Business letter writing requires two kinds of skills. First, we need to know how to design a business letter in the form of an acceptance and be thoroughly familiar with it, so that in virtually all letters we write we use the standard design. There will always be an odd letter that for some reason is not standard, but in general we should write naturally in the well-tested standard way, so that our correspondents feel comfortable with the letter when it arrives. The other skill is the ability to write in good English, with the subject of the letter falling into clear paragraphs, each of which is written in lucid sentences. The ability to write sentences, both simple sentences and more complex sentences, ensures that each part of the letter expresses a complete thought or a group of related thoughts. This allows our correspondence to follow the points we are raising, in logical steps, and to come to the end of the letter with a clear understanding of our point of view on the issue or issues we have raised.
Both of these aspects require a great deal of explanation, and we will learn the skills better if we understand the reasons behind the various practices that have been adopted over the years. Therefore, we will begin by considering the legal aspects of business correspondence.
The legal aspects of business correspondence.
Almost all business activity is contractual in nature. This means that the two people involved in any particular transaction are assuming certain obligations to each other and at the same time acquiring certain rights. Thus, the furniture manufacturer who undertakes to supply some of his products to a wholesaler is entering into a transaction whereby he accepts the obligation to supply the specified goods in exchange for the right to receive a monetary payment called “the price”. . When a service is to be provided, the arrangement is exactly the same. For example, a security company agrees to protect the premises with its security guards and specialized devices, in exchange for an agreed contractual fee.
If any dispute arises, it can be resolved by going to court, and the injured party sues the other party. To sue someone is to summon them to court, to show why you shouldn’t have the justice you seek. The judge will examine the correspondence that has passed between you (including any documents such as contracts, invoices, memos, etc.) and will issue a ruling on it. It is the legal nature of the correspondence that requires that the correspondence be established in a standard form of design. The main points are:
1) The names and addresses of both parties to the contract must be indicated in all correspondence.
2) All correspondence must be clearly dated.
3) To help track correspondence, it is customary to give references at the top of the letter.
4) To clarify the subject of the letter, it is customary to give a subject heading at the beginning of the letter.
5) To start the letter itself, we need some kind of greeting. This is called a greeting and can be a general greeting, such as Dear Sir.
6) We then have a series of paragraphs dealing with the matter in question.
7) Finally, we need a final section. This is called ‘the free close’ or ‘subscription’.
8) If copies are sent to other departments, there may be a list of their names, headed CC (Copies Distributed).
If all these details are included, the court will have no difficulty in understanding what the parties have done. We clearly don’t expect to end up in court when we start dealing with a supplier or customer, but if we do, the formal design described will serve as evidence.