Page 222 - DENG102_COMMUNICATION_SKILLS_II

Unit 14: Writing and Planning Effective Business Letters

self assessment notes

Fill in the blanks:
13. Order letters fall into the category of ………………… letters.
14. Direct requests can be divided into three groups: information or action request letter, order
letter, and ………………… letter.
15. Letters that are written to check customer satisfaction or sympathize with the customers
are ………………… letters.
16. A ………………… letter is a form of direct mail in which an advertiser sends a letter to a
potential customer.
17. ………………… and ………………… are used to expand the headline of the letter.

14.3 summary

l A good Commercial letter has to create, nurture and sustain a good business relationship
and act as your relationship officer.
l Clarity, impact, relevant information, brevity, simplicity, timeliness, language, vocabulary,
appeal, style and striving for excellence are the essentials of a good business letter.

l The parts of a letter are Heading, Inside Address, Reference, Date, Attention line, Subject
line, Salutation, Body of the letter, Complimentary Close, Signature, CC, Post Script.
l Business correspondence is a vast area of communication. It is, therefore, not very easy to
classify letters. We can, however, classify letters on the basis of certain criteria like. The
broad categories viz information letters, sales letters.

l Problem letters, goodwill letters etc. Our approach-direct, indirect, indirect or persuasive.
Official, demi-official, etc. The subject of the letters. Correspondence of the departments of
an organization.

14.4 keywords

Buzz Word: An important-sounding expression used mainly to impress other people.
Clichés: An expression that has become monotonous through overuse.
Complex Sentence: It contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
Compound Sentence: This contains two or more independent clauses.
Dangling Expression: It is any part of a sentence that does not logically fit in with the rest of the
sentence.
Hidden Verb: It is a verb that has been changed into a noun form, weakening the action.
Jargon: It is technical vocabulary used within a special group.
Sales Letter: It is a form of direct mail in which an advertiser sends a letter to a potential customer.

14.5 review Questions

1. Define the concept ‘commercial letter’. Discuss the essentials of a commercial letter. Also
give a specimen of such letter.
2. The single-most significant characteristics of the commercial letter is that it must have a
human face.” Discuss.
3. “Communication is the sum of all things one person does when he wants to create
understanding in the mind of another. It is a bridge of meaning. It involves a systematic and
continuous process of telling, listening and understanding.” Is it true in case of commercial
letter? Argue your viewpoint with suitable example.

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