How to write a business letter correctly. Examples of thank you letters. Rules for writing business correspondence

Probably everyone has at least once had to deal with the need to write a business letter. When compiling it, you involuntarily come to the conclusion that it is not at all easy. There are many business letter writing rules and regulations that you need to know. The article describes in detail the process of drawing up a document, provides samples of business letters, and discusses their types and design.

Form

Ready-made forms will add solidity and indicate the reliability of the company. They contain the necessary information about the organization, such as:

• Name.
• Address.
• Contact phone numbers.
• Website.
• Email.
• Logo.
• Other contact details.

There are no strict rules regarding forms. Therefore, each organization independently decides what information to include in them.

How to write business letters correctly? Preparation

Business letters are written and formatted in a certain way, subject to their inherent rules and requirements. Depending on the goal, the author thinks through the content in detail in order to obtain the result he is calculating. He must clearly understand what information the addressee already knows about the subject of the letter, what to base it on and what will be new in it. The arguments depend on what goal the author is pursuing. The process of preparing a business letter can be divided into the following stages:

• Studying the issue.
• Writing a draft letter.
• Its approval.
• Signing.
• Registration.
• Sending to the recipient.

Structure of business letters

When composing a letter, it is necessary to saturate it with information, that is, put all the necessary information there. It can be simple or complex. IN simple letter The content clearly and concisely displays information that generally does not require a response from the recipient. A complex one may consist of several sections, points and paragraphs. Each paragraph presents one aspect of information. These types of business letter samples typically consist of an introductory, body, and closing section.

Below is an example of writing a business letter - its introductory part.

The main part describes situations and events, provides their analysis and evidence. It is in this part that they convince that they need to act in one way or another, prove how things were and inform about the need to participate in any event, giving various arguments.

The conclusion contains conclusions that are made in the form of proposals, requests, reminders, refusals, and so on.

An example of writing a business letter - its final part - is presented below. This summarizes the requirement stated in the main one.

All information provided should be optimally consistent and understandable.

Each letter begins with a centered address. This small part is extremely important. When choosing it, the author must consider:

• Addressee's position.
• The nature of the relationship.
• Formality.
• Etiquette.

There should be a polite form at the end of the letter. For example: “...I express hope for further cooperation (gratitude for the invitation)...” These phrases are followed by the author's signature.

Style

All letters must be kept in official business style, which means the use of speech for official business relations. The features of such a language are formed under the following circumstances:

• The main participants in business relations are legal entities, on behalf of whose managers and officials letters are written.
• Relations in organizations are strictly regulated.
• The subject of communication is the activities of the company.
• Management documents generally have a specific addressee.
• Often, in the course of an organization's activities, the same situations occur.

In this regard, the information contained in a business letter should be:

• Official, impersonal, emphasizing the distance between participants in communication.
• Addressed, intended for a specific addressee.
• Current at the time of writing.
• Reliable and impartial.
• Reasoned to induce the recipient to perform any action.
• Complete for decision making.

Requirements

A business letter must meet the following requirements:

• Speech is standardized at all levels - lexical, morphological and syntactic. It contains many expressions, terms and formulas.
• The tone of writing is neutral, restrained and strict, without the use of emotional and expressive language.
• Accuracy and clarity of the text, without logical errors, clarity and thoughtfulness of wording.
• Conciseness and brevity - without using expressions that carry additional meaning.
• The use of language formulas formed as a result of repeated situations.
• The use of terms, that is, words or phrases that have special concepts.
• The use of abbreviations, which can be lexical (that is, compound words formed by removing letters from parts of words: LLC, GOST, and so on) and graphic (that is, word designations in abbreviated form: grn, zh-d, etc.).
• The use of constructions in the genitive and instrumental cases.
• Phrases with verbal nouns (“provide support” instead of “support”).
• Using simple common sentences.

The above business letter samples below are shown in full version(with the main part). The information meets all the requirements of an official business style.

Types of business letters

The best thing business letter write on any one specific issue. If it is necessary to solve several issues at once, it is recommended to draw up several different options.

Business letters can have the following content:

• Accompanying. Such letters are usually needed to inform you where to send documents.
  (How to write a business letter? A sample cover letter will help those who need to write this type of document.)

• Guaranteed. They are written to confirm any promises or conditions. For example, payment for work, rent, delivery times, etc. can be guaranteed.
• Thanks. They have begun to be used especially often recently. Such letters demonstrate good partnership tone. They can be issued on regular letterhead or on colored paper with a beautiful print.
  (How to write a business letter? A sample thank-you letter is compiled in free form, depending on the tasks that it solves. In in this case the letter expresses its essence in the shortest form. Such a sample, made on colored paper with an ornament, can hang on the wall in the company premises in a place of honor.)

• Informational.
• Instructive.
• Congratulations.
• Advertising.

There are also letters:

• Proposals for cooperation. Quite common in recent times, sent to organizations, are often of an advertising nature, for example, like this sample. It is quite difficult to write commercial letters; you need to take into account many nuances in order to get attention, and even more so, to become interested. But if you compose it according to the sample below, it has every chance of success.

• Invitations. They are sent, inviting them to participate in various events. They are usually addressed to a manager or official, but can also be addressed to an entire team.
• Requests.
• Notices.
• Requests and many others.

How to write a response to a letter. Example

The answer must begin by repeating the request stated in the first letter. Then the results of its consideration are given and approval or a reason for refusal is expressed. A business response letter may contain alternative solution expected information. Typically it meets the following principles:

• Availability of a link to the first letter and its contents.
• Identical language means.
• Comparable scope and content aspects.
• Compliance with a certain sequence.

Decor

In addition to using corporate letterheads for business letters, it is necessary to take into account other subtleties when designing them. These are details, rules for abbreviations, writing addresses, headings, text length, field widths, and more.

Samples of a business letter help you compose it, taking into account all the subtleties and nuances. They are used by both beginning office workers and experienced workers. Thanks to the samples, they learn how to write letters correctly and save a lot of time.

Today, almost everyone actively uses the Internet. But business correspondence has not ceased to be relevant and important. It was simply transferred to other media. The publication will tell you how to correctly compose and format a business letter.

What can a business message contain?

First of all, business correspondence provides an opportunity to exchange any opinions or suggestions with employees and business partners. The letter can contain requests, complaints and other thoughts to eliminate misunderstandings between companies. In general, business correspondence is a type of official correspondence.

Differences from other letters

The main differences can be summarized as follows.

• Stylistics of presentation.
• Availability of official chain of command.
• Vocabulary without strong expression of emotions.
• As a rule, the letter takes no more than one page.
• The font is the same throughout the text (neither small nor large).
• Usually drawn up on the official letterhead of the organization.

Types of business letters

Letters to be answered:

• Request.
• Petition.
• Requirement.
• Offer.
• Appeal.

Letters that do not require a response:

• Informational.
• Notification.
• Accompanying.
• Warranty.
• Warning.
• Reminder.

Letters of a commercial nature. They are usually needed during the validity period of the contract or to conclude an agreement:

• Request.
• Response to request.
• Reminder.
• Claim.
• Offer. This is an offer to enter into an agreement or make a transaction.
• A warning about the need to fulfill obligations, about termination of agreements, and so on.

Non-commercial letters:

• Invitation.
• Informing about something.
• Expression of gratitude.
• Recommendations.
• Request.
• Instructions.
• Covering letter.
• Expression of condolences.
• Congratulations on any occasion.
• Letter of guarantee.
• Confirmation of receipt of goods, provision of services, etc.

Classification of business letters by structure:

• Compiled according to a strict pattern.
• Written in free form.

Types depending on the recipient:

• Ordinary. Sent to one addressee.
• Collective. Sent to one person, but from several persons.
• Circular. Sent to multiple recipients.

The form of the letter is as follows:

• Sent in regular postal envelopes.
• Handed in person.
• Sent as a fax.
• Sent by email.

As you can see, a business message can be framed in different ways and with different intentions. But it is worth noting that in some cases, for ethical reasons, it must be written by hand rather than typed on a computer. This applies to congratulations and condolences.

Parts of a letter

A proper business letter is always divided into several parts. These are introductory, main and final. Moreover, they are logically connected to each other.

As a rule, the introductory part contains information about the circumstances that led to the writing of the letter. The main text is the content itself, the essence of the message. The final part summarizes the results, which can express refusal, agreement, request, and so on.

Writing principles

Any business message should be written as follows.

1. Impartially.
2. Addressed (that is, intended for a specific person).
3. Reasoned.
4. Reliable.
5. As complete as possible.
6. All information in the text must be current at the time of writing.

Stylistic features

The rules for writing a business letter state that it is necessary to adhere to strict style. It is necessary to use only those means of speech that are typical for official documents. That is, a formal business style would be appropriate. The language should have the following features.

• Formality.
• Accuracy of information presentation.
• Objectivity.
• Structured.
• Informative but concise.

The essence of the matter should be stated in simple short sentences, focusing on verbs. There is no need to overload the text with adjectives, or use little-known and highly specialized terms that the recipient may not understand. This will only cause negativity and rejection. It is better to try to explain in simple, understandable words, more facts and specifics. Business style does not allow the presence of uninformative and “watery” texts.

You should not lead up to the final part with unnecessary and long speech patterns. Also, illogical and inconsistent proposals will not work. Therefore, it is better to exclude participial and participial phrases. Each paragraph should reflect only one specific idea. After completing the text, it is better to check it for errors several times by reading the letter out loud.

Requirements for the form

According to the rules of a business letter, it is better to write it on the company’s letterhead. The following basic requirements are put forward to it.

• In the middle of the form you need to insert the Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation if the enterprise is state-owned.
• Place the letter on an A4 sheet.
• Leave the field on the left empty (at least 3 centimeters). This is necessary because after some time the materials will be filed with the rest of the documents.
• The most optimal font is considered to be the standard “Times New Roman”, size 12 and with a line spacing of 1.5-2. It is best understood when read.
• In the header of the letter you must indicate the name of the organization, its actual and legal address, telephone number and email.

Design features

If it took several pages to complete a business letter, then you need to number it starting from the second. For this, it is recommended to use Arabic numerals. There is no need to put dots next to the numbers.

The letter must be divided into paragraphs and, if necessary, subheadings. The text should not look like a continuous flow, as it will be poorly perceived. The paragraphs will show where other thoughts end and begin.

It is important to note that typos, erasures and any corrections are unacceptable for business correspondence. They will indicate the opponent’s illiteracy and frivolity.

Details used

The letter usually includes the following information.

1. The full name of the company, not just an abbreviation.
2. Phone number, fax number, bank account and email.
3. Addressee. Moreover, the name of the company should be used in the dative case. If you need to indicate your last name and position, it is recommended to use the dative case. If the recipient has a title or academic degree, this should be indicated before the person's name.

It is important to note that each detail should be written with a capital letter and with new line.

Addresses in a business letter

A formal message should always be framed in a neutral tone. Addresses to the addressee should have the same form. Phrases like “Good afternoon” will be inappropriate. If you want to greet, it is better to use a formal “Hello.” But the most literate option is considered to be addressed by first name and patronymic. And it doesn’t matter how long the acquaintance with the recipient lasts. The short form of the name cannot be used in the letter (for example, Petya, Anya, and so on).

Addressing someone older or higher in position will help maintain interpersonal distance and show respect for someone who is older in age or has a higher position. However, it is worth noting that in some companies, on the contrary, it is customary to use “you” when communicating, even in writing.

It is worth noting that the address “Dear Sir” cannot be used without subsequently indicating the name of that person. You should also avoid abbreviations “Mr.,” “Ms.” If you need to address a group of people, you may not indicate names. Then you can briefly write: “Dear sirs!” According to the rules, you should always put an exclamation point after calling someone by name. For example, a similar phrase in a business letter would look like this: “Dear Alexander Sergeevich!”

In the final part you can use various options. "WITH Best wishes", "With respect", "With hope for cooperation" and so on. Here, messages should be formal but friendly in tone.

Design of the final part

Finishing the letter correctly is also very important. In the final part, you need to summarize what was said earlier. However, you should not stretch your conclusions to 10 sentences. It should be remembered that conciseness and brevity are valued in business style. It is better to limit yourself to simple phrases. As an example, several constructions that are appropriate in the final part of business correspondence will be given. Business letters should be completed as correctly and politely as possible.

• Gratitude for help or attention. “Let me express my gratitude for...” "Thank you!"
• Assuring the recipient of something. “We would be glad to cooperate with you.”
• Expressing hopes for the future. “We hope to hear from you soon.”
• Request for something. “We would be grateful if you report the results.”
• Apologies for any inconvenience caused. “We apologize for the delay in payment.”

How to say goodbye to the recipient

Despite the fact that the correspondence is business, you can say goodbye in a business letter in different ways. To do this, you should use so-called closing phrases.

As an example, the following options can be given:

1. Yours sincerely.
2. Sincerely.
3. Best wishes.
4. I wish you success in your work.
5. We hope to continue cooperation.
6. We were glad to provide the service.

There may be other options. Here the choice of the final phrase is purely a matter of taste.

Signing

The sender must put his signature at the very bottom of the sheet. But it is extremely important to do it correctly so that the document has an official appearance.

You need to indicate your position, initials, last name, and sign opposite. Additionally, you can provide contact information (personal email address or phone number). This will demonstrate the recipient's willingness to communicate and cooperate.

Failure Features

It is also important to know how to write a business letter if you need to refuse something. After all, even a veiled negative or refusal will not go unnoticed and will entail unpleasant consequences. After this, you cannot count on a positive or even neutral attitude towards yourself. When composing a letter, you do not need to give in to emotions. It’s better to keep yourself within limits, even if the recipient is very annoying. Refusal letters should always be re-read several times. Special attention paying attention to the tone of the message.

The message should not begin with a categorical “no,” no matter how it is expressed. IN otherwise the recipient will get the impression that he is uninteresting and of no importance. It is better to present non-contrived, convincing explanations first. When the reasons for the refusal are briefly listed, you can smoothly move on to stating the fact. In this case, according to business letter etiquette, it is recommended to use the following type of wording.

• Unfortunately, we are unable to fulfill your request.
• We are sincerely sorry, but we are forced to refuse your offer.
• We deeply regret, but we cannot accommodate your request for the following reasons.

Ideally, at the beginning of the letter you should briefly state the addressee’s request. This way he will understand that his proposal has really been reviewed, and he will probably appreciate it.

Features of composing an email

Today, people are increasingly interested in how to write a business letter if it needs to be sent by email. For such correspondence, the same rules as mentioned earlier apply. However, electronic business messages have their own characteristics.

• The login must be solid and adequate. For example, [email protected] – bad option, A [email protected]- good.

• The “subject” field is always important to fill out. It will make it clear what the message will be about. If the letter is intended for an unfamiliar person, then the heading should be interesting. But it's important not to overdo it. Topics like " Special offer just now”, “Urgently” will only cause rejection. The title should be composed of 3-5 words, containing the essence of the message.

• If correspondence is with stranger, then first you need to tell him how you found out about him and what the company does. Without such an introduction, the message may be considered spam and immediately deleted.

• It is better to highlight important points in the text in bold font. In this case, it is unacceptable to use different colors.

• Caps cannot be used in an email business letter. Even subheadings and the topic title should not contain all capital letters. The same goes for duplicate punctuation marks.

• It is better to divide the text into paragraphs, leaving a blank line between them.

• The shorter the message, the faster they will respond to it.

• A signature is required. In emails it usually consists of several lines and includes the name and position of the sender, company name, telephone number and website address.

• You can attach text files and images to the letter. This is very convenient, because additional materials, comments, explanations and detailed descriptions distract from the essence. Therefore, it is better to place them not in the body of the letter, but in attached files.

• If business correspondence has been going on for a long time and warm trusting relationship, then the use of emoticons in the email is allowed. They will help to “spice up” a little and defuse communication. But you shouldn’t abuse them, but paper letters they are generally unacceptable.

Instructions for writing a letter

Writing a business letter can be divided into several stages.

1. First you need to specify the addressee. To do this, in the upper right corner of the form you need to write the initials, surname and position of the recipient. If the addressee is an organization, then its legal address should be indicated.

2. Address to the recipient. It should be placed lower in the middle of the form. It has already been said which phrases can be used. Usually the address looks like: “Dear Igor Petrovich!”

3. Statement of purpose. Below, on a new line, you need to write the main thoughts, the whole essence, mentioning the reasons for the appeal. If we are talking about some problems, then it is worth offering options for solving it. If this is a proposal for cooperation, then you need to explain how it will happen. If the letter reflects a complaint, then it is worth asking for specific measures to be taken. In a word, the recipient must understand from the text what exactly they want from him.

4. Final part. And finally, on a new line you need to insert the final phrase and signature.

Letter of thanks

This sample demonstrates what a thank you letter can look like. However, there is one flaw in this example. Instead of the line “To the Flagman company,” you could insert a greeting phrase and the names of those to whom the letter was intended.

An inquiry

This is a sample business query letter. There are no shortcomings in it. All rules for writing an official letter were followed. From the text it becomes clear what problem has arisen and what needs to be done to solve it. The message also contains all contact information, a welcome message, a closing phrase and a signature.

So, the publication demonstrated how to write letters intended for business partners. This should be done correctly and competently, so as not to lose face. After all, the future of the company depends on it. It is also important to respond to business messages in a timely manner. This can be done within three to seven days from the date of receipt of the letter.

According to GOST R 7.0.82013 “System of standards for information, library and publishing. Record keeping and archiving. Terms and definitions “addressee” is a document detail containing information about the recipient of the document (clause 67).

The “Addressee” requisite is used in business letters and internal information and reference documents (reports and memos, statements, etc.).

The “Addressee” details include:

• name of the addressee (recipient of the letter);
• postal address or telephone number, fax number, email address.

The recipient of the letter can be:

• official/several officials;
• organization;
• structural unit of the organization;
• group of organizations;
• individual.

ADDRESSEE - OFFICIAL

According to GOST R 6.30-2003, initials are written before the surname of any official. If the letter is sent to the head of a government agency, then the name of the organization is included in the position, full name. are indicated in the dative case, the initials are written before the surname:

If the letter is addressed head of a commercial organization, then the position includes the name of the organization indicating the organizational and legal form (in full or abbreviated form), the initials are written before the surname:

If the letter is addressed deputy head, the name of the organization is included in the job title. The surname is indicated in the dative case:

If the addressee of the document is head of a structural unit, then first the name of the organization is indicated in the nominative case, then in the dative case the name of the person’s position indicating the structural unit, for example:

According to clause 5.15 of the new GOST:

• when addressing a letter to an official, the initials are placed after the surname;
• before the surname it is allowed to use the abbreviation “Mr.” (Mr.) if the addressee is a man, or “Ms.” (Mrs.) if the addressee is a woman:

ADDRESSEE - ORGANIZATION

If the letter is addressed to an organization, then its name (full or abbreviated) is indicated in the nominative case:

When addressing a letter to an organization, indicate its full or abbreviated name, for example:

Addressing to an organization is used in cases where the sender does not know who the head of the organization is, his last name, initials.

ADDRESSEE - STRUCTURAL DIVISION

The document can be addressed to a structural unit of the organization. As a rule, this method of addressing is possible if the consideration of the issue to which the letter is devoted is within the competence of the structural unit.

When addressing a document to a structural unit of an organization, the name of the organization is indicated in the nominative case in the “Addressee” requisite, below - the name of the structural unit in the nominative case, for example:

What does GOST R 7.0.97-2016 change? Nothing.

ADDRESSEE - INDIVIDUAL

Registration of the “Addressee” details when conducting correspondence with individuals has its own characteristics. First, indicate the surname in the dative case, then the initials and then the postal address:

What does GOST R 7.0.97-2016 change? Nothing.

ADDRESSEE - SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS
OR STRUCTURAL DIVISIONS

A business letter can have several addressees. GOST R 6.30-2003 establishes a method for general formatting of addressees when sending letters to several homogeneous organizations or to several structural divisions of one organization. There are two possible options for designing the props.

Option 1: indicate several addressees in the “Addressee” attribute itself. This design option is used when the letter is addressed to an organization or official (this is the main addressee) and, for information, to a number of other organizations or officials.

Addressing is formalized as usual in the upper right corner as a listing of the “Addressee” details for each body/organization or structural unit of the organization.

In this case, the total number of recipients should not be more than four.

All addressees are drawn up on the document itself; the word “Copy” is not indicated before the 2nd, 3rd and 4th addressees.

In this case, all printed copies of the letter are signed as originals. Each copy is sealed in a separate envelope, on which the postal address of a specific organization or structural subdivision is written.

Option 2: indicate the addressee in general, if we send a document to a group of organizations (heads of organizations) of the same type or to structural divisions (branches, representative offices, etc.) of one organization:

If the number of recipients is more than four, an additional list for mailing the letter (mailing list) is compiled, which indicates specific recipients and their addresses. A note about this is made in the “Addressee” attribute:

There is no approved form for the letter mailing list. The form of the sheet can be fixed in the organization’s office management instructions. In fact, the mailing sheet is the “Addressee” attribute transferred to a separate sheet, which means its content must correspond to this attribute. The “Addressee” detail contains three information blocks: name of the organization, position, initials and surname. In the mailing list for the letter, we reproduce the same information blocks, but place them in a line, and not by right side leaf. You can also arrange the data in table form. The order of the recipients can be arbitrary, but it is better to arrange them alphabetically.

Information about the outgoing letter number and date is entered after its registration (Example 1).

All letters sent to a group of recipients have one outgoing registration number; the incoming number for all letters will be different.

What does GOST R 7.0.97-2016 change? Nothing.

PLACING THE “ADDRESSEE” DETAILS ON THE FORM

The “Addressee” detail is located in the upper right part of the document (on a form with angular details) or on the right under the form details (on a form with longitudinal details). The location of the “Addressee” requisite is shown in Appendix B to GOST R 6.30-2003:

• on a form with corner details - Example 2;
• on a form with the details arranged longitudinally - Example 3.

What does GOST R 7.0.97-2016 change? Nothing. The “Addressee” attribute remains in the same place.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

• Should the elements of the “Addressee” props be separated by intervals?

The “Addressee” attribute usually takes up several lines.

In clause 6.1 Methodological recommendations on the implementation of GOST R 6.30-2003 (approved by Rosarkhiv) it is said that the details of a document consisting of several lines are printed with one line spacing. The components of the details “Addressee”, “Document approval stamp”, “Mark of the presence of an application”, “Document approval stamp” are separated from each other by 1.5-2 line spacing.

A similar norm is contained in the new GOST R 7.0.97-2016 in section 3, which establishes general requirements for the production of documents: “Multiline details are printed with one line spacing, component parts of the details are separated by an additional spacing”:

• How to align the “Addressee” attribute?

The multi-line attribute “Addressee” is designed aligned along the left border of the zone occupied by the attribute, or centered relative to the longest line, for example:

It has long been no secret to anyone that speech is divided into slang and literary - correct. It is quite logical that correct speech should be not only oral, but also written. Every intelligent person must master the culture of competent writing. And even more so for those who actively communicate on official business through correspondence. What are the letters like?

What is etiquette

Before we talk about business writing, we must first remember what etiquette is. This established order behavior in society, a set of manners and rules of the so-called good manners which every intelligent person must observe, well-mannered person, so as not to be branded as uncultured. These historically established rules are an integral part of the life of society.

Writing culture: general characteristics

Of course, this applies not only to business letters. There are many types and methods of written communication. They are all different, each has its own characteristics, but there are also common features. Among them are the following:

• reliance on standardized book language with the allowance of non-book vocabulary;
• use of complex syntactic structures;
• fixed word order in a sentence;
• clear text structure;
• high literacy.

Business Letter Etiquette

In what cases may we be required to write a business letter? Of course, if we conduct any business with organizations and/or individuals. What we write to our partners, colleagues, clients, the way we format our letter will become the face of our company and present us either in a favorable light or in a not so favorable light. Unless, of course, we are competent in the etiquette of writing business letters. In order not to lose face, you need to learn the wisdom below. By the way, it is also useful to have such knowledge because the slightest mistake, a tiny discrepancy with the rules can turn a business letter into one that is illegal from a legal point of view.

Specifics of business relations

Before talking directly about letters, you should understand how business relationships generally differ, what characterizes them, and what their features are. The main feature of relationships at work is the absence (either complete or almost complete) of a personal shade in these very relationships. As a rule, at work, each of us is extremely collected, calm, polite - it is unlikely that anyone will dance with a tambourine, for example, or perform other actions that are quite logical in the company of friends, but rather ridiculous for a work environment. This applies, by the way, not only to actions, but also to emotions - you can allow yourself to laugh or smile, or even a slight manifestation of anger, but homeric laughter, hysterics, tears and the like look quite inappropriate (all this concerns exclusively emotions at work). At work, we usually wear masks, demonstrating training, restraint and composure.

Business communication cannot end when you want it. A business partner or client will not understand if in the middle important meeting we suddenly get up and leave the audience. You can’t ignore your interlocutor, you can’t not answer calls or letters. All these features together help to better understand what the speech etiquette of a business letter should be.

General requirements

The first thing we pay attention to when we receive a letter is the paper. According to the requirements of business letter etiquette, the paper for it should always be crystal clear and in no case wrinkled. The addressees of the message will have best experience about the organization, if the letter turns out to be written on letterhead with the company logo. The first page is not numbered; all the rest are marked with Arabic numerals.

There is another very important point in business correspondence etiquette. Business presupposes high literacy and the absence of spelling errors. Therefore, if there are gaps in your knowledge of Russian grammar, it is recommended not to rush into sending correspondence, but to double-check it for possible shortcomings.

Also general recommendation for both paper and e-mail, the wish is not to use writing complex structures - this is only appropriate in legal documents. Abbreviations should not be used - only generally accepted ones. But the norm of business etiquette includes various cliches and argot - professional jargon. The entire document is maintained in an official business style.

Another important point that can be read from the letter: it should be as polite and friendly as possible. There can be no talk of any tactlessness or rudeness. In addition, a business letter requires specificity and a clear presentation of your thoughts.

If the addressee of the letter does not speak Russian, the text of the message should be written in his language, or in international English. By the way, such a document should be written only on one side of the sheet, the second must remain blank.

When preparing documents, you need to ensure that there are no transfers. The text itself must be typed at one and a half to two intervals, with a margin width of two centimeters on the left.

Nuances

A business letter has its own clear, special structure. At the same time, there is no single standard for the preparation of paper documents: different companies may have their own variations. They adhere only to a certain composition of the parts of the letter: they must certainly contain a “header”, a greeting, the main part and a farewell. Don't forget about your personal signature at the end of the letter.

By the way, the so-called frame of the message - the initial and final phrases - is called a label frame. It is she who helps to establish relationships with the addressee the right relationship. In addition, the rules of etiquette for business letters and examples of their writing demonstrate the use of various speech cliches in messages (they will be discussed below).

An important aspect of writing a business letter is the correct use of address. Before the revolution, the address “sir” or “madam” was in use in our country: it was considered universal, they called anyone that way. Nowadays there is no such universal address, although the word “Mr” or “Madam” is often found in business letters - having previously lost its popularity, it is gradually coming back into use. You can contact this way business partner, an official, but not to a client or colleague.

The most common and universal at present is considered to be the address “Dear” or “Dear Sir,” but in fact it is not one either. In a similar way, for example, you cannot address the so-called VIPs - especially important persons, who are considered governors, mayors, and presidents. In this case, you will need to start your letter with the address “Dearly” (another option is “Highly respected”).

If the message is addressed to several people at once, and they are all representatives of the same profession, it would be appropriate to use an address such as “Dear colleagues” (if all addressees are women, it is permissible to write “Dear ladies”; if men, then “Dear gentlemen"). If the letter is addressed to one person, it is strictly forbidden not to use a name or surname. This is permissible only in the above case (when the addressee is a group of persons) or when interacting with a legal entity.

As for the end of the message, you need to remember: it is no less significant than the beginning. It is at the end of the letter that confidence is expressed in a successful and/or quick resolution of the issue, and the like. Here, you should also not point out previous difficulties - for example, delays in responding or failure to receive one at all. These phrases are considered negative signs of business letter etiquette and are considered as reluctance to continue the relationship, as well as disrespect for the interlocutor. It is important to understand that this is unacceptable.

Email: Business Etiquette

Second possible variant correspondence - by email. There are also a number of peculiarities here. So, for example, if the addressee receives the message for the first time, then it is necessary to start it with an introduction to your own company, a description of your activities, and possible tasks that are expected to be performed. During long-term correspondence, it is necessary to preserve the history of past letters, on the basis of which each subsequent message is based.

The first letter must certainly contain a greeting and address. In subsequent ones, if a quick response is necessary, the appeal can be omitted (if appropriate). In online communication, many people do not consider it necessary to use punctuation marks, and also write without capital letters. This is unacceptable in business email etiquette.

The size of the email should not be too large - as a rule, it is half the size of its paper counterpart. In the same case, if you need to communicate a large amount of information to the addressee, only a brief accompanying note must be indicated in the body of the letter, and the material itself must be attached as an attachment in Word or any other file - this is required by the etiquette of a business letter by e-mail. An example of such a message could be: “Good afternoon, dear Mr. Ivanov! We are sending you samples of our advertising brochures. You can see them in the attachment...”

As for the signature, it must be there. You can sign at the end of each letter, or you can make an automatic signature, which will be affixed automatically. This option is often used by representatives of large companies. The signature must indicate your first name, last name, position, contact information, place of work. It must be formatted in such a way that it fits into seventy characters and takes up no more than five to six lines.

It is necessary to say a few words about the response to the message. Business email etiquette requires receiving a response to a message within two days - no more. If more time is required, you should notify your interlocutor about this. A response to all messages maintains the reputation of the company or entrepreneur. In order to know for sure whether the letter has reached the addressee, you can use the receipt notification function - delivery confirmation will be sent automatically. In addition, it is not forbidden to make a control call.

Speech formulas, or cliches

Clichés, speech formulas, speech cliches - whatever you say, it will still be an integral part of business correspondence. From the school course we remember that clichés are called set expressions. There are not so many of them:

• Regret can be expressed using the following phrases: “Unfortunately, we are unable to agree...”, “We regret to inform...”, “To our regret, we have to inform...” and so on.
• Gratitude is indicated by such clichés as: “Let me express my gratitude...”, “Thank you...”, “Given your contribution...”.
• You can invite the recipient to a particular event using stamps: “We have the honor to invite you...”, “We hope for your consent...”, “We are pleased to invite you...”, “We will be glad to see you...” and the like.
• You can end the letter with the phrases: “We look forward to new ideas from you...”, “We wish you success...”, “We hope for further fruitful cooperation...”.

Golden rules of business correspondence

Common mistakes in business correspondence

There are several seemingly small things that can nevertheless become fatal in the case of business communication. Often it is these little things that lead to the termination of mutually beneficial relationships, the termination of transactions and similar unpleasant things. You need to know the enemy by sight!

1. You cannot write (and call too!) about work outside of working hours! How often do we, not wanting to wait until the morning, disturb our partners, clients, colleagues at nine, ten, or even eleven in the evening. It seems to us that everything will disappear overnight, collapse, fail, and it will no longer be possible to save the situation. And those rare specimens who are able to hold out until the morning, for some reason, believe that six in the morning is the right time for communication. After all, if I don’t sleep, then no one sleeps. Alas, such behavior only irritates and turns us against ourselves.
2. This has already been mentioned indirectly, but nevertheless, there can be no familiarity! Communication at work occurs exclusively in “you” (with a capital V, this means politeness and respect).
3. Excessive exchange of pleasantries can also cause harm. Firstly, it takes up valuable time, and secondly, it looks a little annoying and boring. No need to try hard.

Nowadays there is so much literature that sometimes one’s eyes run wide. There are also plenty of books on the culture of speech, including writing.

Those wishing to gain knowledge in this area can recommend the following works: “Business Letter Etiquette” by Oleg Davtyan, “Culture of Written Speech” by Tatyana Degtereva, “Russian Letter Etiquette” by Natalia Formanovskaya and Alla Akishina, “Business Etiquette” by Elena Ber, “Russian Speech Etiquette” by Natalia Formanovskaya and many others.

1. Business letter etiquette requires the use of an exclamation point at the end of the address in order to give special meaning a given issue or person.
2. Addressing the recipient by name indicates a closer and long-established relationship, while addressing the addressee by name emphasizes the distance.
3. The etiquette of business letters in Russia is characterized by gender-neutralization, since most professions are often only masculine.

Following the rules of business correspondence is not so difficult, because there are not so many of them. Remembering them is a small science. But in the eyes of others, a person who knows the etiquette of business letters will always be well-mannered and cultured, someone with whom it is pleasant to do business.