business letter.ppt

1、Unit One The Forms and Principles of Business Letters,Sept. 17, 2011 Li Jiuying,1. The Forms of Business Letters,A traditional business letter usually contains the following parts: 1) The Letterhead(信头) 2) The Date & Reference(日期及参考号) 3) The Inside Name and Address(封内地址) 4) The Attention Line(经办人) o

2、ptional 5) The Salutation(称呼) 6) The Subject(事由),7) The Body(正文) 8) The Complimentary Close(结尾敬词) 9) The Writers Signature and Designation (签名) 10) The Enclosure or Encl. Notation(附件) - optional 11) The Copy Notation (抄送) - optional 12) The Postscript or P.S.(附言) - optional,1). The Letterhead A prin

3、ted letterhead contains the companys name, address, postcode, telephone number and fax number, etc. It is usually centered or at the right or left margin. When writing on blank paper, type only the address at the right or left margin.,2). The Date & Reference i. The Date The date should be placed be

4、low the letterhead to the right for indented style and to the left for block style.,A. Avoiding giving dates in figures only. （NOT 3/9/2002） B. Give the full form of the year. (2007, NOT 07) C. Use a comma to separated the year and the month, but not the month and the date. (NOT June, 5, 2005),ii.Th

5、e Reference In business communication, reference are often made to previous correspondence. The reference may include a file number, departmental code or the initials of the signer of the letter to be followed by the typists initials. Its format varies according to different companies. The reference

6、 is typed immediately below the letterhead with Your ref. preceding Our ref.,3). The Inside Name and Address The name and address of the receiver is typed at the left-hand margin at least two lines below the date. It appears exactly the same way as on the envelope, in single spacing. Either the full

7、 name or the official abbreviation of a company is allowed. Follow the companys own practice whether to use the definite article the or not, and whether to use Company or Corporation.,4). The Attention Line The Attention Line is used to direct the letter to a specific individual or section of the fi

8、rm. It generally follows the inside address. Some times it is in form of Attention of or For the attention of, as in the following example:,Richard Thomas & Baldwins Ltd., 151 Gower Street London, SC7 6DY, England Attention： Mr. Cave or Attention of Purchasing Manager or For the attention of Mr. Liu

9、,5). The Salutation The salutation is the polite greeting with which a letter begins. Its form depends upon the writers relationship with the receiver. The customary formal greeting in a business letter can be:“Dear Sir, Dear Sirs, Dear Madam, Dear Mesdames, Gentlemen, Dear Mr. xxx, My Dear (or dear

10、) Mr. xxx” Mind that Gentlemen is always in plural forms.,6). The Subject Line The subject heading is often inserted between the salutation and the body of a business letter to call attention to the topic of the letter. Sometimes it follows a Latin word Re (NOT abbreviation for reference).,7). The B

11、ody The first paragraph of the body is made up of opening sentences. It often gives some basic information from any previous correspondence, such as the date and reference as well as the subject. When it is the first letter, the opening sentences can serve as self-introduction. The last paragraph is

12、 made up of closing sentences. It usually indicates the future or some plans.,8). The Complimentary Close The complimentary close is merely a polite way of ending a letter. It is in keeping with the salutation. They can be omitted in the simplified style now in use.,9). The Signature A letter should

13、 be signed by hand and in ink. The name of the signer is usually typed below the signature and followed by his job title. P.P. or Per Pro. is the abbreviation of “Per Procuration”, which means that the signer is authorized by the company to sign the letter.,10). The Carbon Copy Notation When copies

14、of the letter are sent to others, type c.c. below the signature at the left margin. Their names are listed on the letter below the signature, usually in alphabetical order by surname or in order of seniority.,11). Enclosure Notation If something is enclosed, note it below the carbon copy notation, a

15、s is shown in the following example: Encl: 2 Invoices Enc: 1 B/L 1 Form A,12). The Postscript If there are something to be complemented, write them after P.S. and sign the writers name abbreviation (the first letters of the name and the surname). Try to avoid postscript.,Sample Letter 1,Jameson & So

16、ns Ltd., 34 Madison Square, Melbourne E.C. 2, Australia January 22, 2006 Our Ref: SEL/Z. 1119 Your Ref: M. 306/0038 Mr. Wood General Manager China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation, P.O. Box 49, Beijing, China. Attention: General Manager,Dear Mr. Wood, Re: Compressors We thank you for y

17、our letter of January 10 acknowledging receipt of the catalogues dealing with compressors manufactured by Messrs Peter Brotherhood Limited. In accordance with the request contained in the last sentence of your letter under reply, we have the pleasure of sending you under separate cover three copies

18、of the catalogue dealing with the compressors produced by Messrs Fullerton, Hodgart & Barclay Limited. We trust these will be of interest to you. Your prompt reply will be greatly appreciated.,Yours faithfully, Jameson & Sons Ltd., Signature (hand-signed) Jameson Smith (typed) Managing Director cc:

19、Mr. Smith Encl: 1 B/L 1 Form A 1 Certificate P.S. Further compressor catalogues will be forwarded to you as soon as possible.,Instead of traditional letters, faxes and e-mails are widely used nowadays. Usually, a company has its own fax paper with a set form on it. If not, the forms of traditional b

20、usiness letters could serve as the format guide when writing faxes or e-mails.,2. Principles of Business Letters,1). Courtesy 礼貌 Be polite and modest. Avoid order and rudeness. Be prompt in replying. Compare: A：We have received your letter of 20 May, and we are sending you our latest catalogue. B：We

21、 have received with many thanks your letter of 20 May, and we take the pleasure of sending you our latest catalogue.,2). Consideration 体谅 Be considerate. Take the counterparts need into consideration. Try to be positive instead of negative. Compare: A1: We allow 2 percent discount for cash payment.

22、B1: You earn 2 percent discount when you pay cash. A2：We wont be able to send you the brochure this month. B2：We will send you the brochure next month.,3). Completeness 完整 Be sure to contain all the necessary details to avoid consequent disputes. A business letter, especially those containing offers

23、, quotations, shipping advice, etc., like the contract, is legally constraint to both sides once it is confirmed.,4). Clarity 清楚 i. Avoid ambiguous expressions. Compare: A: As to the steamers sailing from Hong Kong to San Francisco, we have bimonthly direct services. B1: We have two direct sailings

24、every month from Hong Kong to San Francisco. B2: We have a direct sailing every two months from Hong Kong to San Francisco.,ii. Mind the places of certain words. Compare: A1: We shall be able to supply 10 cases of the item only. (仅十箱) A2：We shall be able to supply 10 cases only of the item. (仅一种商品),

25、5). Conciseness 简洁 i. Avoid superfluous words. Compare: A1: We wish to acknowledge receipt of your letter. B1: We appreciate your letter. ii. Avoid unnecessary repetition. Compare: A1: Kindly please be noted that B1: Kindly be noted that,iii. Use words for phrases, and phrases for clauses, as are sh

26、own below: enclosed herewith-enclosed at this time-now due to the fact that-because a draft in the amount of $1000-a draft for $1000,6). Concreteness 具体 Be concrete when answering questions or giving offers, counteroffers, quotations, etc. Avoid ambiguity and abstract.,7). Correctness 正确 A business letter should always be correct, for it is the base of various commercial bills of document involving the interest of two or m