Business Correspondence

Business Correspondence is an umbrella term for all written communication used in business
relationships with business partners or for internal communication in the organization. The
business correspondence includes all written correspondence in organizations such as personal
documents, simple legal documents, personal letters and business contracts.

Business correspondence is important because it enables a business to maintain a proper

relationship with its stakeholders and customers.

A Letter is a written or printed communication addressed to a person or organization and

usually transmitted by mail.

A Circular letter is a document or letter that is sent to a closed group of people with the
intention of being widely circulated. In business, circular letters are used to inform their
recipients of new policies or other important matters.
 Manuscript
A Manuscript is a document prepared in draft form. It may be handwritten or typed. A
manuscript is the original written or typewritten work of an author that is used to prepare a
printable document.

A manuscript may contain:

 Abbreviations that must be spelled out.

 Correction symbols or marks that must be interpreted or applied.
 Tabulating
Tabulating is a way of processing information or data by putting it in a table. It is the systematic
and orderly arrangement of facts and figures in columns and rows.
 Committee Documents
A Committee Documents are the many documents prepared by the secretary of an organization
or club in advance of the meetings.

They may include:

 Notice of a Meeting
 Agenda
 Minutes of a Meeting

An Agenda is a document that outlines the contents of a forthcoming meeting or a statement of

business or assignment to be discussed in the meeting. It shows the topics to be covered at a
meeting and the individuals responsible for each topic.

A Chairman’s Agenda is a document written by the chairman of an organization. It outlines the

list of all topics that must be discussed in a meeting and it has a 3 column layout.
 Simple and Advance Display
Simple and Advanced Display work involves using formatting and layout to create documents
that are clear, well laid out and have aesthetic appeal. Display work is usually centred on a page
and should use fonts, graphics and layouts that are attractive and communicate the desired
message.

Simple displays include:

 Columnar Work
 Notices
 Flyers
 Menus
 Invitation

Advanced displays include:

 Flow Charts
 Organisation charts
 Graphs
 Newsletter

Invitations are written or spoken requests asking someone to spend time with you socially or to
come to a social event.

Menus are list of dishes that may be ordered or that are to be served at an event.

Organizational Chart is a diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the
relationships and relative ranks of its parts and positions/jobs.
 Legal Documents
Legal Documents are documents that state some contractual relationship or grant some right. It
is used for any formally executed written document that can be formally attributed to its
author, records and formally expresses a legally enforceable act.

Legal Documents can be:

 Leases
 Employment Contracts

A Lease is a contract outlining the terms under which one party agrees to rent property owned
by another part

An Employment contract is a written legal document that lays out binding terms and conditions
of an employment relationship between an employee and an employer.