FBLA Business Communications

Personal business letter

a letter written from an individual to a person, business, or organization

Return Address

the address of the sender

Letterhead

a sheet of stationary with name and address of the organization printed at the top

Business letters

usually keyed on paper; contain a letterhead at the top of the page

Mailing Address

name and address of the business or person to whom the letter is being sent

Salutation

word of greeting used to begin a letter

Body

message of the letter

Complimentary Close

closing or farewell of the letter

Enclosure Notation

indicated that another doc is enclosed within a letter

Large Business Envelope

Size #10

Small Business Envelope

Size #6 3/4

Memos

written communications used to communicate information to individuals within a business organization

Memo Guide Words

TO, FROM, DATE, SUBJECT ; should be keyed in bold, all caps, followed by a colon, and double spaced

Unbound Report

short reports prepared without binders or covers

Bibliography

sources used in body of report

Bibliography Entries

should be listed alphabetically by author's last name

5 C's of Communication

1. Clear

2. Concise

3. Complete

4. Cohesive

5. Courteous

Clear

good words; eye contact

Concise

short sentences; direct; open

Complete

meets needs; honesty

Cohesive

focused

Courteous

non-judgemental

Internal Communication

within the company

Purpose of Internal Communication

to exchange info between various departments and division of organization

Types of Internal Communication

1. vertical

2. horizontal

Frequency of Internal Communication

occurs frequently in organizational activities

Distance of Internal Communication

no significant distance usually

Coverage of Internal Communication

limited within the organization

External Communication

communication outside the company

Purpose of External Communication

mainly for maintaining relationships with external parties

Frequency of External Communication

occurs less frequently than internal

Distance of External Communication

significant distance usually

Coverage of External Communication

broad with external bodies

Intrapersonal Communication

occurs when a person communicates with themself

Interpersonal Communication

exchange of info between two persons

Means of External Communication

1. telephone

2. telex and fax

3. postal services

4. local messenger

5. face to face conversation

6. mass media (newspapers, radio, TV, etc)

7. internet

8. email

Memo Reports

short, informal messages that provide a rapid, convenient means of communication between employees within the same organization

Letter Reports

a report written in the form of a regular business letter; typically used for external communication;

Agenda

a list of topics arranged in the order they are to be discussed at a meeting

Minutes

the official record of a meeting

Itineraries

a combination of travel and appointment schedules

Expense Reports

almost always printed forms; used on a regular basis and the same information is required each time for the organization's financial records

Personal Evaluations

typically define the performance measures as functions of the job duties and provide a rating scale to evaluate an individual's performance; may also provide space for comments by both the manager and the person being evaluated

Progress Reports

an informational report on the progress of a specific project; to track the various projects underway at any given time; many are delivered orally; typically include a brief background of the project, detailed account of time period covered, and projection of work to be completed; typically prepared in memo format but sometimes in short, formal report

Recommendation and Justification Report

present a problem and then provide the evidence required to justify a recommended solution to that problem; often initiated by the writer, who has observed a problem and wishes to suggest a solution

Proposals

attempt to persuade; may be either requested or volunteered; propose to solve a problem for the reader; typically include summarizing intro, detailed problem statement, work statement, project management statement, and statement of qualifications

Routine Reports

(aka periodic reports, maintenance reports)

help an organization monitor and regulate its processes and procedures; may be informational only or interpretive

Task Reports

special assignments designed to help solve a specific problem; may be strictly informational, interpretive, or analytical

Letter of Transmittal (part of a formal report)

sends (transmits) the report to the reader; begins with the words, "Here is the report you requested (or authorized). . . ."; conclude by thanking the reader for the opportunity to prepare the report

Letter of Authorization (part of a formal report)

a letter or memo of authorization

Six Tenses of Verbs

1. simple present

2. present perfect

3. simple past

4. past perfect

5. future

6. future perfect

Simple Present Tense

they walk

Present Perfect Tense

they have walked

Simple Past Tense

they walked

Past Perfect Tense

they had walked

Future Tense

they will walk

Future Perfect Tense

they will have walked

Four Types of Sentences

1. declarative

2. imperative

3. interrogative

4. exclamatory

Declarative Sentence

makes a statement

Interrogative Sentence

asks a question

Imperative Sentence

gives a command

Exclamatory Sentence

expresses strong feeling

Capitalization Rule 1

capitalize the first word of a document and the first word after a period

Capitalization Rule 2

Capitalize proper nouns—and adjectives derived from proper nouns (Golden Gate Bridge)

Capitalization Rule 3

Capitalize titles when they are used before names, unless the title is followed by a comma. Do not capitalize the title if it is used after a name or instead of a name.

ex: Chairman of the Board William Bly will...

The chairman of the board, William Bly, will ...

The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called ....

Governor Fortinbrass, Lieutenant Governor Poppins, and Attorney General Dalloway will ...

Capitalization Rule 4

Do not capitalize occupations before full names.

ex: director Steven Spielberg

However, titles replacing someone's first name are generally capitalized.

ex: Here comes Professor Ames.

Capitalization Rule 5

Capitalize a formal title when it is used as a direct address

ex: Will you take my temperature, Doctor?

Capitalization Rule 6

Capitalize specific geographical regions. Do not capitalize points of the compass

ex: We had three relatives visit from the West.

Go west three blocks and then turn left.

Capitalization Rule 7

do not capitalize the word the before proper nouns