Contents
Job Search Etiquette
Respecting Your Coworkers
Business Dress
Power Politics in the Office
Business Meeting Etiquette
Business Introductions
Spoken Communication
Written Communication
The Social Side of Business
International Business
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Written Communication
Clear, concise, easy-to-understand writing is essential to success in business. Your writing also creates a permanent record of your work, which other people (such as future supervisors) could potentially review—so be careful about every word you put on paper or that might end up in an electronic database.
Top 10 Rules of Workplace Writing
No matter what sort of business writing you’re engaged in, there are 10 rules that you should always follow:
- Use good grammar.
- Don’t use a fancy word when a simple word will do.
- Punctuate carefully.
- Use fonts that are easy to read.
- Be clear and concise.
- Vary your sentence structure.
- Use an appropriate tone.
- Use spell-check.
- Proofread your work.
- Have someone else proofread your work.
Writing Business Letters
A business letter is used to communicate with people outside your company. Always follow the fairly strict conventions that govern business letters.
Business Letter Format
A business letter should be written on your company’s letterhead. It should include all the following components:
- Date: In the United States, use month/day/year format (January 1, 2007). In Europe, use day/month/year format (1 January 2007).
- Sender’s address: Include your full address, email, phone, and fax. If this information is contained in the letterhead, though, leave it out.
- Inside address: Write the recipient’s full name (with title), company, and address.
- Salutation: Begin with “Dear” and then the name of the recipient (with title). Use a colon after the name rather than the comma used in personal letters. If the letter is not written to a specific person, your salutation can be “To whom it may concern.”
- Body text: Explain the purpose of or reason for the letter in two or three paragraphs of text. Keep the body as brief as possible and the tone straightforward and formal. Insert spaces between paragraphs. Do not indent new paragraphs.
- Closing: In the final paragraph, include what the recipient needs to do to respond to the letter. This is known as the call to action. Also mention how you plan to follow up on the letter.
- Signature block: Sign in ink above a typed version of your name. Depending on the type of letter, you may also want to include your title or position in your company beneath your name.
- Encl. (optional): Indicate any other items that accompany the letter in the envelope.
- cc (optional): Include the initials of any other recipients of the letter.
Writing Business Memos
A memo (short for memorandum) is a business document sent within a company.
Format of a Memo
Business memos are typically divided into a top and bottom portion by a straight horizontal line. The part above the line contains the following information:
- To: Recipient’s name
- From: Your name
- Date: Today’s date
- Re: The memo’s subject
- cc (optional): The names of all the other people to whom the memo was sent
The portion of the memo below the line contains the body of the memo.
Writing a Good Memo
A memo is an informal business correspondence, often sent from one employee in a company to another or others. Memos can be used to make announcements, introduce longer documents, discuss specific issues, or fulfill many other purposes. They can be more casual than business letters, but there are still a few specific guidelines:
- When sending a memo to multiple recipients, list the recipients in order of rank.
- When people are of the same rank, list them in alphabetical order.
- Do not include a salutation.
- Do not include a signature line. If you’re sending the memo on paper rather than electronically, though, initial beside your name in the “From” field.
Faxes
When sending a fax, include a cover sheet with the following information:
- Your name, company name, phone number, and fax number
- The recipient’s name, company name, phone number, and fax number
- The date on which the fax is being sent
- The number of pages being sent (specify whether the total includes the cover sheet)
- A brief message
Email has become ubiquitous in the workplace because it’s so quick and easy to write and send. Despite its convenience, email should be crafted as carefully—or even more carefully—than any other type of business writing. Since the contents of an email can easily be forwarded on to others, stored for the long term, or monitored by your company, never include sensitive or potentially embarrassing information in an email.
10 Emailing Dos and Don’ts
- Don’t send personal emails from your work account.
- Do expect that your company will read every email you send.
- Don’t forward chain emails or jokes to coworkers, no matter how cute or funny.
- Do be careful of the “Reply to All” option—double check the “To” line before sending to make sure you don’t send something to the wrong person by accident.
- Do use salutations and sign-offs, especially when writing to clients or higher-ups.
- Don’t use the “bcc” function—it’s rude not to disclose who else is receiving an email.
- Don’t write anything negative about coworkers.
- Do use spell-check before sending emails.
- Do proofread after spell-checking emails.
- Don’t forget the rules of grammar and good writing just because the format is casual—write in complete sentences with proper punctuation.
Cell Phones and PDAs
No matter how cool your new phone or PDA might be, turn it off during meals, meetings, and conversations so the people you’re with have your full attention.
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