Business Letters.

Business Letters are formal documents that convey information predominately to external stakeholders. These letters play an important role in representing the formality while emphasizing the professionalism involved.

Note: 3 business letter strategies are

• • • Direct- neutral and good news.
    • Indirect- negative news.
    • Persuasive- call for action/ solutions.

CHOOSING BETWEEN DIRECT AND INDIRECT APPROACHES

After you’ve defined your main idea and supporting points, you’re ready to decide on the sequence you will use to present your information. You have two basic options. When you know your audience will be receptive to your message, use the direct approach: Start with the main idea (such as a recommendation, conclusion, or request) and follow that with your supporting evidence. When your audience will be skeptical about or even resistant to your message, you generally want to use the indirect approach: Start with the evidence first and build your case before presenting the main idea. Note that taking the indirect approach does not mean avoiding tough issues or talking around in circles. It simply means building up to your main idea in a logical or sensitive way. To choose between these two alternatives, analyze your audience’s likely reaction to your purpose and message, as shown in Figure 3.6 on the next page. Bear in mind, how-ever, that Figure 3.6 presents only general guidelines; always consider the unique circumstances of each message and audience situation. The type of message also influences the choice of the direct or indirect approach.

For persuasive approach (see page 222). You will encounter many business communication situations in which your goal is to influence the attitudes, actions, or beliefs of other people. Common examples of persuasive messages include asking colleagues to take action, asking managers to provide resources, asking investors to provide funding for a growing company, and asking potential customers to buy goods and services.

Instructions:

1. In a group of 2-3 people, your group will select and draft – 3 of the following letters – using the format provided below (Also see: Sample Format page 396: Figure 14.2 Unsolicited Application Letter).

• • • • Follow-up Letter (pg. 413):
      • Message of Inquiry,
      • Request for Time Extension,
      • Acceptance Letter (pg. 416),
      • Decline Letter,
      • Resignation Letter (pg. 416),
      • Counter Offer/Negotiation

2. Then, in a PowerPoint, you’ll provide an analysis between good vs bad business letter (your group will have to draft both the bad vs good examples. Your analysis should be around 5 slides (PowerPoint) total.

Example: Business letters: Bad vs Good

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-mAsg-8keCnwFlzEBWB2dtcaxwLojXd3YAKPIgeTvEE/edit?usp=sharing

Note:

• Be careful with your style and tone in writing business messages (See page 92-104).

Submission Requirements: Online. Each group member is responsible for submitting.

1. 3 Formal Business Letters: (50 points).
2. Comparative Analysis of the Good vs. the Bad: (50 points).

How To Use Zoom Video Conferencing for Group Work.

https://youtu.be/n-SBKVgM60g (Links to an external site.)

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Sample Format:

[Sender’s Name]

[Sender’s Company Name]

[Sender’s Street Address]

[Sender’s City, State/Province, & Zip/Postal Code]

[Sender’s phone number and or email address]

[Date]

[Recipient’s Name]

[Recipient’s Company Name]

[Recipient’s Street Address]

[Recipient’s City, State/Province, & Zip/Postal Code]

[Recipient’s phone number and or email address]

[Subject]

[Dear Name],

[Introduction –Depending on your strategies, generally, this is where you explain the purpose of the letter, why you are writing it, what you hope to achieve from, and any other important information you want to get out upfront.]

[Middle Section – this is where you elaborate and provide more detail about what you outlined in the first paragraph. There may be several more paragraphs like this depending on how long the letter needs to be]

[Conclusion – this is the place where you wrap up and summarize things. There may be a call to action or next steps included in this paragraph.]

[Sincerely],

[Signature]

[Name of Sender]