CORRESPONDENCE

II. WRITING A BUSINESS EMAIL

1. OPENING AND CLOSING AN EMAIL


Dear Ms. Clark,


In reference to your inquiry regarding Mr. Thorburn's visit to your company, I am writing to inform you that he will be attending a conference in London in September.

He has asked me to let you know that while in London, he would like to take the opportunity to visit your office.

As soon as I have received details of the conference dates, I will let you know his schedule and when he will be available to visit your office.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,


Lucy Grey

PA to Andrew Thorburn, CEO, GoFast Design

Best regards - to close the email

I look forward to hearing from you - to politely ask the reader to reply

In reference to your inquiry regarding - to introduce the topic of the email

Dear Ms. Clark - to greet the reader

Opening an email

The first thing we do in a business email is to address and greet the reader. You can use dear to sound both friendly and formal.

Dear Ms. Clark,

It's good to be straightforward with why you're writing this email. You can use in reference to and regarding to introduce the topic.

In reference to your inquiry regarding Mr. Thorburn's visit to your company, …

In reference to your requests regarding the new product, … Closing an email Use this common phrase to close the email and also to politely ask the reader to reply. I look forward to hearing from you. Notice that after look forward to, the ‘-ing’ form of the verb for the action you're expecting should be used. I look forward to talking to you soon. Below are two polite phrases to close the email before signing your name. Best regards, Kindest regards,

2. GIVING INFORMATION

The sections  of business email:

1. Greets the reader 

2. Introduces the topic 

3. Contains important information

4. Promises future action

5. Asks the reader to write back

6. Closes the email

7. Confirms writer's name, position and company

Introducing the topic

I am writing to inform you that...

Giving details

I want to let you know that...

He has asked me to let you know that..

Promising information

I will let you know

I want to let you know that the meeting is canceled.

I am writing to inform you that the contract is ready. 

I will let you know about his schedule and whether he can join the meeting.

Ms. Cane has asked me to let you know that she'll be there. 

The body of the email with phrases for giving information:

In reference to your inquiry regarding Mr. Thorburn's visit to your company,
I am writing to inform you that he will be attending a conference in London in September.
He has asked me to let you know that while in London, he would like to take the opportunity
to visit your office. Also, I want to let you know that Mr. Thorburn will be bringing one of
our engineers too.
As soon as I have received details of the conference dates,
I will let you know his schedule and when he will be available to visit your office.


3. FUTURE ARRANGEMENTS

Use of present and future tenses

Using tenses appropriately helps you communicate your intention and information clearly. For example, the present simple can be used to express something that's always true, such as your eagerness (стремление) to hear back from your reader.

I look forward to hearing from you.

I want to let you know about our schedule.

Present continuous can be used to stress your intention in the email.

I'm writing to inform you of our new product.

I'm including Michael in this email to follow up with you.

Future simple and future continuous can both be used to talk about future plans, although future continuous indicates that the writer is more certain about the plan.

He will be attending a meeting that week.

I will let you know as soon as I find the information.

In the first sentence, the person is certain that the meeting is next week and he'll be there, while in the second sentence, the person is not sure when she'll actually get the information. Dear Mr. York, I am writing to inform you that Mr. Thorburn will be attending a conference in London  in September. He has asked me to let you know that while in London he would like to discuss the new  product with your team in person. I am includingour company's proposal as  an attachment for your review. I hope you find it satisfactory. As soon as I have received details about the conference, I will letyou know Mr. Thorburn's  schedule, and when he will beavailable to visit your office. I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Lucy Grey, PA to Andrew Thorburn, CEO GoFast Design Hello, As you know, I will be visiting New York next week, and would like to visit an important client, Christopher Biggins, at the Electronic Solutions company office. I will have some free time on Wednesday (September 23rd) in the afternoon and plan to visit him then. Could you please send Mr. Biggins an email to inform him of my plan? Regarding the details, I will write an agenda for my visit later this week. Please inform Mr. Biggins that you will send him this agenda by Friday. Best regards, Ms. Kerr, CEO, Future Software Inc. Dear Mr. Biggins, I am writing to inform you that the CEO of Future Software, Ms. Kerr, will be visiting New York next week. She would like to take this opportunity to visit you at the Electronic Solutions company office.  She had asked me to let you know that she will have some free time on Wednesday in the afternoon,  September 23rd. Please let me know whether or not this is convenient for you. Regarding the details, I will send you the agenda for her visit as soon as I have it, later this week by Friday.  I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, PA to Ms. Kerr Future Software Inc. III. WRITING AN EFFECTIVE MEETING AGENDA 1. EXTRACTING INFORMATION Scanning Scanning is looking over a text to find specific information quickly, without reading everything. This is useful when you know what information you're looking for. It's helpful to think about where in the email you're mostly like to find certain information. Say you received an email about a meeting. If you want to find the topic, the subject line and the first paragraph are your best bet (лучший выбор). The main paragraph often contains details about the background and agenda of the meeting. The time and location are likely found either at the beginning or toward the end. You can also think of specific language and scan for that. Look for numbers and months for the meeting time. Scan for names to learn about who will be doing what in the meeting. Look for words like goal and outcome to understand the purpose and expectation of the meeting. The efficient ways to scan an email: - read for key words related to information you need - read parts of the text most likely containing information you need Dear all, As you've heard, our sales dropped 8% last quarter, and we need to take action to turn that around (улучшить). With that in mind, I'm sending out a meeting request to all department heads. In the meeting, Nick will present a detailed sales report so we can understand where the problems lie. Jim will also share a recent market survey with our key customer groups. Then we'll use the remaining time to brainstorm ways to bring our sales back up. I hope by the end of the meeting that we'll have a list of action points to address the problem (решить проблему). Another goal is for everyone to understand our market and customers better. The meeting will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. next Tuesday. I think Conference Room 2 should be big enough for all of us. Coffee and snacks will be provided. A meeting agenda with the information above will be sent out shortly. I look forward to seeing you all next week. Best regards, Bob Franklin Chairman Tiger Electronics Dear all, We need to start thinking about next year's budget. With that in mind, I'm sending out a meeting request to all department heads. In the meeting, Francis will present the past year's budget report for us to review. Then Isabella will tell us about a new employment law that will affect our salary budget greatly. Also, I'd like each of you to share your department's draft budget plan. The goal of the meeting is to decide on (принять решение) a rough budget allocation (распределение бюджета) for the coming year. The meeting will be held next Tuesday at 9 a.m. Two hours should be enough time to cover all the main points. I think Conference Room 1 should be big enough for all of us. A meeting agenda with the information above will be sent out shortly. I look forward to seeing you all next week. Best regards, Bob Franklin Chairman Tiger Electronics 2. SECTIONS OF AN AGENDA Time : Tuesday, 9–11 a.m. Location : Conference Room 1 Called by : Bob Franklin Attendees : - Isabella Redwood [HR] - Francis King [Finance] - Jim Macintosh [Marketing] - Nick Murphy [Sales] - Rupert Fellows [R&D] - Ed Chandler [IT] Topic: Next year's budget Agenda: - Francis to present the past year's budget report - Isabella to talk about the new employment law - everyone to share their department's budget plan Goal : to decide on a rough budget allocation Sections of a meeting agenda The following sections are often seen in meeting agendas, although they may not all be included or always appear in the same order. The section names are often capitalized. Time and Location contain important information about when and where the meeting is held. They often come early in the meeting agenda. Time: Tuesday, 9–11 a.m. Location: Conference Room 1    Called by and Attendees are about the people in the meeting. The former refers to the person who arranges the meeting and the latter refers to who'll attend. Called by indicates the person who set up the meeting  Called by: Bob Franklin Attendees: Isabella Redwood [HR], Francis King [Finance] Topic is an important section, telling the attendees what the meeting is about. Topic: Next year's budget Agenda is a list of items that will be discussed or done during the meeting. It also often includes attendees related to these items. Agenda: everyone to brainstorm ideas, Elizabeth to present the sales report Goal(s) shows what outcome is expected by the end of the meeting, so the attendees will know what to work toward (в направлении). Goal: to decide on a final plan called by - the person who arranges the meeting topic - what the meeting is about  agenda - the items of discussion in a meeting  goal - what the meeting will try to achieve  3. WRITING THE MEETING AGENDA  Language in meeting agendas Full sentences are not often used in a meeting agenda. Different types of language can be seen in different sections. Topic section Noun phrases, or phrases that can be used like nouns in sentences, are often used for the topic. The first word is often capitalized for topics. Next year's budget Solutions to our sales drop Company trip to Japan  Sometimes, questions are used as topics to draw the reader's attention to them. How do we plan next year's budget? What can be done about the sales drop? What will our new product look like? Agenda section A person's name followed by the to do form of the action is often used for agenda items. Nick to present detailed sales report Mark to explain the dress code  Everyone to brainstorm ways to solve the problem Noun phrases can also be used as agenda items. sales report from last quarter next year's budget  brainstorming session It's okay to use both forms in one list of agenda items, but it's better to keep the form consistent. Goal section The to do form of the action is often used for goals. Sometimes names are included as well. to decide on a final plan to have a list of action points for the next step  everyone to understand the market better everyone to understand the new policy Topic: What do we know about the market?  Agenda:  -       Hans to present a review of current market - Bob to talk about our main competitors  - our strengths and weaknesses  Goals:  everyone to understand the market and our company better 4. WRITING AN EFFECTIVE MEETING AGENDA Dear all, I would like to have a meeting next Monday (June 12th). It will be held in Meeting Room 3 on the 3rd floor from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. We will be discussing next year's promotional campaign. In the meeting, Brian is going to present a few ideas from the marketing team. Then Rob will introduce the new product that will come out next year. Based on what they present, we'll discuss our promotional strategy for next year. Also, I'd like to show you a campaign from a competitor, just to trigger (вызывать) some discussion. The goal is to come up with (представить) a clear strategy. Also, I hope that we can develop a clear understanding of the new product, which will have an impact on all our departments. I would be grateful if you could confirm attendance by noon today. I look forward to seeing you all next Monday. Best regards, Veronica Middleton, M.D. CEO, Bestfoods Inc. Time: Monday, 9 a.m. - 12 a.m. Location: Meeting Room 3 Called by: Veronica Middleton Attenders: - Brian Allen [Marketing] - Rob Evans [R$D] - Lucy Punch [HR] - Noah Munck [Finance] - Nat Faxon [Sales] - Jerry Lambert [IT] Topic: Next year's promotional campaign Agenda: - Brian to present ideas from the marketing team - Rob to introduce next year's new product - discussion on next year's promotional strategy - competitor campaign review  Goal: - to come up with a clear strategy - everyone to understand our new product IV. WRITING TO CLIENTS ABOUT CHANGE  1. STRUCTURING A BUSINESS EMAIL  Dear friends, I am writing to you all regarding the future of our company. It gives me great pleasure to announce that we are moving from the Silicon Business Centre. Although there are many reasons for this change, I will mention only the most important: the last two years have seen rapid growth, with the result that our company has increased its share in the market and our workforce has grown. As a result, our old office is no longer big enough. Consequently, our CEO, Charles Grey, has decided that it's time to move to a larger HQ. Our new address is: Unit 3, Phoenix Wharf, Fifth Dimension Business Centre, London SE15 3XL We hope and believe that this change will motivate our talented personnel (персонал) to create even bigger and better ideas. In addition, we look forward to welcoming you to our opening gala (празднество) in June. Best wishes, Jason Fielding General Manager, NEW CONCEPT Unit 3, Phoenix Wharf Fifth Dimension Business Centre London SE15 3XL greeting - addresses and greets the reader(s)   opening (introductory) paragraph - introduces the topic, or the reason for writing the email  main paragraphs - contains the important information and details   concluding paragraph - finishes the letter with a promise of action or hope for the future  sign-off - signals to the reader the email is ending, followed by the sender's information greeting Dear friends, introductory paragraph I am writing to share exciting news with all of you regarding our company's future.  It gives me great pleasure to announce that the company name will be changed from Future  Game Inc. to Lighthouse Inc. main paragraphs  We've seen great success with every game we've made, with the result that we've become the  market leader. However, this is not where we will stop. For the last two years, the company …  (part of the email not shown) Consequently, our current name no longer represents everything we do, and the management  has decided that the new name Lighthouse … (part of the email not shown) concluding paragraph We hope and believe that this change will lead to a great future for our business. In addition, we  look forward to welcoming you to our official announcement event in November. sign-off Best wishes, Steve Hooks General Manager, Lighthouse Inc. 23 Cane Street, Chicago, IL 2. STANDARD BUSINESS EMAIL PHRASES Business email expressions There are several common phrases for writing formal business emails to a group of readers.    At the beginning of the email, you can introduce the purpose by using this highlighted expression. I am writing to you all regarding the future of our company. To give out good news in the introductory paragraph, use this highlighted phrase. It gives me great pleasure to announce that we are moving from the Silicon Business Centre.    The present perfect forms ‘has decided’ or ‘have decided’ are used to state that a decision has already been made. Consequently, our CEO, Charles Grey, has decided that it's time to move to a larger HQ. We have decided that it's time to open a new office. In the concluding paragraph, you can express your wishes for the future using these highlighted phrases. We hope and believe that this change will motivate our talented staff to create even bigger and better ideas. We look forward to welcoming you to our opening gala in June. I am writing to share exciting news with all of you regarding our company's future.  It gives me great pleasure to announce that the company name will be changed from  Future Game Inc. to Lighthouse Inc. We've seen great success with every game we've made, with the result that we've become  the market leader. However, this is not where we will stop. For the last two years, the company …  (part of the email is not shown) … and we're ready to move into education.  Consequently, our current name no longer represents everything we do, and the management  has decided that the new name Lighthouse would be a great metaphor.  The name Future Game will be kept, although now it becomes a sub-brand under Lighthouse Inc. We hope and believe that this change will lead to a great future for our business. In addition,  we look forward to welcoming you to our official announcement event in November. 3. USING CONNECTORS IN BUSINESS EMAIL Logical connectors Logical connectors are used to connect parts of your writing. Here are a few appropriate ones for formal business writing. Showing results Use ‘consequently’ and ‘as a result’ to show results. They're often used at the beginning of a sentence. Our company has increased its share in the market and our workforce has grown. As a result, our old office is no longer big enough. Our old office is no longer big enough. Consequently (вследствие чего), our CEO, Charles Grey, has decided that it's time to move. You can also use ‘with the result that …’ to show results. It follows the reason statement in a sentence and is followed by a clause describing the result. The last two years have seen rapid growth, with the result that our company has increased its share in the market and our workforce has grown. Showing contrast Use ‘however’ and ‘although’ to show contrast. ‘However’ is used at the beginning of a sentence to contrast with what was written previously. ‘Although’ is used to start a sentence, providing contrasting information to the main clause. There are many reasons for this change. However, I will mention only the most important. Although there are many reasons for this change, I will mention only the most important. Adding information Use ‘in addition’ to add information. We hope this change will lead to a great future. In addition, we look forward to hearing your opinions on  the change. Contrast  however although  Result with the result consequently as a result    Addition  in addition  We've seen great success with every game we've made, with the result that  we've become the market leader. However , this is not where we will stop. For the last two  years, the company has been investing in research on the application of games in helping people learn.  As a result , we've developed a powerful system that can provide a fun and exciting learning  experience for any topic, and we're ready to move into education. Consequently , our current name no longer represents everything we do, and the management  has decided that the new name Lighthouse would be a great metaphor.  The name Future Game will be kept, although now it becomes a sub-brand under Lighthouse  Inc. We hope and believe that this change will lead to a great future for our business.  In addition , we look forward to welcoming you to our official announcement event in November. 4. WRITING TO CLIENTS ABOUT CHANGE Dear friends, I'm writing to share exciting news with you all. It gives me great pleasure to announce that Blue Sky will have a new company logo starting next quarter. Why have we taken this action? According to recent market research, some customers thought our logo was old-fashioned, although they still expressed their appreciation of our products. In addition, a logo change could improve our reputation as a leader in the field. Consequently, we have decided to re-design it to represent a company that's always one step ahead of the competition. However, it has always been our policy to keep our shareholders and clients involved, so we would welcome your opinions regarding our new logo. We look forward to hearing from you. Best wishes, General Manager Blue Sky Dear friends, I am writing to share exiting news with all of you. It gives me a great pleasure to announce that starting next  month the Sun Point Inc. logo will be changed. We have been seen a great success for the last two years, with the result that we have become the market leader.   However, we had made a market research and it has showed that customers like our products, although  they are considering the form of products as old-fashioned. Consequently, our management has decided to  develop a modern design of our products. And in addition, the logo should be change as well.   We hope and believe that these changes could improve the reputation of Sun Point Inc. as a leader in the field. We look forward to welcoming any opinions about the change. Best regards, General Manager Sun Point Inc.