汇丰银行商务写作教程(4)

今天我们来继续上次学习的内容：商务写作中的organization。

Organising: Types of Correspondence

How many types of correspondence do you need to write?

Basically, two:
internal correspondence (the messages you write to colleagues)
external correspondence (the messages you write to customers).

However, when you write to colleagues or customers, you can use a variety of documents.

Do you know which types of documents you can use when you write to colleagues? And which types you can send to customers?

For internal correspondence, you can use e-mail, fax and memo. For external correspondence, you can use e-mail, fax and letter.

The way you organise the content of most e-mails, faxes, letters and memos is similar. However, the format - or layout - of these documents is different.

Can you recognise the formats of the documents you write?

Below, you will see samples of four documents.

Memo

Fax

Letter

E-mail

The way you organise the contents of most documents is similar.

Try to discover the basic outline you can use in most of your correspondence.

Read through the memo below and try to identify what type of content each of the four paragraphs contains.

The HSBC Group
MEMO

To: All Staff
Date: 20 July 200X

From: General Manager
Reference

Subject: Dress Code

As you know, we have always enforced a strict dress code. We have now revised this code.

I would like to inform you of the changes.

The code for branch staff and office staff is different. As I'm sure you will appreciate, there are no changes for branch staff. All branch staff must wear the correct uniform at all times. On the other hand, if you work in the office, you may wear 'smart-casual' wear. However, on any day that you do meet people from outside the company, please ensure you are dressed in a business-like manner.

Please adopt the new dress code from 1 September. If you have any questions, please call Annie Wong on 2344 7765.

Answers:

Paragraph1: background

Paragraph2: writer’s purpose

Paragraph3: reader’s information

Paragraph4: reader’s response

Now read through the letter below. Identify the type of content in each of the five paragraphs in the spaces provided.

29 May 200X

34D Scenic LaneDiscovery BayLantau Island

Dear Ms Hui

Classic Visa Card: Annual Fee

Thank you for your letter of 5 November. In the letter, you mentioned that you had sent a cheque to settle your Visa Card Annual Fee.

I would like to explain the situation.

We have checked our records carefully. Unfortunately, we have not yet received the cheque, although we are normally very efficient when dealing with incoming remittances.

Therefore, to help us prepare your new Visa Card, we would be grateful if you could settle the payment immediately.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely

Lily Tam
Customer Service Manager.

Answers:

Paragraph1: background

Paragraph2: writer’s purpose

Paragraph3: reader’s information

Paragraph4: reader’s response

Paragraph5: closing marks

As you can see, there is only a small difference in the outlines you use when writing to colleagues and customers.

When you write to customers, you include a salutation (Dear...) and a complimentary close (Yours sincerely / faithfully).

When writing to customers, you always add a polite closing remark. You can also add this remark when writing to colleagues.

By now, you should be familiar with
the types of correspondence you write
the types of documents you can use
the basic outline you can usually follow.

To learn how to organise a letter to a customer, go to the next screen.

下一次我们将讲述organising 的SOFAR Strategy，不要错过哦！