Etiquette of business letters: requirements and rules for drafting. Examples of writing business letters. Etiquette and ethics of business correspondence

Rules business correspondence and a few tricky maneuvers to establish good relationships with the help of a letter need to be known not only to those who have email overflowing with incoming correspondence every working day, but several correspondence and messages are included in the plans, the initiator of which should be you. Owning the magic of beeches is useful for everyone modern woman. This will be useful, at least when looking for a job - sending a resume, cover letters, additional information about yourself upon request and test items, as well as sending messages to coordinate the time of the interview.

Literacy is the basis of business correspondence and your face

The fact that bloggers with dyslexia can be popular on the Internet should not be an excuse for your mistakes and typos. Do not console yourself with the fact that the Russian language did not work out at school (the rules for writing “not” with various parts it is high time to tighten up the speeches). Be as demanding of yourself as possible. It is especially offensive when conducting business correspondence, it is incorrect to write words from your professional field. The interlocutor may doubt your competence.

1. Keep the site gramota.ru bookmarked in your Internet browser.

2. Don't use words you can't define exactly (at least check Wikipedia).

3. Keep in mind that rare and specific words that may not be familiar to the interlocutor will confuse him or may be misinterpreted. If the interlocutor needs to be introduced to your terminology, then, according to the rules of etiquette, give an explanation of the terms and abbreviations used.

4. Try not to make sentences too long. Leave complex and ornate designs for writing a novel, and not for conducting business correspondence.

5. We strongly recommend that you type the message not immediately in the body of the letter, but first in a file on your computer. First, the built-in spelling and punctuation in word will help you. Secondly, you will eliminate the unpleasant situation of accidentally sending a business letter prematurely or losing it due to closing the browser, etc. (when typing text in word, get in the habit of clicking on the “save” icon more often and set autosave at short intervals in the settings) . Remember that predictive typing on a tablet and mobile devices able to give very unexpected corrections to your words.

6. Before sending the letter, read it over several times. If time is running out (by the way, one of the important basic rules of business correspondence is not to delay the deadlines, so it’s better not to take up a letter at the very last moment), then re-read the text you typed some time after typing - in half an hour or an hour, switching for some other business.

Proper business correspondence. Important Details

Attention to detail in the conduct and execution of business correspondence speaks of respect and saves time

7. Don't neglect filling in the "subject" field of the letter . If you are sending your first cold email, the headline can be effective, out of the box, and intriguing. But if your letter is already expected or you have been in correspondence with the recipient for some time, then the subject should be short, clear and concise. This will allow you to quickly find your letter (both for you and the recipient) in the mail if necessary.

8. Long chains of "Re: Re: Re:" give the impression of litter. Do not be afraid to start a new thread with your interlocutor, quote only relevant previous messages (and yes, they need to be "pulled along" if, for example, you are discussing the details of a particular project, agreeing on a budget / prices / service packages and etc. - in this case, quoting is convenient and business etiquette requires it).

9. If the incoming message contains several questions for you, then answer them, quoting each separately. If you are sending a letter with several questions, then use numbering, break the text into paragraphs. Stick to a clear structure.

10. In the body of the letter, comment on all attachments to the message. Sign all files that you attach so that the recipient can immediately receive information about their contents .

11. Signature is a very important detail business letter. In the settings of mail services, you can usually set an automatic signature for all your letters. A well-written signature is equivalent to printing business cards, good business cards. In addition to the name and surname, use the designation of your position, contact details (phone, skype), company logo in the signature. Just as creatively relevant (memorable and associated with the person or company they work for) business cards are considered the best, so the signature can be “with a chip”, indicating your connection with the company or talking about your love for the business you are doing. For example, some employees of the publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber" use the additional sentence "Now I'm reading ..." in the signature (and insert the name of the new publisher). Representatives of companies from the field of catering can complete letters with wishes for a “tasty day”, etc. Sometimes such a design of business correspondence should be agreed with the management.

12. For business correspondence, NameWoman strongly recommends having a separate mailing address. It is desirable that it reflects the name of the company or the domain of the company's website, your name (full, without diminutive forms) and your surname. Do not use numbers in the mail name that indicate your age or year of birth. Displaying your position in the mail title is perfectly acceptable, but some people avoid this, as they plan not to change the mailbox, moving up the career ladder.

To send resumes and the like business letters also avoid using email addresses that are playful or overly creative. Especially if you are an applicant for a serious position in a large company.

business correspondence etiquette

13. The style of business correspondence does not have to be dry. But the seriousness and certain rigor of constructions is a mandatory rule. Give up diminutive suffixes and slang, colloquial expressions.

14. Emoticons can become pitfalls. In the first letters of a business acquaintance, they should not be in principle. With established contact, smiling brackets are still acceptable, but do not overdo it and do not become the initiator of such “cute embellishments” of the letter. Sad and any creative animated emoticons when conducting business correspondence (and especially in situations where you are “from below”) are strictly prohibited.

15. Be sure to use a respectful greeting and address by name, first name and patronymic at the beginning of the letter and further in the text, if appropriate. This is not only required by the ethics of business correspondence, it allows you to increase the interlocutor's interest in your message and loyalty to it. Recipients are always more attentive to address letters, so try to find out in advance the name of the person to whom you should write, and what kind of address he prefers (by first name or first name and patronymic).

According to the rules of business correspondence, in normal cases, a response should be sent within a working day, maximum - two. If you receive a letter in the last hours labor day before a long weekend or vacation, you are not required to give a detailed answer to a non-urgent letter. However, according to business correspondence etiquette, it is reasonable to send a short reply that you have received the letter and a comment that you are currently away and will respond in detail after such and such a date or no later than such and such a deadline. The same should be done if, in order to answer, you need to clarify any information that you must receive from a third party or by doing a thorough job of collecting data and preparing materials.

In turn, if you need a response letter from the interlocutor, then you can duplicate your request after 3 business days. If you need an urgent response, then correctly write about it already in your first letter (explaining the reasons, if possible), asking also for confirmation of its receipt. By the way: check your spam folder regularly (once every three days).

And a little more about what a beautiful business letter looks like. Registration of business correspondence

The letter should be easy to read and easy to understand. Short sentences, a minimum of participles and participle turns – simple designs is the basis of business correspondence. What else will help you present the perfect sample letter according to all the rules?

16. Paragraphs in your correspondence should be no longer than 7-10 lines.

17. The text of a business letter will be perceived better and look neater if the intervals between paragraphs are greater than the intervals between lines in one paragraph.

19. Words, and even more so phrases and whole sentences, written in capital letters are perceived as shouting, pressure and disrespect. For business correspondence, this style is not available. Do not allow yourself this even if you are a boss who is dissatisfied with his subordinates.

Business courtesy and networking

20. Allow the interlocutor to agree to your proposal, reflect their opinion, give you advice, leave a comment or ask a question. The easiest way to do this is to use the phrases “what do you think about this?”, “if you have any questions, I will try to answer them”, “write me about your decision” in the letter.

21. Be attentive to the signals coming from the addressee. Pay attention to the writing style of your interlocutor, to how he addresses you. Remember the psychological rule of the mirror. It's great if your letter reflects his style (but not misspelled, of course). If he mentions any personal information- take note of it. Be polite and correct, reflecting joy, sympathy, participation, congratulating on the holidays.

22. Speaking of holidays. If your business correspondence takes place around the dates of official holidays, then congratulate the interlocutor on the past / upcoming ones. Important clients and those with whom you maintain a lengthy business correspondence according to the rules of etiquette should be congratulated in a separate letter. It will be useful to know when your interlocutor has a birthday - this information is usually easy to get from social networks.

Manage your individual client base and professional contact base. In addition to last names and first names, positions and phone numbers, links to accounts in social networks and email, write down personal data, mark projects and issues on which you have already crossed paths in business correspondence.

23. The ethics of business correspondence and elementary courtesy say: do not forget about the words of gratitude. For congratulations, advice, clarifications, invitations, information note, prompt response from your business pen pal.

Milena Just

Business correspondence (as well as business conversation) is the face of every serious businessman or politician. Many business people who are fluent in the art of negotiation and meetings often find themselves helpless in the face of the need to draw up an official document or prepare a business letter. The reason for this is the peculiarity speech means And speech etiquette written business speech.

Many of the business people, who are fluent in the style and art of conducting conversations, negotiations and meetings, often find themselves helpless in the face of the need to draw up an official document or prepare a business letter. The reason for this is the originality of speech means and speech etiquette of written business speech.

1. Language of business correspondence

The language of business correspondence is characterized by a neutral tone of presentation. At the same time, means of a logical, rather than emotional assessment of facts are used, there are no vernacular and dialect words and expressions, as well as interjections, modal words and names with subjective assessment suffixes. The task of the language of such correspondence is to provide an objective attitude to the facts presented, to deprive them of emotional overtones, and also to reflect a strictly logical sequence of presentation.

The semantic accuracy of business speech is one of the main conditions that ensure the practical, and often legal value of a business letter. Indeed, an incorrectly chosen word can significantly distort the meaning of such a letter, give the possibility of a double interpretation of a particular phrase, or give the whole text an undesirable tone.

For conducting business correspondence, the selection of factual material is important. The number of facts given should be sufficient to confirm the stated judgment, but they should not be unimportant and represent lists of the same type of data. Facts should not only be correctly selected and carefully verified, but also highly informative. Each such fact contains only necessary information, which is sufficient for this case. Only then the addressee will not need any additional information to understand what is written.

Any business letter and official document must be convincing. The main condition for giving credibility is evidence. Correctly selected accurate facts and convincing argumentation are what any business official document or business letter needs.

2. Speech etiquette of a business letter

Business correspondence for a long time retained the form of personal correspondence and therefore was conducted in the first person. Over time, relations between business partners acquired a public character. Therefore, the form of a private letter increasingly came into conflict with the public essence business relations. This led to significant changes when used in business correspondence verbal formulas to express business etiquette.

Such changes were expressed not so much in the "simplification" of business writing, that is, in the rejection of certain traditional expressions of verbal politeness, but in their replacement with modern set phrases. There are stable forms of communication, statements of requests, reminders, refusals, guarantees, etc. Let's consider these forms of speech etiquette in more detail. Let's start with the use of pronouns.

The information in a business letter is so standard that its expression through personal perception is completely unjustified. In a business letter, not individual, but group interests of firms, enterprises, institutions and organizations are expressed. Therefore, the text of such a letter is presented not so much from one's own "I", but from one's own "we". But the pronoun "we" in a business text is usually not used, since the ending of the verb already indicates the first person plural.

The choice of the voice form of the verb is very important from an ethical point of view. As an example, let's take the following phrase: "You do not fulfill your obligations." The same phrase, but using the passive voice, looks different: "The obligations you have taken are not fulfilled." In the first case, failure to fulfill obligations is imputed to the fault of a specific person. In the second case, attention is focused only on the fact of non-fulfillment of obligations, and the specific culprit is not directly named, but only meant.

When it is necessary to single out a legal or official person as a source of prescribed or fixed actions, the active voice of the verb is used. In this case, the phrase, as a rule, begins with the subject, and the verb itself is used in the present tense, for example: “The legal service explains ...”

The passive voice is used in cases where the action itself is much more important than its source (for example, "Payment is guaranteed", "Letter sent", "Your application has been received"), and also when the source of the action is quite obvious (for example: " A start date for work has not yet been determined.

The choice of the form of the verb is also related to the norms of business correspondence. When it is necessary to emphasize the undesirability or illegality of actions that occur constantly or are committed repeatedly, the imperfect form of the verb is used, for example: "Your employees constantly violate safety regulations." If it is necessary to emphasize that the action has already taken place, the perfect form of the verb is used, for example: "The team has already begun its usual work."

Introductory words and phrases allow you to add various shades to the tone of official correspondence. With the help of such words and expressions, one can, for example, reduce the intensity of the tone of the presentation, which can be seen when comparing the following examples: “Please send the seminar program located in your branch.” The same phrase, but with an introductory word: "Please send the program of the seminar, located, apparently, in your branch" - immediately removes the categoricalness of the statement and makes it more tactful.

If we compare two phrases: “Your request cannot be satisfied” and “Unfortunately, your request cannot be satisfied”, then we can conclude that the second one is more preferable in terms of etiquette, as it expresses more respect for the addressee.

How much introductory words reduce the dryness of business correspondence and give it a touch of respect can be seen in the following phrase: “The company asks, if possible, to send its representative to the meeting of the expert commission on the quality of our products.”

Thus, the use of introductory words and sentences helps to eliminate excessive categoricalness and dryness of business correspondence, and also makes it possible to introduce into it elements of not only goodwill and respect, but also delicacy in dealing with a partner, that is, the ability to spare his political and professional pride .

3. Features of business correspondence etiquette

Among persons of the same profession or persons of the same political convictions, the most preferable form of address is “dear colleague” (or “dear colleagues”). One word "colleague" without the word "respected" gives the letter a neutral tone. “Dear Colleagues” is a more emotional form and is most often used in letters of congratulations.

In cases where a business letter is not an official document, but is of a personal nature, only the name and patronymic are indicated in the appeal. The inclusion of the addressee's surname in the appeal also gives the letter a polite-official character.

A business relationship clarification letter usually consists of two parts: the rationale for the decision and the decision itself. The arrangement of these parts in the letter may be different. In the event that a positive decision is made on the issue under consideration, it is advisable to begin the letter with the wording of the decision. A negative decision is psychologically better placed at the end of the letter.

When formulating a refusal, you need to be as correct as possible. Before making a negative decision, you must first explain in detail what caused it. Only then the refusal will not make a sharply negative impression - after all, it was preceded by a convincing rationale, clothed in a form that does not infringe on the partner's pride.

To maintain the objectivity of the content, the tone of business correspondence should in all cases remain neutral. In business letters, rudeness, tactlessness and any other manifestation of disrespect for the addressee are unacceptable. At the same time, one should not go to the other extreme - excessive politeness: in business texts, phrases like “do not refuse courtesy ...” are inappropriate. Modern business correspondence is more likely to be characterized by dryness and strictness than a passion for excessive politeness.

business person it is not always indifferent who signed the letter addressed to him. The tone of business correspondence is significantly influenced by the clerical practice of signing business papers. It requires compliance with the official order of their signing: for example, a response to a letter signed by the director must also be signed by the director (at least his deputy). However, a response to a letter signed by the Deputy Director may be signed by the Director.

Business life provides many occasions for presenting various kinds of requests. In such request letters, in addition to the request itself, the justification or interest in its execution is usually stated. The most common version of the letter of request coincides with the form of a personal or collective application. The request may be:

• first person singular("Ask...");
• from the first person plural (“Please ...”);
• from the third person singular (" Political Party"Unity" asks ... ");
• from the third person plural, if several nouns with a collective meaning are used (“The president and board of directors of the firm ask ...”).

Indeed, a letter containing a request must be given a clear answer as to whether such a request will be fulfilled or denied. A letter containing an offer also requires a specific answer: whether the other party accepts or rejects the offer. Responses to emails sent should include:

• references to the original letter are indicated;
• the identity of terminology and consistency in the presentation of aspects of the content are observed.

Business correspondence- an important component of the business image. She can be a great help. successful career or damage partnerships.

Business correspondence is a kind of art. It can be compared to oratory. We all know that oratory needs to be learned and to transfer our knowledge and skills in real life. In the same way, when conducting business correspondence, certain rules of business correspondence must be observed, and it is also very important to use business correspondence etiquette to competently draft important documents.

The main feature of writing business letters is the use of business language. Formal correspondence uses uniform speech patterns, which consist of standard phrases used for business writing. That is, in business correspondence, peculiar cliché phrases are used, which allow you to more accurately express thoughts with a concise interpretation. This spelling is already in use. long years and always helps in a matter of minutes to compose the desired text with ease.

Never in business correspondence do not use emotional style expression of thought. Usually use a neutral style of narration. Apply logical evaluation tools. Do not use dialectical and colloquial expressions. It is forbidden to use interjections and diminutive suffix words. The use of modal words is also discouraged. A business document should have a clear logical thought.

That is, one of the important conditions for writing a business document is that it is necessary to adhere to semantic accuracy.

The practical value of a business document depends on the accuracy and consistency. Use ambiguous words carefully so that the recipient can understand you correctly.

Business correspondence should also contain not only judgments and thoughts, but also a factual component (that is, everything must be supported by facts). However, the facts must be true, which must be carefully selected, studied and checked for reliability. This is necessary so that the recipient can easily understand the meaning of your letter.

If you have written a business letter competently and reasonably, then you have created a new tool to achieve your goal.

Let's conclude: The main components of a business document are verified data, well-chosen facts and evidence.

business correspondence etiquette is a set of certain rules and recommendations fixed in society. When preparing documents, it is imperative to comply with these rules.

Over the years of application, business correspondence has been transformed, changed and today has special forms that allow you to express a request, notification, reminder or refusal.

Drafting a business document, do not apply your own perception, use standard forms, contact on behalf of the company, not on behalf of yourself. That is, write the entire narrative in the first person plural (assume the pronoun "we"), and the end of the verb will emphasize that this is a public nature of the presentation.

Also pay attention to collateral forms. Preferably use passive voice. Let's look at an example. The phrase “You defaulted, the equipment was not delivered” sounds too harsh and gives the impression that a specific person is being blamed, while the phrase “The equipment delivery obligations were not fulfilled” emphasizes the fact of non-delivery of the order and does not carry charges.

Also business correspondence rules it is recommended to choose the forms of the verb form - perfect and imperfect types of verbs. Sometimes additional accents are used - introductory expressions and phrases that allow you to relieve tension in the greeting tone and throughout the text, but still meet the standards of politeness and tact, goodwill and delicacy, and at the same time preserve the professionalism of the addressee.

Official texts use words of a respectful form, words with an emotional coloring, as well as neutral appeals. The rules of business correspondence allow you to apply in a letter of a personal plan by name - patronymic. If you add a last name, it will make the address more official and formal.

When sorting out relationships with partners or organizations, compose texts in two parts - one delivers decisions, the second - a conclusion to the decision. These parts can be interchanged. But, if the decision is negative, start with the rationale, and voice the decision in the second half of the letter. So the letter will be less categorical and will not hurt the addressee's self-esteem in any way.

Language of business correspondence implies rules that are developed for signing business documents. Order must be followed. If you receive a letter signed by the director, then, when responding, your letter must also be signed by the director or the first deputy. In the answer, you need to accurately and consistently convey the essence, adhering to the content.

Never underestimate business correspondence. Along with a business conversation, she can be a good help in a career. Or vice versa, spoil partnerships. Moreover, the success of a deal or the acquisition of allies may depend on one word. Business image is based on the ability to competently conduct correspondence.

A good speaker is not necessarily a good writer. Even if a businessman is able to win the trust of competitors at a glance, to talk to any partner, if he is brilliant holds meetings and business talks, written documents may be dry and faded. Many people just sit for hours on a blank slate, not knowing where to start. Business correspondence- This is a set of rules and tools that you need to know in order to competently draw up any documents.

The main feature of written speech is the use and constant repetition of uniform speech means. Stamps are often found in official correspondence. They allow better express an idea, exclude various interpretations text to make it more concise. Only this set of clichés can be used to write a document or letter. Standard phrases have been used in written speech for many decades, so anyone can easily compose a text. You do not have to choose the wording for a long time, because they will all be at hand. Documents using stamp phrases are written in minutes and do not require much effort.

Business correspondence does not accept excessive emotionality in the presentation. It has a neutral tone. Instead of emotional means of evaluation, logical ones are used. Do not use dialectisms or colloquial expressions in documents. Also taboo is imposed on interjections or words with subjective evaluation suffixes (diminutives, for example). Modal words are also undesirable to use in formal speech. When writing a text, it is necessary to focus on facts, and not on the emotional component. The document should follow a clear logic of presentation.

Semantic accuracy is not a simple rule, it is an important condition that ensures the practical value of a document. The logical presentation also acts as a legal component. If you choose a word that will interpret the content in two ways, then the meaning can change dramatically. The entire text will acquire an undesirable tonality.

In business correspondence important role plays not only the construction of phrases, but also the actual component. Every judgment, every thought expressed in a document must be supported by a sufficient number of facts. The facts themselves should not be of the same type or insignificant. When compiling documents, it is necessary to carefully select information, check all the data, and pay attention to their reliability. If all the facts correspond to these parameters, then the reader will easily understand the meaning of what is written, he will not need additional efforts or information to understand.

Moreover, the point of most business documents is to convince the reader to get his point across. Competent and convincing argumentation is the main tool for achieving this goal. Verified data, a sufficient number of facts and evidence are the main components of any document: letters, memo or commercial offer.

Speech etiquette of business correspondence

Like public etiquette, business communication etiquette is a set of rules that are entrenched in society. The norm requires compliance with these rules in the preparation of documents, in written communication with colleagues and partners.

For many years, business correspondence has been associated with personal correspondence, so first-person verbs were used in documents. Then letters began to acquire a public character, and personal forms of correspondence ceased to correlate with this character. Therefore, over time, the verbal formulas used in business correspondence began to transform.

Expressions of verbal politeness became objects of transformation. They began to move out of business speech, giving way to fixed expressions. Today, there are special stable forms that allow you to express a request or refusal, a reminder or notification. We will begin to explain features of business correspondence with the use of pronouns.

When writing documents, personal perception does not apply, since the information transmitted is standard. Interests expressed in business correspondence do not express special person but an entire organization or enterprise. All requests or petitions described in the documents are in the first person plural, not the singular. That is, the pronoun "we" is assumed, not "I". However, the pronoun "we" itself is not spelled. The public character of the address is expressed through the use of the verb form. The ending of the verb precisely determines the type of presentation in the first person plural.

Special attention is paid to collateral forms. The use of the passive voice is preferred. For example, the phrase "You have not fulfilled your obligations, replacement of heating batteries not produced” looks too harsh, as if the writer is blaming a specific person for this. The use of the passive voice - "Obligations to replace the radiators were not fulfilled" allows you to indicate the very fact of non-fulfillment of obligations, and does not carry an accusation. The culprits are implied, but not specifically identified.

The use of valid collateral is advisable when allocating official The that is the source of the described actions. For example, "the legal service explains ..." In this case, it is preferable to use the direct word order, and choose the present tense as the verb form.

The use of the passive voice is related to the nature of the information provided. If it is necessary to focus on the action, and not on the performer, then passive voice forms can be used: a letter has been sent, an application has been received, etc. Also, the passive voice is appropriate in sentences where the object is obvious. For example, "the deadlines for the work have already been determined."

Moreover, business correspondence rules regulate the choice of the verb form. The imperfect aspect is used to emphasize an undesirable action that is constantly repeated. For example, "Employees routinely break safety rules." Perfect view can emphasize the completeness of the action, for example, "Employees have begun their duties."

Although the documents are neutral in tone, sometimes it is necessary to add additional accents. For this, introductory words and expressions are used. Often introductory constructions allow you to relieve tension in the tone of the story. For example, the phrase "Please send documents in your office" sounds too categorical. If you change the sentence, add an introductory word: “Please send documents that appear to be in your office,” then the tone will become neutral, categoricalness and tension will disappear. Therefore, the entire proposal will comply with the norms of tact and courtesy.

Another example demonstrates giving a respectful tone to a document. The phrase "Your request could not be granted" is significantly different from the phrase "Unfortunately, your request could not be granted". The second option is more acceptable for the etiquette of business correspondence. So you can show your respect, avoid excessive rudeness.

Also, introductory constructions make the text less dry. The sentence "Please send, if possible, a representative as an expert to determine the quality of our products" would be in accordance with the rules of business etiquette.

The use of introductory words and constructions makes the business text less dry and categorical. With their help, you can demonstrate respect for the addressee, show your goodwill and delicacy. This allows you to preserve the professional pride of the addressee.

Most often, in documents and other official texts, forms of the word "respected" are used. If you put a comma after the appeal, then the sentence will be interpreted as neutral, everyday. If put Exclamation point, then it will indicate the importance of the document, its significance.

When referring to persons of the same profession, the expression "dear colleague" (or "dear colleagues" if we are talking about a group of people). Phrase " Dear Colleagues” is more often used when writing official congratulations, as it carries an emotional connotation. The neutral address simply uses the word "colleagues".

Not all business letters are official documents. regulate that when writing a text of a personal nature, it is preferable to address a person by name and patronymic. The surname will add formality, make the appeal more polite and formal.

To clarify the relationship between partners or organizations, texts are drawn up, consisting of two parts. The first part substantiates the decision, the second is the conclusion on this decision. Depending on the nature of the text, these parts may be arranged in a different order. Psychologically, it is better to move the negative decision to the end of the letter, starting with the justification. If the decision is positive, then you can start the text with it, and then write a justification.

When drawing up a document with a negative decision, special attention should be paid to the justification. The most accurate and detailed justification will help make the document more correct, create a respectful tone. Abrupt rejection can affect the recipient's self-esteem, which often has a negative effect on future relationships. If you place a detailed and detailed justification at the beginning of the document, then the refusal itself will not be perceived sharply negatively.

The rules of business correspondence do not accept excessive emotionality in the presentation. Documents and letters should keep the narrative neutral. This makes them more objective. You can not use rude expressions, demonstrate your disrespect or tactlessness to the addressee. Also avoid being overly polite. In business correspondence there should not be phrases like "do not refuse a courtesy." It is better to stick to a dry and strict presentation than to abuse polite forms.

The neutrality and public nature of business speech does not mean that the interlocutor is not interested in who sent him business correspondence. regulates the rules for signing documents. There is an official order that must be observed. If the letter was signed by the director of the company, then the response to it must also include the signature of the director or his deputy. If the letter is signed by the deputy, then the director can answer it according to etiquette.

One of the main topics that is covered when writing business letters is requests. Along with the request, it is necessary to include its rationale. Letters of request are written according to the same scheme with the forms of a personal or collective application. There are several options for presenting a request in a business letter:

• using the first person singular form (Please ...);
• using the first person plural form (Please ...);
• using the third person singular form (the Organization is asking for...);
• using the third person plural form (President and board of directors request).

The etiquette of business correspondence suggests that letters must be answered. The nature of the response depends on the nature of the request letter.

If a letter of request has been received, the response must include the rationale and a decision whether the request will be granted or not. If a letter with an offer has been received, then the response must contain a decision whether the offer will be accepted or not. Any reply email will include a link to the request email. When compiling a document, it is necessary to accurately and consistently state the essence, to observe the identity of the content.

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Business etiquette in general is the order of conduct established in business communication. Business etiquette, in particular, manifests itself in the form of a presentation of the text of the letter, primarily in the formulas of appeal, the expression of requests, reminders, refusals, claims, in the methods of argumentation, the formulation of instructions, in the final words.

Appeal - required element commercial correspondence. The appeal has now begun to be used in business letters, if the letter is addressed directly to the official. Common formulas of address are, for example, the following: Dear Sir (Madam), indicating the surname; Dear colleagues (when addressing a group of persons related by a common occupation); Dear Sergei Ivanovich (in letters of invitation, in appeals to famous people), etc.

In business correspondence, the pronouns “I”, “he” should be excluded, instead of them the pronouns “we”, “you” are used. It should be remembered that passive constructions are preferable to real ones: not “we will do it”, but “we will do it”; not “You offer”, but “You offered” ... etc.

Of great importance for the formation of a positive image of the organization is the observance of such a norm of business etiquette as the timely response to a request, a business proposal, etc. when you can give a final answer. Apologize for the delay: "We are sorry for the unexpected delay and the inconvenience caused to you."

If you were waiting for an answer and it is important to you, in the next letter to your partner, thank him for the answer. For example: "Thank you for your letter dated November 16 of this year with a request for ...".

If you have been approached with a request that you cannot fulfill, explain your refusal, recommend that the addressee contact another organization or you, but later. Don't resort to what's commonly known as a "back off".

In business correspondence, it is inappropriate to use pretentious, sugary expressions such as "Be so kind ...", "Do not refuse the courtesy to inform ...", etc.

If you need to remind the partner of the need to fulfill his obligations, formulate the reminder in a calm manner, without harsh expressions, for example: “We remind you that the deadline for fulfilling the contract dated 12/16/2002 No. 25/42 expires ...”. In response to a tough letter of complaint, also adhere to this norm: "We must apologize for the inconvenience caused to both you and your customers due to the late dispatch of the goods ...".

When preparing a response letter, pay attention to the design of the requisite "addressee". If the received letter was signed by the head, the answer should be addressed to his name, if another official - answer to his name.

A manifestation of etiquette is also the use of final politeness formulas. If the text of the letter begins with a formula for a personal appeal to the addressee, then at the end of the text, before the signature, there should be a final courtesy formula: “With respect ...”; in some cases - "Yours ...", "Sincerely yours ...".