Business Writing

Introduction
Types of Business Messages
Direct and Indirect approach to Business

Business Letters
Business letters are the formal letters written and sent from
one person/party for the purpose of business activity.
Since, Business Letters are exchange of letters they are also
called as Commercial Correspondence
A Correspondence refers to communication through
letters
The writer of letter aims at conveying to the recipients a
message or information in the absence of any personal
contact

Business Letters
A Business letter provides a permanent record
of written communication
A written communication enables more clear,
well organized and well considered message

Business Letters
~Messages~
The written messages in business can be

classified as:
Positive
Negative
Neutral
Persuasive

Business Letters
~Messages~
Positive or Good News Messages:
Messages that convey a positive information that
reflects your goodwill (generosity, reputation)
For Example: A manager congratulating employees for
achieving a specific work target
The president of a business writing a note of sympathy to
commiserate (Sympathy) with the dead employees family

Business Letters
~Messages~
Negative or Bad News Messages:
Information that is undesirable or
disappointing to the readers.
For Example: A managers letter denying a pay
hike for an employee
A termination letter to employee/s

Business Letters
~Messages~
Neutral or Routine Messages:
Messages which are carry information of equal or even
higher importance than positive messages, but their
emotional content and involvement is usually lower.
For Example: A policy (course of action) memo or note
sent by the manager to its employees
Customer inquiring about a product

Business Letters
~Messages~
Persuasive or Influential Messages:
Messages which try to motivate the readers to
agree or make them act them act in desired way.
For Example:
An advertisement brochure sent by a company to
a customer or business house

Direct and Indirect Approaches to Business Messages

The Direct Approach:
The direct approach immediately and clearly presents the
most significant or most important thought
If the message is to Inform then use the Direct Approach
The Direct approach is also known as the deductive
approach in which the main idea, such as recommendation,
conclusion, or request, is stated first and then is followed by
any needed explanation

Direct and Indirect Approaches to Business Messages

The Indirect Approach:

Under this approach, you do not reveal the main idea until
you have offered explanation and evidence.
If the audience is uninterested, unwilling, displeased
or hostile (unfriendly) use the indirect approach
This approach presents reasons before delivering the
actual message
This is also known as Inductive Approach.

Direct and Indirect Approaches to Business Messages

Direct and Indirect

Stages of Writing Business Messages

Prewriti
ng

Drafting

Revising

Formatti
ng

Proof
Reading

Stages of Writing Business Messages

~Prewriting~

The planning Stage in which you think through your

writing assignment and develop an for accomplishing it.

Determine Purpose
Know your Readers
Search and Collect Data for message
Organized and prepare an otuline

Stages of Writing Business Messages

~Drafting~

How well is the message understood?

The right balance of words and the right words for the
balance
Right Balance Shorter sentences and paragraphs, better
understanding of message
Right Words Concise paragraph using short sentence

Stages of Writing Business Messages

~Drafting~
Example 1
One of the key function of our business is to maximize what

customer gets
Key business function is maximization of customer value
Example 2
The earthquake created havoc on the newly constructed, 100
floored, building
The earthquake destroyed the 100 floored building.

Stages of Writing Business Messages

~Revising~

The process of modifying a document to increase its

effectiveness.
First draft may or may not be the final
Look for proper words (shorter yet simple)

Stages of Writing Business Messages

~Formatting~

Formatting changes the variety of design elements, such

as white space, margins, line justification, typefaces,
styles for professional business letter

Stages of Writing Business Messages

~Proof Reading~

Read the message for any errors.

Spelling, Grammatical, Sentence
Construction of the entire message
Read out loud