Who am I writing this letter to?

Identifying your audience always comes first. Are you writing to more than one person, to someone you don't know, or to someone you have known for a long time? This will help you determine how formal the letter needs to be. You may need to introduce yourself briefly in the letter if the recipient does not know you. You may also need to find out the updated address and title of the recipient. This is a good time to confirm the correct spelling of first and last names.

Are there specific details I need to include?

Gather any dates, addresses, names, prices, times or other information that you may need to include before you write your letter. Double check details rather than relying on your memory.

Do I require a response?

Many types of business letter require a response. Others are written in response to a letter that has been received. Before you start writing, determine whether or not you require an action or response from the recipient. Your request or requirement should be very clear. In some cases you may even need to provide a deadline for a response. If you do require a response, how should the recipient contact you? Indicate this information clearly as well. You may want to provide more than one option, such as an email address and a phone number.

Writing a Business Letter

The term "business letter" makes people nervous. Many people with English as a second language worry that their writing is not advanced enough for business writing. This is not the case. An effective letter in business uses short, simple sentences and straightforward vocabulary. The easier a letter is to read, the better. You will need to use smooth transitions so that your sentences do not appear too choppy.

Salutation

First and foremost, make sure that you spell the recipient's name correctly. You should also confirm the gender and proper title. Use Ms. for women and Mr. for men. Use Mrs. if you are 100% sure that a woman is married. Under less formal circumstances, or after a long period of correspondence it may be acceptable to address a person by his or her first name. When you don't know the name of a person and cannot find this information out you may write, "To Whom It May Concern". It is standard to use a comma (colon in North America) after the salutation. It is also possible to use no punctuation mark at all. Here are some common ways to address the recipient

• Dear Mr Powell,
• Dear Ms Mackenzie,
• Dear Frederick Hanson:
• Dear Editor-in-Chief:
• Dear Valued Customer
• Dear Sir or Madam:
• Dear Madam
• Dear Sir,
• Dear Sirs
• Gentlemen

First paragraph

In most types of business letter it is common to use a friendly greeting in the first sentence of the letter. Here are some examples:

I hope you are enjoying a fine summer.

Thank you for your kind letter of January 5th.

I came across an ad for your company in The Star today.

It was a pleasure meeting you at the conference this month.

I appreciate your patience in waiting for a response.

After your short opening, state the main point of your letter in one or two sentences:

I'm writing to enquire about...

I'm interested in the job opening posted on your company website.

We'd like to invite you to a members only luncheon on April 5^th

S econd and third paragraphs

Use a few short paragraphs to go into greater detail about your main point. If one paragraph is all you need, don't write an extra paragraph just to make your letter look longer. If you are including sensitive material, such as rejecting an offer or informing an employee of a layoff period, embed this sentence in the second paragraph rather than opening with it. Here are some common ways to express unpleasant facts:

We regret to inform you...

It is with great sadness that we...

After careful consideration we have decided

Final paragraph

Your last paragraph should include requests, reminders, and notes on enclosures. If necessary, your contact information should also be in this paragraph. Here are some common phrases used when closing a business letter:

Please respond at your earliest convenience.

I should also remind you that the next board meeting is on February 5th.

For futher details...

If you require more information...

Thank you for taking this into consideration.

I appreciate any feedback you may have.

Enclosed you will find...

Feel free to contact me by phone or email

Closing

Here are some common ways to close a letter. Use a comma between the closing and your handwritten name (or typed in an email). If you do not use a comma or colon in your salutation, leave out the comma after the closing phrase:

• Yours truly,
• Yours sincerely,
• Sincerely,
• Sincerely yours
• Thank you,
• Best wishes
• All the best,
• Best of luck
• Warm regards

Writing Tips

Use a conversational tone.

Ask direct questions.

Double-check gender and spelling of names.

Use active voice whenever possible.

Use polite modals (would in favour of will).

Always refer to yourself as "I".

Don't use "we" unless it is clear exactly who the pronoun refers to.

Rewrite any sentence or request that sounds vague.

Don't forget to include the date. Day-Month-Year is conventional in many countries; however, to avoid confusion, write out the month instead of using numbers (e.g. July 5th, 2007)

Proofreading a Business Letter

"Proofread" means to read a text carefully to check it for errors and general tone. You should always proofread a business letter before sending it.

The most important thing when proofreading any document is to read the text out loud. Print the letter rather than read it on your computer screen. Make notes where your letter sounds awkward. If possible allow one day between writing and sending your letter. You are more likely to spot any typos or other errors with a fresh eye. (If you have to respond to an important email on the same day, write it in the morning and proofread it after lunch.) Use a spell-check function on your computer program if possible. Computer programs are useful for pointing out passive sentences, subject-verb agreement problems etc. However, be careful when using grammar-check programs. Sometimes they will highlight a phrase that is not actually an error. If you are in doubt, try to simplify the sentence by using a sentence structure that you are more comfortable with.

If possible, ask another person to double-check your letter. You could offer to return the favour for your colleague and become proofreading partners. You can even use standard proofreading marks to make it easier to explain necessary changes. Type "proofreading marks" into an internet search engine, and send the list to your fellow proofreader.

 

I. Read & translate the text. Find and write out expressions from the text.

II. Write sentences with vocabulary. Learn the vocabulary.

III. Write a memo using all the rules from the text

IV. Write an envelope and business letter using all the rules from the text.

 

Negotiations in English

One of the most important skills anyone can hold in daily life is the ability to negotiate. In general terms, a negotiation is a resolution of conflict. We enter negotiations in order to start or continue a relationship and resolve an issue. Even before we accept our first jobs, or begin our careers, we all learn how to negotiate. For one person it begins with the negotiation of an allowance with a parent. For another it involves negotiating a television schedule with a sibling. Some people are naturally stronger negotiators, and are capable of getting their needs met more easily than others. Without the ability to negotiate, people break off relationships, quit jobs, or deliberately avoid conflict and uncomfortable situations.
In the world of business, negotiating skills are used for a variety of reasons, such as to negotiate a salary or a promotion, to secure a sale, or to form a new partnership. Here are a few examples of different types of negotiations in the business world:

Manager and Clerk: Negotiating a promotion

Employer and Potential Employee: Negotiating job benefits

Business Partner A and B: Making decisions about investments

Company A and Company B: Negotiating a merger

Customer and Client: Making a Sale

The Art of Negotiating

Negotiating is often referred to as an "art". While some people may be naturally more skillful as negotiators, everyone can learn to negotiate. And, as they often say in business, everything is negotiable. Some techniques and skills that aid people in the negotiating process include:

Aiming high

Visualizing the end results

Treating one's opponent with respect and honesty

Preparing ahead of time

Exhibiting confidence

Preparing to Negotiate

Lack of preparation in a negotiation almost always sets a person up for failure. First and foremost, each party must clearly define their own goals and objectives. Secondly, each party must anticipate the goals of the opposition. This may require doing some background research. Finally, each party must come up with various alternatives to their main objectives.

Here are some preparatory questions to ask yourself before beginning talks with the other party:

What is my main objective?

What are all of the alternatives I can think of?

Why do I deserve to have my goals met?

What will my opponent's counter proposal likely consist of?

How can I respond to this counter proposal?

When would I like to have this issue resolved?

What is my bottom-line?

What market research/homework do I need to do to back up my cause?

What is my bargaining power compared to my opponent's?

What do I know about the principles of negotiating?

Collaborative Negotiating

In business, the goal of negotiating parties should always be for mutual gain. This type of win-win negotiation is often called collaborative negotating. The opposite of collaborative negotiating is called competitive negotiating. The goal of competitive negotiating is for one party to win and the other to lose. Dishonest practices, such as lying, manipulation, intimidation, and bribery are often used in this type of negotiation.

Main Principles of Collaborative Negotiating:

Resolve previous conflicts ahead of time

Deal with issues, not personalities

Commit to listening more than speaking: The more you know about your counterpart, the more likely you will achieve your goals. You cannot convince someone of something when you do not know anything about them, or what their own needs are. A common mistake is to prepare one's next question or point while the opponent is speaking.

Establish trust in the onset

Develop a common goal

Discuss a common enemy

Take opponent's views/needs into careful consideration: Not only do you want to win this negotiation, you want your opponent to win as well, so that he or she will negotiate with you again in the future.

The Negotiation Process

It's time to negotiate! Here are a few golden rules to successful negotiations:

1) Always try to negotiate for at least 15 minutes. Any less than that and it is unlikely that either party has had enough time to fairly consider the other side. Generally, the size or seriousness of the negotiation determines the amount of time needed to negotiate it. Setting a time limit is a good idea. Approximately 90% of negotiations get settled in the last 10% of the discussion.
2) Always offer to let the other party speak first. This is especially important if you are the one making a request for something such as a raise. The other party may have overestimated what you are going to ask for and may actually offer more than what you were going to request.
3) Always respect and listen to what your opponent has to say. This is important even if he or she does not extend the same courtesy to you. Do your best to remain calm and pleasant even if the other party is displaying frustration or anger. Remember some people will do anything to intimidate you.
4) Acknowledge what the other party says. Everyone likes to know that what they say is important. If the other party opens first, use it to your advantage, by paraphrasing what you have heard. Repeat their important ideas before you introduce your own stronger ones.
5) Pay attention to your own and your counterpartner's body language. Review the chart below to learn how to interpret body language during the negotiations. Make sure that you aren't conveying any negative body language.

Language to use to show understanding/agreement on a point:

I agree with you on that point.

That's a fair suggestion.

So what you're saying is that you...

In other words, you feel that...

You have a strong point there.

I think we can both agree that...

I don't see any problem with/harm in that.

Language to use for objection on a point or offer:

I understand where you're coming from; however,...

I'm prepared to compromise, but...

The way I look at it...

The way I see things...

If you look at it from my point of view...

I'm afraid I had something different in mind.

That's not exactly how I look at it.

From my perspective...

I'd have to disagree with you there.

I'm afraid that doesn't work for me.

Is that your best offer?