Professional Communication: The Corporate Insider’s Approach Chapter Twelve Business Letters: Reasserting Our Innate Linguistic and Decision-Making Abilities

A Little History 12th Century—Dictamin 15th and 16th Centuries—Formularies and letter-writers 19th Century—Focus on personal letters expands to include business letters 20th Century—Business communication becomes a subject

Business English George Burton Hotchkiss and Business English: Know people and the way their minds act Gain a facility with technique of language Appreciate basic patterns and models

The Problem with Models Lose the opportunity to put our personal stamp on our letters Treat demands and audiences as part of a predictable equation Models themselves have faults Cannot identify and categorize all purposes

Some Uses of Business Letters Inquiries Requests Favorable replies Orders Claims Applications Refused requests Refused adjustments Collection Credit reports Back and incomplete orders

Results of Politeness and Indirectness Evasion Distortion Denial Deceit

Where the Model Goes Wrong Misunderstanding the business audience Mischaracterizing the business circumstance Misrepresenting the business purpose

How We Think—Dewey’s Insights Locate and define the problem Analyze the problem Establish goals or criteria for preferred solution Select the best solution Implement

The Motivated Sequence Attention Step—Principal topic Need Step—What is the problem and scope Satisfaction Step—What needs to be done Visualization Step—What happens if plan isn’t used; what benefits occur if plan is used Action Step—What the vendor has to do

Demonstrating Politeness Maintain an appropriate level of formality Limit the distribution to essential recipients Respond quickly to incoming correspondence Look for means to personalize your correspondence

Business Letters—The Lessons Primary Uses—Establish/maintain contractual relationship; internal communication demanding formal documentation Style—Standard format; formal and businesslike Distribution—Limited to specific, essential recipients Permanence—Retained in corporate archives

Business Letters—The Lessons Accountability—Person who signed the letter; letterhead obligates corporation Response Expected—Consistent with type of letter and business process Breadth—Addresses specific subject Review/Approval—Formal review to ensure consistent position Authorship—Function of one’s corporate role

Business Letters—The Lessons Associated Risks Making inappropriate commitments Appearing to manipulate the reader Appearing the evade the reader Failure to communicate a sense of interest in the reader