Rules of business correspondence

The business sphere is growing and developing, and the norms of business writing are changing along with it. Something is outdated, and a new one is coming to replace it – now business correspondence looks far from the same as ten years ago. Therefore, we have compiled five relevant rules that will make your electronic dialogues with colleagues and clients more effective.

Tact and spelling

The basic norms of business communication are well known to us all – this is the neutral tone and accuracy with which we communicate with colleagues, mentors, and any strangers with whom we have to work. We also talk electronically. It's not worth reinventing the wheel and coming up with something special for a mail letter: it's the same communication, just with the spelling and the signature “Sincerely,” at the end.

Spelling is another main point of any text communication. If you are not sure about your punctuation and spelling, copy and paste your letter into any text editor with a spell check function. For example, Grammarly or LanguageTool.

When chatting with colleagues and customers, do not switch to “you”. Familiarity in business correspondence, as well as in oral communication, is not welcome.

Availability

One of the disadvantages of electronic correspondence is the time it takes. Being next to a colleague in the office, you can quickly find out and discuss something at any time. But when it comes to emails, conversations often stretch for hours, or even days. Don't be another pulling link in this chain: now efficiency is becoming more and more appreciated in business correspondence.

Answer quickly. Work issues will take less time if no one keeps each other waiting. But don't overdo it: don't check your email every five minutes when you have more important things to do.

You can turn on notifications for emails or make it a rule to check your mail once an hour, two or three times, depending on the urgency of the current discussion.

Speaking about the accessibility of you as an interlocutor, it is worth mentioning the accessibility of your texts for understanding. Do not use complex terms, jargon, and other stylistically colored words. Use neutral vocabulary to make you easy to understand.

Taking care of others is also well appreciated in business correspondence. Prepare the necessary data: select the necessary information in the document, collect the necessary photos in a separate folder, and so on. It will be faster for you to select what you are talking about, and the interlocutor will be pleased that he does not need to search for the necessary information in the files.

Specificity

This term can be attributed to several aspects of business correspondence at once:

1. Detail the subject of the letter

So it will be more convenient for both you and the recipient to find correspondence among dozens of others and quickly get up to speed. For example, "Photos for the project X March 2024" instead of “Photos”.

2. Don't rely on complex formal language

The flow of lofty vocabulary, although it looks smart, hides the real meaning under a beautiful wrapper, which can always be conveyed more simply. Write as you would say verbally, without ornate words. It is even better to read the letter aloud before sending it: this will make it easier to track his organicity and general thought.

Excessive use of formal expressions sometimes speaks of unprofessionalism!

A professional is someone who can explain complex things in a clear language. Know your interlocutor and write simply. Call a spade a spade, clearly describe special technical issues if it is important, and be direct. Hints and riddles have no place in business correspondence.

3. Name the files correctly

Everything you attach to the letter should have a short and understandable title. Any photos, videos and documents should be numbered or signed separately: this way it will be easier for the recipient to recognize them in the work folders or the list of browser downloads, and immediately understand what each file carries.

Attach your name or the name of the project, if the situation requires it, but do not allow any software "uTLrpw90.doc" or "aaaaa.png", unless, of course, this is your working abbreviation.

4. Specify the deadline

The conversation about deadlines in business is short – the date must be accurate. If the project consists of several stages that need to be completed separately, write down the deadlines for each. It is better to do this in a separate paragraph so that the interlocutor does not look for important information in the text, but clearly sees it.

5. Don't stray from the topic

The topic of correspondence is always at the beginning of the letter, and it is not entirely appropriate to write something outside here: it will be inconvenient for your colleague, the customer or yourself to look for specific information in the dialogue, for which you will have to sort out whole mountains of discussions about other projects.

Do not mix different projects in the same correspondence. If the conversation is about something else, create a new email thread and duplicate everything you need there.

Structure

Emails have their own structure: greeting, main part and signature. Everything is clear with the first and the last, but the design of the main part lies entirely on you. There are several points worth considering here:

1. Divide into paragraphs

We have already mentioned that short deadlines should be indicated in a separate paragraph for clarity – this is relevant for any blocks of information.

Structure your letter so that it looks and reads pleasantly. Beat it into paragraphs and avoid unreadable “sheets of text”. The main point of the letter should be included in the first paragraph. Then explain everything you need in more detail.

2. Format the text

Now the mail has the ability to format text in emails. Use it: highlight important things, underline or write in italics. Of course, do not color your entire letter in all shades of format, but using this tool wisely will help highlight the main information.

3. Sign the letters

Set up an automatic signature and enter all the basic information about yourself there. Name, position, company name and, of course, “Sincerely”, “Have a nice day” or “Thank you in advance”, depending on the situation. You can also specify other communication methods: phone, social networks and attach a link to the site.

Save space

Brevity is the sister of talent, and in emails this applies not only to the text itself. There is enough space in the mail cloud for everyone, but do not abuse it: as a rule, the interlocutors send one large letter at a time. Here's what follows from this:

• All files are attached to one email at once;
• "Thank you" and "please" in one word are not sent in separate letters. Thank the person you are talking to at the beginning of the next letter;
  
• If several people are involved in the dialogue, use the “reply to all” function so that your letter goes to all the interlocutors at once and you do not have to deal with forwarding.
  

Rules of business correspondence in messengers

After all, business communication now takes place not only by mail.

1. First of all, be polite. This and many of the above points are universal for all communication channels.
2. Write only during business hours. This is rather a desirable point: now most people put their phone on silent mode and do not wake up because of notifications in the middle of the night. But it is better not to take risks and, if it is not urgent, leave the task until business hours.
   
3. Write long messages by e-mail or arrange a call. Recording long voice or video is also not worth it: not everyone is comfortable listening to them and the information from them is not in front of the interlocutor's eyes, which means it can easily be ignored.
   
4. Do not write a greeting in a separate message. And if you do, don't wait for an answer and get right to the point. It's just like in email – it's better to stop unnecessary waiting right away.
   
5. Do not overuse stickers and emojis. They relate to informal communication – leave them for friends and family.
   

What’s the result?

It seems that there are many rules, but they all follow the same principle – respect for others and their time. Write clearly, respond on time and do your job – and your business correspondence will be more pleasant and effective.

Communication skill is a must-have in business. It depends on what kind of specialist others will see in you. Show your best side and learn how to communicate confidently and productively with the CODDY programming school.