Chapter Five: Business Communication Principles

CHAPTER FIVE
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES

The application of business communication principles helps to communicate effectively through

letters, memorandums, reports, speeches, telephones, face-to-face conversation, etc. The
commonly used principles in business communication are discussed in this topic.

1. Principle of Completeness
Your business letter is “ complete” when it contains all facts the reader needed for the reaction
you desire. To achieve both the specific purpose of the message and goodwill, examine your
messages to make sure that you have covered everything you intended to cover and that you
provided sufficient detail for your reader/receiver to know what you expect of him/her. Complete
letter also minimizes the possible cost of additional letter. To make your message complete,
make sure the reader/receiver knows who is to do what as well as where, when and why he/she is
to do it. Furthermore to ensure completeness:
Answer all questions asked by the reader/receiver.
Answer anticipated questions the reader may have but forgot to ask.
Provide all the information necessary for the reader/receiver to make a logical decision.
Explicitly ask the reader/receiver to perform an action required, as may be necessary.
Make the subject content sufficiently clear to accomplish the business objective and
Make the feeling suitable to accomplish the human objective.

2. Principle of Conciseness
Conciseness is one of the most important principles of effective business writing because a
wordy message requires more time and money to type and read. Conciseness is writing a
message in the minimum possible words without sacrificing completeness and courtesy.
Conciseness involves eliminating unnecessary words. This means economy in writing saves time
and money. The following are suggestions that could help to achieve conciseness.

i) Omit unnecessary and longer expressions – Example: Use thank you” instead of "I want to
thank you", May 4” instead of ”from this coming Saturday'', etc.

ii) Avoid unnecessary repetition and wordy statements – Avoid unnecessary repetition even
though it is sometimes necessary for emphasis.
Here are some ways to eliminate unnecessary repetition.
Use a short name after you have mentioned the longer one once. For example, instead of
the ABC Trading company, “use the company”
Use pronouns rather than repeating long names. For instance, instead of using “the
Ethiopian Insurance Company" again and again, uses “it.”

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Omit unnecessary articles, relative pronouns prepositions, and conjunctions Example:

Article:
the evidence we have Evidence we have
Relative pronoun:
He said that he agreed. He said he agreed.
Prepositional phrase:
Date of the policy Policy date
Conjunction:
And colon or period

Wordy Concise
During the year of 1993 during 1993
For the reason that since, because

Wordy sentence
There is no question that the increased use of advertising benefited the company.
Revised
Unquestionably, the increased advertising benefited the company.
iii) Include only relevant facts with courtesy – Include only those ideas that develop the
purpose of the message. The extent of the length of a message depends on the job it is expected
to perform effectively. The major causes of irrelevancy include:
 Failure to stick to the purpose of the message.
 Including information obvious to the reader.
 Using big words to make an impression.
 Beating around the bush - failure to come to the point.
 Being excessively polite, etc

3. Principle of Concreteness
Writing concretely means being specific, definite, and vivid rather than vague and general. The
following guidelines help you write concretely.

i) Use specific facts and figures – To make your message concrete, use exact facts and figures
rather than general words. Example:
Vague, general, indefinite Concrete and convincing
Our product has won several (Name) product has won first prize
prizes. in four national contests within the past
three years.

Please send your check for the please send your check for $500 full
amount soon. on or before June 5.

Often vague, general words may have different meanings to the sender and the receiver. The list
that follows give words, which can lead to uncertainty, misunderstanding, or confusion.
A few more short
High most slow

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Large nice small

Low quick soon
Many several tall

Using plenty of examples, prefixed by phrases like “for instance,” “for example,” “such as,” also
helps make your writing concrete as well as clear.

ii) Put action in your verbs – Strong verbs can activate other words and help made your
sentences definite. To write strong sentences:
 Use active rather than passive verbs, and
 Put action in your verbs instead of in nouns and infinitives..

Example:
“The board of directors decided” is more explicit than “A decision has been made.”
The passive requires more words and thus, slows both the writing and reading. For instance:
“Figures show” is more concise than “It is shown by figures.

Action must also be put in verbs, not in nouns and infinitives. Notice the following examples:
Action hiding in a Noun Action in the verb
The function of this office is the This office collects accounts
Collection of accounts and the and compiles statements.
Compilation of statements.

Action hiding in Infinitive Action in the verb

The duty of a stenographer is A stenographer checks and
to check all incoming mail and records all incoming mail.
to record it.

4. Principle of Clarity
Clarity is the transfer of the writer’s thoughts to a reader without misunderstanding. It is the
single most important factor in communication. A misunderstood message is worse than no
message at all. A message that is not clear to a reader cannot possibly communicate the writer’s
intentions. Thus, clarity is the writer’s first responsibility. The first and most important task of
the writer is to be understood. That is, the writer wants to have his/her reader interpret the
message with the same meaning as intended. The following are some specific ways that help to
make business writing clear.

i) Choose short and simple words rather than long and complicated words –Generally,
short, familiar and everyday words communicate more effectively than longer and less known
words. Therefore, use short and familiar words if your reader is to understand your message.
Example:
Complicated word simple word
Interrogate ask
Subsequent to after
Give consideration to consider

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Under date of on
As of this writing now

In addition, when you select words you should make sure that the words you have selected
would mean the same thing to your audience as they do to you. Words have both denotations
(dictionary meaning) and connotations (associated, personal meanings). The words inexpensive
and cheap can denote the same thing. But their connotations are different. For most people,
inexpensive simply means low in cost while cheap means poorly made or a poor value.

ii) Avoid ambiguous and equivocal words – Ambiguous words have more than one meaning
and equivocal words. Whenever possible, avoid technical jargons when you talk or write to a
person who is not familiar with such words. If you must use technical words, define them briefly
and clearly, otherwise you will confuse, embarrass, or irritate your reader, and perhaps be forced
to explain later. Example:
Technical jargon Expressions familiar to layperson

Annual premium annual payment

Assessed valuation value of property for tax purpose
Charge to your principal increase the balance of your loan
Maturity date final payment date
Per diem daily
Sentence: Days of grace under this policy expire May 15, 1980

Revised: The extra 30 - days allowed you to pay your premium without interest end May 15,
1980

iii) Use concrete and specific words rather than general and abstract words – Specific
language enables the reader to visualize the action of your letter and it creates believability.
Always give exact facts, figures, details, explanations and examples. For example, instead of
soon use March 15, 2002.

iv) Use short and simple sentences – Sentence structure is also an important consideration in
achieving clarity. The easiest sentences to read and to understand are short, simple sentences
using active voice in the past, present, or future tense and making an explicit statement. While it
is true that to avoid monotony, sentence length should be varied; short sentences are easier to
read and are therefore usually clearer than long sentences. Use short sentences for your main
ideas, and place supporting information in the longer sentences. Beyond proper length, sentences
seem to grow weaker with added word.

v) Your message must be definite and straight forward – State your message explicitly rather
than implicitly. Using specific and concrete words will help you make explicit statements.
Example:
Implicit: It will be to your advantage to order now
Explicit: By ordering now, you will receive two issues absolutely free.

vi) Construct effective sentences and paragraphs – Clear writing depends on logical structure.
A clear message requires a definite beginning, middle and end. In addition to the logical

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structure, the writer also needs to provide the reader with a unified message that moves clearly
from point to point. A unified message has continuity of thought. Unity and structure requires
planning. You should group related ideas together and then arrange the groups into a logical
sentence. Eliminate ideas that do not pertain to either your subject content or your feeling
content. So that your reader will always know where your message has been and where it is
going as you move from idea to idea, provide your reader with a clear, specific reference to the
preceding idea or anticipate your next idea with an explicit statement of direction. As a result
your statement (writing) should aim for unity and coherence.

In a sentence, unity means having one idea and other ideas closely related to it. For instance, The
manager of the firm-X is Abraha and Alemu won a gold medal in the marathon, game. These
two ideas do not relate; the second idea is irrelevant to the first ideas Sentences and paragraphs
should have logical sequence showing the reader the relationship between them. The use of
linking words is important in this case. The principal ways of establishing the unity, coherence
and transition required for clarity are given as follows:
vii) Include visual Aids, when desirable
Visual aids- such as headings, tabulations, itemizations, pictures, and charts are definite aids to
clarity and easy reading.

5. Principle of Correctness
Presenting a message correctly helps you to avoid the risk of miscommunication. Mistakes cause
misunderstanding and they can destruct the recipients from concentrating on the intended
message. Besides, errors can affect the credibility of the sender and the message. As a principle
of effective writing the broad term correctness refers to:
▪ Correct figures, accurate statements, facts and explicit identification of assumptions and
opinions. It is obvious that without correct figures and statements, accurate communication is
impossible.
▪ correct spelling, grammar, mechanics, and language usage. Misspelled words, faulty
punctuation, and awkward constructions will be barriers to communication. Your ability to use
language correctly and to write a message free from superficial errors is a nonverbal message
that tells your readers that you are an intelligent, careful person who cares enough about them to
pay attention to the details of your message. Because your letters, memos, and reports provide a
lasting record of your abilities to think, write and communicate about business matters, you
should take the time to ensure correctness since communication errors will undermine your
business effectiveness. Thus, as a writer of a business letter, you should apply the following
guidelines in your communication.

i) Use correct level of language, spelling, and grammar and mechanics.

_ Use short, well-known, and conversational words.
Spelling - misspelled words are the single most common error in business letters.
Punctuation - Review the rules for using commas, semicolons, and quotation marks.
 Use colon before a list of items, Example: Use the first five English alphabets: A, B, C,
D, and E.
 Use commas to separate items in a series. Use quotation-
 Example. For direct quotations when said, “I will go to USA”

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Subject - verb agreement. Subjects and verbs must agree in number and in person.
Example: The manager (singular) is (singular) quite young.
Pronoun - antecedent agreement – Pronouns and their antecedents must agree in person,
number and gender.
Example: Abraham (singular, masculine, third person) is pushing his (singular, masculine, third
person) product.
Tense progression. Use the simple tenses (past, present, and future) whenever possible. Make
sure that the verbs used for each event accurately depict the time appropriate for that event.
Parallel construction – Like ideas should be expressed in like grammatical structures. Pay
particular attention to series, lists, appositives, and ideas proceeded by correlative conjunctions
(either--- or, neither--- nor, not only- -- but also). Example:
 He should either quit his job or learn to operate the machine.
 Neither his supervisor nor his assistant filed the paper.
 The manager prepared not only the reports but also the tapes.
Correct placement of modifiers – Place modifiers close to the word or idea that requires the
modifier.
Example:
Dangling: by working hard, the report will be finished soon.
Correct: by working hard, I will finish the report soon.
Misplaced: I know a man who sells filing cabinet named smith.
Correct: I know a man named smith who sells filling cabinets.

Finally, you remember to proofread, when correspondence has your nonce on it, it represents the
best work you are able to do. If your secretary can’t type a decent letter or memo, that is still
your responsibility, and your business associates will judge you rather than your secretary, by the
material you sign.

ii) Ensure that the facts, figures and words used are accurate:
One erroneous digit can make a difference of thousands of money. Even small errors of a few
cents can be annoying to customers and undermine goodwill. To be sure of the accuracy of your
facts, you should verify all statements before writing and again before you sign approve the
message. You also need to be up-to-date on laws that affect your organization. Guessing or
assuming that you are right can be costly. Just because a certain fact was true about a customer
last year- or even last month- does not assure it is true now. You should also realize that, like
most things in life, language is alive and ever changing. This is to say that language is in a
continuous development. New words emerge; old words die. The change in words may result
confusion in usage:

6. Principle of Consideration
The relationship between the message, the sender and the receiver profoundly affects
communication effectiveness. Consideration means that preparing a message with the recipient
in mind. This includes trying to put oneself in his/her place. It involves visualizing and
evaluating the recipient's situation, the desires, problems, circumstances, emotions and probable
reactions to one's request so as to adjust the message from the recipient's point of view. This
includes taking into account the language and tone of your message. This thoughtful of

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consideration is also called “you - attitude,” empathy, the human touch, and understanding of
human nature. To achieve consideration, it is necessary to apply the following.

i) Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we”

Readers are usually more concerned about themselves than about the writer or the company they
represent. They are more likely to read the writer's message when they see their name and the
pronoun “you” rather than “I, We, Us.”
Usually it is desirable to get the reader into the first paragraph. If psychologically desirable,
begin with “you” or “your,” and keep your reader in the message (tactfully) until you finish. The
opposite of the you –attitude is the we-attitude, in which the writer views every matter from
his/her own (or organization’s) standpoint rather than from the reader’s.

We – attitude You - attitude

I want to send my Congratulations to you on
Congratulations……. Your …

Study the following example:

 We -attitude: May I take this opportunity to express my thanks for the account you
recently opened with our store. We are pleased to furnish a wide variety of products for
the home or individual
 You – attitude: Thank you for the account you recently opened at DASHEN’S. Serving
you with your needs for clothing and a home furnishing is a pleasure.

As the foregoing example illustrates, a letter is likely to have better you – attitude when it
contains more “you’s” than “I’s.” However, in two kinds of situations it is advisable not to use
“you.”
 When the reader has made a mistake:

Don't say You failed to enclose your check in the envelope.

Say The envelope we received did not have your check in it.
 When the reader has expressed an opinion different from your own.
Don't say You are entirely wrong in your attitude.
Say The proposed plan has three aspects which are extremely important and
which we need to explain now.

ii) Shows interest in the reader

Whenever possible and true, show how readers will benefit from whatever the message asks or
announces. They will be more likely to react favorably and do what you suggest if you show that
benefits be worth the effort and cost.
For instance, reader-benefits are desirable in job applications, favor requests, and announcements
to your customers, prospective buyers, stockholders and employees.
If your company provides employee benefits such as, health insurance and various retirement
plans management should make every effort to assure that all employees understand and
appreciate those benefits. To inform employees effectively, management can use such media as
memos, employee manuals, bulletins reports, etc.

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iii) Emphasize on pleasant & positive facts

Here, reader is required to accent the positive. This means
 Stressing what can be done instead of what cannot be done and
 Focusing on ideas your reader can view favorably.
The reader wants to know what the writer can do for him/her. For most people negative words
like no, won’t, cannot, never, impossible trigger unpleasant emotional reactions. By making clear
what you can or will do, you (by implication) often make clear what you cannot do, without
using a single negative word.
Example:

Negative-Unpleasant Positive-Pleasant
It is impossible to open an account As soon as your signature card
for you today. reaches us, we will gladly open an account

When a customer closes an account, try to begin your follow-up letter to the former customer
with a favorable positive paragraph. A negative opening emphasizes ideas you would rather not
have the reader think about. Consider the following example.

iv) Be honest
To be truly considerate, apply integrity - high moral standards, personal honor, truthfulness,
sincerity-to your messages. Integrity is always indispensable. Without it business
communications would prove worthless and our confidence in people would be shattered.
Since you are an agent of your company, always remember that your messages help build the
company’s image. And to make this image one of integrity requires consistently fair treatment of
customers and to be honest and sincere for them. For example, though the following sentence
sounds “you” centered, the manager who wrote it was not honest or insincere. His action is stated
in parentheses.
“Your request will be given our careful attention, and we assure you our objective is to be fair.”
(This writer merely threw the case into a file folder, and told his secretary that he/she had no
intention of working on it or assigning anyone else to do so, he hoped that after a long wait the
customer would forget.) Consideration involves the golden rule - showing to others that the same
fairness and honesty we expect for ourselves. Remember both your own integrity and that of
your company are revealed in the business message you write.

7. Principle of Courtesy
Courteous message helps to strengthen present business friendship, as well as make new friends.
Courtesy stems from sincere you-attitude. It is not merely politeness with mechanical insertions
of “pleases” and “thank-you”. To be courteous, the communicator should follow the following
suggestions regarding tone and promptness of messages.

i) Be sincerely Tactful, Thoughtful, and Appreciative

A truly courteous person sincerely likes people, is thoughtful of their feelings, and tries honestly
to help them. The courteous communicator tries to make messages tactful and shows thoughtful
appreciation in special messages as well as in every day communication.

Tactless Tactful.

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Your letter is not clear at all: If I understand your letter

I can’t understand it. correctly…..
Apparently you have already As mentioned in my May 15
forgotten what I wrote you letter (or memo) to you ,
two weeks ago. (continue with the facts)…

Words that convey cordial and courteous messages in congratulations and appreciation (to
persons both inside and outside the organization) help build goodwill. Much money is spent on
advertising to attract new customers and to keep desirable old customers. While advertising may
bring buyers into the front door of your firm, discourteous letters can drive customers out the
back door. Remember, since customers indirectly help pay your salary; you should let them
know you appreciate their orders, payments and inquiries.

ii) Omit Expressions that Irritate, Hurt, or Belittle

The thought-full business writer should avoid expressions that might offend the reader.
Therefore, in order to keep your letter courteous you have to avoid:
• Irritating expressions such as “contrary to your inference” I do not agree with you”
• Belittling statements - Talking undermining a reader is another form of discourtesy that can
have a profoundly unfavorable effect.

iii) Grant and apologize Good-naturedly

Whenever you have occasion to comply with a customer’s request, begin your letter with the best
news first and inject a courteous, ungrudging tone. Notice the difference in tone of the following
two paragraphs

Grudging
Your request causes a great deal of extra paper work to change monthly payments. However, in
compliance with your request, we…

Good-natured
As you requested, we will reduce the monthly interest and principal payments called for in your
note to….
If a request has caused you extra work, you may tactfully tell the customer somewhere in the
letter - but not the first paragraph.
Occasionally you may get a “nasty” letter from a customer, who is wrong in his/her accusations.
A courteous reply can lead not only to an apology from the customer but also future staunch
loyalty as a boaster for your organization.

iv) Answer your mail promptly

For courtesy as well as better results one should answer a business inquiry promptly. If you need
time to gather information, or have a stack of other urgent work, before you can answer a
request, send a short note like the following:
I will gladly send you the information you need. It may take a few days to assemble the facts.
You will hear from me by….

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Summary
All business writing situations can be analyzed according to the foregoing method. And as
infinitely varied as the possibilities are, all business messages should answer the same general
questions and contain the same basic elements. Cheek every message you write for answer to the
following questions:
 Is the message structured to emphasize its main purpose?
 What is its business purpose?
 What is its human purpose?
 Does the message have secondary purpose?
 Does the message take the reader’s point of view into account?
 What does the reader already know?
 What does the reader want to know?
 What is the reader hoping to hear?
 Does the message contain enough information to be clear?
 Does the message maintain a courteous tone throughout?
 Is it concise?
 Is it grammatically, mechanically, and factually correct?
 Does it express confidence in the reader and the message without being overconfident?
 Does it have a pleasant, conversational tone?
 Does the message specify how the reader will benefit out of it

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