Business Communication Day

01 September 2025 16:38

NOTES :-
• In the following chapter, we would discuss the standard form and contents of a business letter, style of writing it, and tips for
writing good business letters.
• The Essentials of a Good Business Letter:-
1. Letterhead
2. Reference Number
3. Date
4. Special Marking
5. Inside Address
6. Attention Line
7. Salutation
8. Subject Heading
9. Main Body
10. Complementary Close
11. Signatory
12. Enclosures/Copies Circulated
13. Annexures
• Types Of Business Letters :-
1.Formal Business Letters
2.Informal Business Letters
• Layout Of Business Letters :-
1.Blocked Format
2.Semi-Blocked Format
• Essential of Business Letters :-
1. Completeness
2. Clarity
3. Simplicity
4. Accuracy
5. Brevity
6. Sincerity
 7. Courtesy
8. Style
• Business Message :-
1. The ‘You attitude’ in Business Writing
2.Positive Message
3.Negative Message
4.Persuasive Message
5.Business Report

• Business Reports Categories :-

1. Compliance Report
2. Corporate Governance Report
3. Sustainability Report
4. Recommendation Report
5. Investigation Report
6. Feasibility Report
7. Research Report
8. Periodic Report
9. Situational Report

• Writing Effective Business Report :-

• Objective of the Report
• Format of the report
• Use of the Report
• Requisite information or Input data
• Collection of the data and facts
• Analysis and fact finding procedure
• Executive Summary
• Inter and Intra-Departmental Communication :-
Inter and intra-departmental communication has largely been a formal affair. The chief executives
assumed that they were expected to be direct, brief and functional, wasting little time on niceties.
Employees were usually taken for granted - bound by archaic service rules to listen and to comply
unquestioningly. No wonder the documents produced were staid and standardised
There are various documents used in inter departmental communication, they are:
1. Memorandum
2. Office Circulars
3. Office Orders
4. Office Notes

Long Notes :-

1. ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS LETTER :-

i. Letterhead, along with other printed materials
like business cards and brochures, are a visual
representation of any business ;
Since the First contact is usually done with a company is usually made through its letterhead ,
Companies Spend considerable time, effort and money getting it designed .
A Letterhead generally carries :-
• Company Logo
• Tag line
• Name and Address of Registered office , Corporate Office
• Contact Number
• E-mail address Of Company .

ii. Reference Number

A reference number helps us in retrieving the letter at a later stage. It may contain the initials of the letter
writer, the department from which the letter originates, and the distinctive number allotted to it. It is for
an organisation to decide what the contents of a reference number should be.

iii. Date
The date must be written in full without abbreviating the name of the month. For example, 1.6.2019 may
preferably be written as 1 June, 2019. This removes the possibility of any misunderstanding as Americans
are likely to read the date given in numerals as 6th of January, 2019. The date may be written either
below the reference number or to its extreme right.

iv. Special Markings

A few spaces below the date, one may show special markings such as Confidential, Air Mail, through
Registered Post/Courier/Speed Post etc. When the contents of a letter are confidential, then care
should be taken to super scribe the envelope also with the same marking

v. Inside Address
 The complete name and address of the recipient is written below the special markings. It must be
ensured that the inside name and address is exactly the same as that used on the envelope.

vi. Attention Line

If the letter is addressed to a company or one of its departments but the sender wishes it to be dealt
with by a particular individual, then an attention line may be inserted either above or below the inside
address. This may read like:
For the Attention of Mr. Harish Arora, Manager (Industrial Credits)

vii. Salutation
The choice of a salutation depends on the extent of formality one wishes to observe. The following list
shows different salutations in descending order of formality:

viii. Subject Heading

It is useful to provide a subject heading in longer letters. This helps the reader find out in the first instance
what the contents of the letter are. Subject headings may be written in initial capitals with the rest in
lower case and underscored or in capitals as shown:
Sub: Erection Work of Bikaner Project (or)
Sub: ERECTION WORK OF BIKANER PROJECT

ix. Main Body

The main body of the letter may be divided into three parts. Most business letters begin with a brief
introduction, which states the purpose of the letter.
The conclusion is a polite rounding off. It may mention the feedback required. Some of the expressions
are given below:
We thank you in anticipation.
We look forward to a favourable response.

x. Complimentary Close
The complimentary close should match the salutation in terms of formality or lack of it.
A common error is to use an apostrophe in Yours (Your’s). Care must be taken to avoid it. “Truly” and
“sincerely” are often misspelt. It should be remembered that truly does not have an ‘e’ in it while
“sincerely” retains both the ‘e’s.

xi. Signatory
 After leaving four to five spaces for the signature, the name of the sender may be written in capitals
within brackets followed by the designation as shown below:
(AMBUJ CHANDNA)
Regional Sales Manager

xii. Enclosures/Copies Circulated

List of enclosures or details of those to whom copies of the letter are being circulated may be given
below the designation of the sender. In some cases, copies of the letter may require circulation while
keeping the original recipient in the dark. The abbreviation in such cases is suitably changed to bcc in
the letters being circulated alone.

xiii. Annexures
If we wish to annex some documents with the letter, then information about these may be listed at the
end.

2. TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTERS :-

i. Formal Business Letter –Formal business letters are the typical or standard business letters meant
for legal or official correspondence. These include letters regarding business deals, order,
Claim ,dispute settlement, agreements, information request, sales report and other official
matters.
ii. Informal Business Letter –Informal Business Letter is used for casual correspondence but doesn’t
necessarily has to have a casual tone of language. These letters include memorandums,
appraisals, interview, thanks, reference letters, cover letter, customer complaint letters, e-mails
and others which are less important or regular
3. LAYOUT OF BUSINESS LETTER :-
i. Blocked Format :-
In the blocked format of letter layout, the date of the
letter, all references, subject, salutation, the paragraphs
in the body of the letter, conclusion and signature, all
commence at the left margin. In this format no
commas are used after inside address, salutation or
complimentary close.
 ii. Semi-Blocked Format
This style is often termed as modified block style letter. In the semi-blocked format of a layout of a
letter the date of the letter, conclusion and sign
ature are aligned to the right of the letter. The subject
or reference is centrally aligned. The paragraphs of the body of the letter all commence with a slight
indent and commas are used in the inside address (however a common practice now is to omit the use
of comma in the inside address), salutation and complimentary close.
 4. ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS LETTERS :-
i. Completeness :-
The letter must be complete in itself. It should contain all the information required by the addressee . The important and relevant matter
should not be left out.
The writer should try to grasp all the relevant facts and arrange them logically and systematically to incorporate them into the body of the
letter.

ii. Clarity :-
The writer must be clear about what he wants to convey and then he should try to express it
in simple and straightforward language. Clear writing and clear thinking should go hand in
hand, and the person who thinks straight is usually able to write straight .

iii. Simplicity :-
A Business letter should be in a plain and simple style, clear and easily understood. Accordingly,
the language of business letters should be very simple. The use of winding expressions and high
sounding phrases should be avoided.

iv . Accuracy:-
A business letter should not have any false or misleading statements. There should be no
mistakes which usually creep into a letter due to negligence. Mistakes, however small, should
be avoided, as they cause much inconvenience and trouble.
 V. Brevity:-
In a business letter, unnecessary words and superfluous matter should be avoided. As brevity in
a letter is the soul of commercial correspondence, the writer must see that every sentence he
has written is impregnated with appropriate meaning.
Vi. Sincerity:-
Whether a person is writing a personal letter or a business letter, he needs to write it with sincerity.
In other words, he must be himself and not an imitation of somebody else. The business letter
may seem to be a common piece of writing, if all letters are modelled to a set style. It must have
originality of the sort that expresses the thoughts of its writer in his own style.
Vii. Courtesy:-
In a business letter, courtesy should be present everywhere, as it pacifies anger and pays in the
long run. Courtesy means that the general tone of the letter should be mild and there should be
a consideration for the feelings of others. Curt and rude letters have got no place in the business
world. Courtesy should not be sacrificed for the sake of brevity. Discourteous and unpleasant
language should be avoided even while writing letters of complaint or letters of refusal.
viii. Style:-
The words used in a business letter and the way in which they are used express the writer’s
personality and give the letter what is called its style. Style in writing as in other walks of life is a
quality peculiar to the individual.

5. Business Messages :-
Summary of Business Messages

• Types of Messages: Business messages include communication from the Chairman to shareholders and employees, as well as messages about
sales, purchases, products, services, orders, invoices, announcements, and employee updates like promotions, bonuses, resignations, and
terminations.

• Importance: These messages are vital for smooth business operations and can appear in print, electronic formats, or other internal/external
communication channels.

• Relationship Building: Well-crafted business messages help maintain strong relationships with stakeholders.

• Daily Communication: Businesses exchange various types of messages with other businesses regularly.

• Tone & Perspective: A self-centred or writer-focused approach—where the writer emphasizes their own views—can lead to poor responses.
Readers may ignore the message if it doesn’t consider their perspective.

• Best Practice: To make business messages more effective, they should be written from the reader’s point of view, focusing on their needs and
interests.

The ‘You A tude’ in Business Wri ng

The ‘You Attitude’ means writing from the reader’s perspective, not the writer’s. It focuses on the reader’s needs, emotions, and reactions. Using
“you” instead of “I” or “we” makes the message more engaging and respectful.
Benefits:
• Builds a friendly tone
• Motivates the reader
• Creates trust
• Softens bad news
• Achieves the message’s goal
• Enhances goodwill

Business Reports – At a Glance

Definition
A business report is an organized, objective presentation of information used for decision-making and problem-solving.
 Origin
• Derived from Latin reportare → “to carry back”
• A way to share information with someone not present

Flow of Communication
• Employee → Supervisor → Executive → Management

Purpose
• Share facts, data, and insights
• Solve problems or guide decisions
• Record historical info for future use

Key Features
Feature Description
Well-Ordered Easy to navigate and understand
Objective Free from bias; based on facts
Data-Driven Uses reliable information and ethical conclusions
Prac cal Focused on business needs, not academic theory

Common Types
• Compliance Reports
• Financial Reviews
• Sales Summaries
• Board of Directors’ Reports

Why It Matters
Business reports are essential tools for internal communication and strategic decision-making.

Business Report Categories

The various forms of reports are as under:
1. Compliance Report
2. Corporate Governance Report
3. Sustainability Report
4. Recommendation Report
5. Investigation Report
6. Feasibility Report
7. Research Report
8. Periodic Report
9. Situational Report

Effective Business Report – Summary

A business report should be concise and structured—not written like an essay. It must use clear headings, subheadings, bullet points,
diagrams, and tables to help readers quickly find key information. The goal is to communicate relevant data efficiently and clearly.
Reports can vary in length—from a few pages to over a hundred—and longer reports should include a table of contents and possibly an
index. However, most effective business reports include these core elements:
• Objective of the Report
• Report Format
• Purpose and Use
• Required Information or Input Data
• Data Collection Methods
• Analysis and Fact-Finding Process
• Executive Summary

Summary: Writing an Effective Business Report

To write an effective business report, it's essential to understand its key components:
• Executive Summary: A brief overview stating the report’s purpose, methodology, and main findings—similar to an abstract in an
essay.
• Body: Details the evaluation process, explains the methodology, highlights influencing issues, and may preview findings. Includes
relevant tables and diagrams.
• Key Findings/Recommendations: Presents and discusses the main findings and offers actionable recommendations.
• Conclusion: Summarizes the findings and connects them back to the original issue or question that prompted the report.