1. 1.00 Understand communication skills and customer relations
NC CTE 1.03: Write internal and external business correspondence to convey and obtain information effectively.

2. Explain the nature of effective written communications
Two main classifications of written communication are in business
Internal written business communication involves employers and employees at all levels of the company.
External written communication involves clients, independent contractors, industry colleagues and other individuals not working directly for the company.
Modern examples may extend to text messaging, social networking posts and multimedia business presentations.

3. The three main types of written communication in business include business letters, memoranda and reports.
Business letters can help promote the business image by communicating with the outside world.
Memoranda (memo) are mainly used by employers and employees to communicate information about current projects, changes in business procedures or other internal topics.
Business letters and memoranda can be used to confirm in writing what has been agreed upon verbally.
Reports help communicate new information, analysis of data or research or recommendations for future decisions.

4. Modern examples may extend to text messaging, social networking posts and multimedia business presentations.
has become a common form of written communication in business because of its rapid delivery, ease of use and ability to reach large audiences.
The storage of business has become increasingly important as has become “equally admissible” in court as formal paper documents.
As communication continues to grow as a form of written business communication, companies are increasingly looking to outside sources for assistance in management.

5. Characteristics of effective written communication.
Knowing the 5 Cs of business writing can help you write effectively. Your correspondence should be: • Clear: Make sure your purpose and intent is clear to the reader. Understand your audience. • Concise: Make sure are not too wordy. Keep all communication concise and to the point • Courteous: Address the reader politely. Use expressions such as: “please and thank you”. • Complete: Include all the information the reader needs to have. • Correct: Edit and proofread so that it has no grammar, spelling and punctuation error.

6. Criteria used to determine the appropriate format for professional writing
Typically, for Essays & Reports, You …
Typically, for Letters, s, Memos, You …
Similarities
Use an easy-to-read font, such as Times New Roman or Arial.
Use an easy-to-read type size—10 or 12 point is standard.
Differences
Double-space.
Indent the first line of each paragraph 5
spaces.
Don’t insert blank lines between paragraphs.
Use conventional paragraphs.
Similarities
Use an easy-to-read font, such as Times New Roman or Arial.
Use an easy-to-read type size—10 or 12 point is standard.
Differences
Single-space.
Start each line at the left margin. This is called block style.
Use blank lines to separate paragraphs.
Use conventional paragraphs AND bulleted lists, headings/subheadings, tables, charts, etc. to make information easy to find and to read.

8. Describe the components of an effective business letter.
Components (in order):
Letterhead (optional) – preprinted information in the header and sometimes in the footer that usually contains the company name, address, address, logo, and other contact information
Dateline – the date the letter is written, spelled out, such as April 30, 2010, not
Attention line (optional) – keyed on the first line of the inside address and used to address a specific person or job (Sales Manager) within an organization
Inside address – the name of the addressee, name of the business, street address, city, state abbreviation, and zip
Salutation – the greeting, such as Dear Mr. Cox
Subject line (optional)
Keyed below the salutation because it is considered part of the message
Key the word Subject in all caps, followed by a colon and the topic, also in all caps
Used to give the reader a quick overview of the topic
Message – the letter content. Key paragraphs in single space format with a double space between
Complimentary closing – the goodbye, such as Sincerely
Company signature (optional) – the keyed name of the company in all caps, placed a double space below the complimentary close
Writer’s signature block – the author’s name and title, which may be keyed on one or two lines, depending on length
Reference initials – the initials of the typist of the letter and sometimes the author as well (keyed first)
Example: bc/mw or BC/MW
No punctuation is used with the initials
Enclosure notation (optional) – indicates that another document is included with the letter. Sometimes the enclosures are identified. Example: Enclosure: Résumé
Copy notation (optional) – indicates the names of other parties who have received copies of the letter. Example: cc Mrs. Dian Moon

11. Edit and revise written work consistent with professional standards
Aspects of the revision process
Rereading for meaning
Adding
Rearranging
Removing
Replacing
Adapt, change, and rewrite: writing is rewriting.
Revising is rewriting and reworking the document to reflect your own assessment and helpful feedback from others. Revising could mean changing a few sentences, or writing headings; it could mean deleting whole paragraphs, or moving whole sections.
Although technology has increased the amount and complexity of writing, software programs like Microsoft® Word have simplified the revision part of the process.

12. Edit and revise written work consistent with professional standards
Criteria used when revising written work
Logical sequencing
Appropriate word choice
Effective transitions
Use forceful verbs—replace long verb phrases with a more specific verb. For example, replace “She argues for the importance of the idea” with “She defends the idea.”
Look for places where you’ve used the same word or phrase twice or more in consecutive sentences and look for alternative ways to say the same thing OR for ways to combine the two sentences.
Cut as many prepositional phrases as you can without losing your meaning. For instance, the following sentence, “There are several examples of the issue of integrity in Huck Finn,” would be much better this way, “Huck Finn repeatedly addresses the issue of integrity.”
Check your sentence variety. If more than two sentences in a row start the same way (with a subject followed by a verb, for example), then try using a different sentence pattern.
Aim for precision in word choice. Don’t settle for the best word you can think of at the moment— use a thesaurus (along with a dictionary) to search for the word that says exactly what you want to say.
Look for sentences that start with “It is” or “There are” and see if you can revise them to be more active and engaging.

13. Edit and revise written work consistent with professional standards
Criteria used when editing written work
Proper sentence structure
Appropriate punctuation
Correct spelling
Focus on the surface of the writing, ensuring appropriate word choice and correct format, spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation.
Check the final copy to ensure it’s free from typographical errors.

14. Write professional e-mails
Characteristics of professional s
Specific
Be brief and polite. If your message runs longer than two or three short paragraphs, consider (a) reducing the message, or (b) providing an attachment.
Concise
Remember that your reader likely has dozens of how to write a business other messages to read and other tasks competing for his attention. Don't go on and on. If your reader groans at the length of your message when he opens it, he's more likely to delete it unread.
Clear
Just because you are writing an electronic message rather than a typewritten letter doesn't mean that your communication shouldn't be just as professional. Resist the urge to be overly casual. If you don't know your correspondent, address them as Mr. or Ms. (or Dr.). Use the same language that you would use in a standard business letter. Use a proper business format. It can be similar to those used in business letters. Avoid slang or casually constructed sentences.

15. Write professional e-mails
Information that should be included in a professional signature.
The signature block in a business does the work of the heading or letterhead found in the format of a business letter. In other words, it supplies the contact information belonging to the sender.
A signature block should contain all the contact information a recipient might require in order to respond to an . It should begin with the Senders Name, Title, and Business Organization. A Physical Location, Phone Numbers, Address, and Web site should follow. Here is an example: ******************** Peter Connor Owner/Managing Editor The Write Company Bellvue, CO Voice: XX Fax: XX Web site:

16. Write professional e-mails
Different commands used to send outgoing messages
Reply all
There are a few basic ground rules for when to use reply all. In general, if your response will cause other people to do something different then yes, reply all. If your response will have absolutely no effect on other people and is “thanks” or “ok” then no, don’t reply all. At work, reply all should be used when you have something valuable to add to the conversation or when you disagree with whatever is being proposed. In general, agreement with a work is assumed, so an saying you agree doesn’t really need to be a reply at all.
Carbon copy [CC]
It informs the reader that copies have been distributed to the individuals named in the space following the CC notation.
Unlike memos and letters, the CC field of an template is meant for addresses, rather than proper names.
The CC field in a business may contain one or more addresses. The blank field will expand as the addresses are inserted
Blind carbon copy [BCC]
It indicates that copies have been distributed to the individuals named in the space following the BCC notation, however, their identities are being withheld from the reader.
Essentially, the principal recipient is kept in the dark. Unlike the addresses placed in the CC field, those placed in the BCC field are simply not forwarded.
Using the BCC field is also useful in protecting the privacy of your copied recipients. It hides their addresses from potential spamming operations.
Subject line
The subject field is very important and needs to be precise and brief. It should say something compelling about what your business contains and your reader should be able to grasp its importance at a glance.
Capitalize all the key words. Articles, conjunctions, and prepositions should be capitalized only when they occur at the beginning or end of your subject line.
Leaving this field empty is not an option. Not only does the content of your subject line provide a clue to your reader about the that follows, it also provides spam-detecting clues to the server ( provider) that handles its transmission from one cyber point to another.