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Sample Topics for Business Letters
1. You are a sales representative for your company. Write a letter to Mike Mason of ABC Enterprises, introducing one of your new products or services. Be sure to give important details about your product/service.
2. You are a student researching a company for your business class presentation. Write to Margaret Sims, the public relations director, of the corporation you are researching, and ask for information about her company.
3. Invite Margaret Sims, public relations director of the company you are researching, to be a guest speaker during your presentation next week. (Introduce yourself as a student interested in the company.)
4. Write a letter to Margaret Sims confirming details of her speech next week. Make sure to include time, place and topic. Offer to help in any way you can.
5. You are Margaret Sims. Answer either Letter 2 or Letter 3 (above.) You may choose to accept or reject the writer's request.
6. Roger Owens, President of XYZ Corporation, will be visiting your city next week. Write a letter inviting him and his wife to dinner on Thursday night. (Be sure to specify the time and place of the dinner.)
7. You are Roger Owens. Respond to the Letter 6 (above) accepting or declining the invitation.
Writer's Checklist
For Business Letters
1. Receiver (Who are you writing this to?)
Someone you know (friend, colleague, business partner, group, company)
Some one you don't know (To whom it may concern, Dear Sir/Madam)
How do you expect the receiver to respond?
2. Sender (Who are you?)
What is your relationship to the reader/receiver(s)?
What role are you assuming in the letter?
(friend, colleague, etc.)
3. Context (What background information does the reader need?)
Bring the reader up to date first.
Establish a connection
As requested . . .
It was nice meeting you in Toronto last week . . .
I read your article in Vague Magazine . .
Supporting details
Time frame (sequence of events)
4. Message (What do you want the reader to know or do?)
What do you hope to accomplish with the letter (inform, persuade, initiate action)
I am writing to inquire about . . .
Could you please send me . . .
Polite requests
Please . . .
Would you mind . . .
Could you please . . .
Would you be so kind as to . . .
5. Medium (What is the appropriate format?)
Fax, e-mail, formal business letter, memo, informal note
6. Tone (What tone do you wish to convey?)
informative
polite
business-like
friendly
humble
assertive
urgent
irate
7. Other recipients (Are there others who need to be informed of this communication?)
cc: courtesy copy
Nervous Mannerisms
What do you do when you are nervous?
Everyone has different reactions to nervousness. By being aware of your particular nervous mannerism, you can work to overcome them.
Here are some common mannerisms exhibited when giving a speech. Do you do any of them?
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Presentation Tips
| Know Yourself Strengths Weaknesses Talents Feelings Opinions Nervousness Motivation Know Your Audience Demographics Purpose Interests Commonality Individuality Know Your Stuff Knowledge of Subject Research Personal Experience Preparation Rehearsal | Present Yourself Dress Posture Voice Gestures Body Language Confidence Enthusiasm Present to Your Audience Positive Polite Interesting Informative Thought-provoking Present Your Material Organization Clarity Visuals Language Volume |
Signposting
Beginning a presentation
It is common to greet the audience and introduce yourself when giving presentations:
Good morning,/afternoon/evening I'm _________, the new Finance Manager. My name is ________ and I represent _______ Let me take a minute to introduce myself. Let me start by telling you a little about our company. I've already met some of you, but for those I haven't , I'm ______
Introducing the topic
I'm here to talk about . . . Today, I'd like to say a few words about . . . I'm going to give you an overview of . . . The main reason I'm here today is . . . The focus of my remarks is . . . I'd like to introduce . . .
Time consciousness
Thank you for your time Thank you for taking the time to be here I will probably take about . . . minutes This should last only a few minutes I hope to be finished by . . .
Showing organization
I've divided my topic into three sections/parts. They are . . .
This presentation can be divided into the following subtopics:
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Sequencing
Let's move on to . . .
Let's move on to . . .
That brings us to . . .
Giving Reasons
This is why . . .
The main reason is . . .
Therefore,
So,
Generalizing
Generally,
Usually,
As a rule,
Most of the time,
In most cases,
Highlighting
Actually,
In fact,
As a matter of fact,
In particular
Particularly
Especially
Giving Examples
For example,
For instance,
Such as
Summarizing
To sum up
To summarize
In brief
Concluding
To conclude,
In conclusion,
Follow-up
Are/Were there any questions?
We have just a few minutes for questions
Gather Information