I.Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

i) Apart from ordinary envelopes, we may also use ________ or ________envelopes for sending business letters.

ii) To make a letter courteous, words like ________ and ________ should be used.

iii) Business letter should contain only ________ information.

iv) Accuracy demands no error in the usage of ________

v) Business letters should be always neat and ________ in appearance.

II. Match the following.

a) The receiver understands the message i) Relevance

in the same way as intended by the sender

b) There should be no errors in the usage ii) Courtesy

of language in business letter.

c) Relevant information should be iii) Accuracy

provided in business letter

Words of anger should iv) Clarity

not be used in any business letters.

Parts of a Business Letter

We have discussed above the qualities of a good business letter. The quality will be

maintained if we give proper attention to each and every part of the letter. Let us now learn

about the different parts of a business letter.

The essential parts of a business letter are as follows:

1. Heading -The heading of a business letter usually contains the name and postal address

of the business, E-mail address, Web-site address, Telephone Number, Fax Number,

Trade Mark or logo of the business (if any)

2. Date - The date is normally written on the right hand side corner after the heading as

the day, month and years. Some examples are 28th Feb., 2003 or Feb. 28, 2003.

3. Reference- It indicates letter number and the department from where the letter is being

sent and the year. It helps in future reference. This reference number is given on the

left hand corner after the heading. For example, we can write reference number as

AB/FADept./2003/27.

Different parts of a

business letter-

1. Heading

2. Date

3. Reference

4. Inside Address

5. Subject

6. Salutation

7. Body of the letter

8. Complimentary

close

9. Signature

10. Enclosures

11. Copy Circulation

12. Post Script

Inside address - This includes the name and full address of the person or the firm to

whom the letter is to be sent. This is written on the left hand side of the sheet below the

reference number. Letters should be addressed to the responsible head e.g., the

Secretary, the Principal, the Chairman, the Manager etc. Example:

M/S Bharat Fans

Bharat Complex

Hyderabad Industrial Complex

Hyderabad

Andhra Pradesh - 500032

The Chief Manager,

State Bank of India

Utkal University Campus

Bhubaneswar,

Orissa- 751007

5. Subject - It is a statement in brief, that indicates the matter to which the letter relates.

It attracts the attention of the receiver immediately and helps him to know quickly

what the letter is about. For example,

Subject: Your order No. C317/8 dated 12th March 2003.

Subject: Enquiry about Samsung television

Subject: Fire Insurance policy

6. Salutation - This is placed below the inside address. It is usually followed by a comma

(,). Various forms of salutation are:

Sir/Madam: For official and formal correspondence

Dear Sir/Madam: For addressing an individual

Dear Sirs/Dear Madam: For addressing a firm or company.

7. Body of the letter- This comes after salutation. This is the main part of the letter and it

contains the actual message of the sender. It is divided into three parts.

(a) Opening part - It is the introductory part of the letter. In this part, attention of the

reader should be drawn to the previous correspondence, if any. For examplewith

reference to your letter no. 326 dated. 12th March 2003, I would like to

draw your attention towards the new brand of television.

(b) Main part - This part usually contains the subject matter of the letter. It should

be precise and written in clear words.

(c) Concluding Part - It contains a statement the of sender’s intentions, hopes or

expectations concerning the next step to be taken. Further, the sender should

always look forward to getting a positive response. At the end, terms like Thanking

you, With regards, With warm regards may be used.

8. Complimentary close - It is merely a polite way of ending a letter. It must be in

accordance with the salutation. For example:

Salutation Complementary close

i. Dear Sir/Dear Madam Yours faithfully

ii. Dear Mr. Raj Yours sincerely

iii. My Dear Akbar Yours very sincerely (express very informal

relations.)

Signature - It is written in ink, immediately below the complimentary close. As far as

possible, the signature should be legible. The name of the writer should be typed

immediately below the signature. The designation is given below the typed name. Where

no letterhead is in use, the name of the company too could be included below the

designation of the writer. For example:

Yours faithfully

For M/S Acron Electricals

(Signature)

SUNIL KUMAR

Partner

10. Enclosures - This is required when some documents like cheque, draft, bills, receipts,

lists, invoices etc. are attached with the letter. These enclosures are listed one by one

in serial numbers.

For example:

Encl: (i) The list of goods received

(ii) A cheque for Rs. One Thousand dtt. Feb. 27,2003 (Cheque No........)

towards payment for goods supplied.

11. Copy circulation - This is required when copies of the letter are also sent to persons

apart of the addressee. It is denoted as C.C. For example,

C.C. i. The Chairman, Electric Supply Corporation

ii. The Director, Electric Supply Corporation

iii. The Secretary, Electric Supply Corporation

12. Post script - This is required when the writer wants to add something, which is not

included in the body of the letter. It is expressed as P.S. FP.S. - In our offer, we provide two years warranty.

Format of a Business Letter

Tel. Name of the firm E-mail:

Fax. Postal Address Website:

Ref. Dated:

To

Name and

address of the person to whom letter is sent

Subject:

Salutation,

_______________________________________________________________

Opening part _______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________.

____________________________________________________________________

Main part ___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________.

____________________________________________________________________

Concluding part ______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________.

Complementary close

Signature

(name)

Designation

Enclosures

CC-

PS-

Exercise 3 .Fill in the blanks

i. The complementary close must be in accordance with the _________.

ii. Below the signature and name of the writer, his ____ is also written.

iii. In the main part of the body of the letter _____ is written..

iv. Dear Sir is the form of __________.

v. The body of the letter is usually divided into ______ part(s).

After having some idea about the various qualities and different parts of a good business

letter let us know about the different types of letter used in business correspondence.

What You Have Learnt

! Correspondence plays are important role in our daily life. It is the means through

which we exchange our ideas, thoughts and other information with our friends, relatives

and other people.

! We know that business operations are not limited to any locality, state or nation. Since

businessmen live at distant places they do not have sufficient time to contact their

customers personally. This difficulty has been overcome by writing letters. This is a

part Business Correspondence.

! The importance of Business letters (i) It helps in maintaining proper relationship (ii) It

is inexpensive and convenient mode of communication (iii) It creates and maintains

goodwill (iv) It serves as evidence (v) It helps in expansion of business.

! The essential qualities of a Business letter are:

Inner Qualities Outer qualities

Simplicity Quality of paper

Clarity Colour of the paper

Accuracy Size of the paper

Completeness Folding of letter

Relevance Envelope

Courtesy

Neatness

! The essential parts of a Business letter are (i) Heading (ii) Date (ii) Reference (iv)

Inside address (v) Subject (vi) Salutation (vii) Body of the letter (viii) Complimentary

close (ix) Signature (x) Enclosures (xi) Copy circulation (xii) Post script.

Terminal Exercise

1. What is meant by business correspondence?

2. How is personal correspondences different from business correspondence?

3. Explain the importance of writing a business letter.

4. Describe the inner and outer qualities of a good business letter.

Key to exercises (1-3)

Ex.1. I. i. evidence ii. impossible iii. goodwill iv. seek or give v.

convenient

II. i. T, ii. F, iii. F, iv. T, v. F

Ex.2. I. i. window, laminated ii. Please; Thank you, iii. relevant, iv. language,

v. attractive

II. a. iv,, b. iii, c. i, d. ii

Ex.3. i. salutation, ii. designation, iii. Subject matter, iv. salutation, v. three

 

Rules of Negotiations

Negotiation is a part of life we all have to deal with. Being able to do so successfully can make a big difference to our outcomes. Negotiation is a process that can be learned. Here are tips that might help you.

1. Remember, everything is negotiable. Don’t narrow a negotiation down to just one issue. Develop as many issues or negotiable deal points as you can and then juggle in additional deal points if you and the other party lock onto one issue.
2. Crystallize your vision of the outcome. The counterpart who can visualize the end result will most likely be the one who guides the negotiation.
3. Prepare in advance. Information is power. Obtain as much information as possible beforehand to make sure you understand the value of what you are negotiating. Remember, very few negotiations begin when the counterparts arrive at the table.
4. Ask questions. Clarify information you do not understand. Determine both the implicit and explicit needs of your counterpart.
5. Listen. When you do a good job listening, you not only gain new ideas for creating win/win outcomes but also make your counterpart feel cared for and valued. This also allows you to find out what the other party wants. If you assume that his or her wants and needs are the same as yours, you will have the attitude that only one of you can “win” the negotiation.
6. Set a goal for each deal point. Define your minimum level of acceptance for each goal. If you aren’t clear on your goals, you will end up reacting to the propositions of your counterpart.
7. Aim your aspirations high. Your aspirations will likely be the single most important factor in determining the outcome of the negotiation. You can aim high just as easily as you can aim low.
8. Develop options and strategies. Successful people are those who have the greatest number of viable alternatives. Similarly, successful negotiators are those who have the most strategies they can use to turn their options into reality.
9. Think like a dolphin. The dolphin is the only mammal who can swim in a sea of sharks or in a sea of carp. Dolphins are able to adapt their strategies and behaviors to their counterparts. Remember, even when negotiating with a shark, you have an option--you can walk away!
10. Be honest and fair. In life, what goes around comes around. The goal in creating win/win outcomes is to have both counterparts feel that their needs and goals have been met, so that they will be willing to come back to the table and negotiate again. An atmosphere of trust reduces the time required to create win/win outcomes.
11. Never accept the first offer. Often, the other party will make an offer that he or she thinks you will refuse just to see how firm you are on key issues. Chances are, if you don’t have to fight a little for what you want, you won’t get the best deal.
12. Deal from strength if you can. If that’s not possible, at least create the appearance of strength. If the other party thinks you have no reason to compromise in your demands, he or she is less likely to ask you to.
13. Find out what the other party wants. Concede slowly, and call a concession a concession. Giving in too easily tells the other party that you will probably be open to accepting even more concessions.
14. Be cooperative and friendly. Avoid being abrasive or combative, which often breaks down negotiations.
15. Use the power of competition. Someone who thinks it’s necessary to compete for your business may be willing to give away more than he or she originally intended. Sometimes just the threat of competition is enough to encourage concessions.

Skills of Negotiating

Most negotiations are conducted with a view to reaching a compromise agreement. Both parties together move towards an outcome which is to mutual benefit. This is a range of tactics which can help conduct negotiations. It’s no use immediately discussing business matters. The topic at the outset of negotiations should be neutral, non-business. It could be immediate experiences, the sort of journey the visitor has had; football, ice-hockey, the morning’s newspaper headlines, common interests, etc.

 

5 per cent of the negotiating time is devoted to breaking the ice. The two parties adjust their thinking and behaviour to one another.

If you want to follow the reaction of your visitor introduce in your speech the question — «Agree?».

 

At the very beginning of the talks get agreement covering the purpose, plan, agenda of a meeting.

Here is some advice to a negotiator:

1. First discuss major items, then minor items.

2. Follow the headlines of the plan one by one.

3. Come over to the next point after you have resolved the previous one.

 

If talks are difficult and you are in a deadlock, take time-out.

It will help you to build bridges yourself and your partner when you resume negotiations.

VOCABULARY TO STUDY AND USE

1. To launch talks/debates	розпочати переговори/дискусію
2. To disrupt/to break off/to interrupt business talks	припинити переговори, зірвати переговори несподівано
3. To resume talks	поновлювати, резюмувати
4. Resumption of talks	продовження (після перерви), поновлення
5. To cancel talks	анулювати переговори
6. Top-level/summit talks	переговори на вищому рівні
7. Round-table talks	переговори за круглим столом
8. Bilateral/multilateral talks	двосторонні/багатосторонні переговори
9. The talks resulted in …	переговори закінчились з … результатом
10.A deadlock in talks	мертва точка, безвихідь у переговорах
11.To sidetrack the negotiations	відводити переговори від теми
12.To talk to smb. from a position of …	вести переговори з кимось з позиції…