since the last letter. You can absolutely safely quote your interlocutor when answering his letter. This will give him the opportunity to remember what was discussed in the previous letter.

Always thank the other person where appropriate. For example, you can write “Vladimir, thank you for your letter” or “Irina Alekseevna, thank you for such a quick response.” Such nuances will show your respect for the interlocutor and soften the mood of electronic communication.

If your interlocutor sent you a letter in which he expressed his dissatisfaction or even was openly rude to you, try not to answer him in the same way, no matter how much you would like it. Situations vary, but always respond politely and with restraint.

Of course, the sooner you respond to the letter, the better. It's great if you can respond within a few hours. This period is optimal. But let's say we get a response within a few days. Psychologists say that the maximum comfortable time for a person to wait for a response to an email is 48 hours, that is, two days. If you have to wait longer, this may already be perceived as disrespect or ignorance. If the question raised in the letter requires more time from you to respond, then be sure to write that you received the letter, accepted it for consideration and will respond within a certain time. This way, at least the sender won't feel ignored.

Conclusion of the letter. You should not write phrases at the conclusion of the letter that could be perceived as an attempt at manipulation: “I really hope for profitable cooperation,” “Thank you in advance for your answer,” and so on. Saying goodbye in electronic business correspondence better in phrases“With respect,” “My sincere wishes,” and the like. Yes, such phrases are cliched, but they are perfectly suited for business communication. In the signature, write your first name, last name, position and company name. Also leave contact details where you can be contacted, other than email.

Time to send the letter. Of course, emails do not mean that they should be read immediately upon receipt. However, in business email ethics it is considered inappropriate to send emails on weekends and holidays, and also late in the evening or at night. Try to stick to standard working hours.

And of course, before you click the “send” button, carefully check the spelling of the recipient’s name and email address, and also re-read the entire text of the letter and check it for typos or incorrect phrases.