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What Skills do entrepreneurs need?. Communication Skills. Communication is key in business Businesspeople are always communicating in order to make the next business decision Team work Writing letters Memos Talking on the phone E-mail BBM.
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Communication Skills • Communication is key in business • Businesspeople are always communicating in order to make the next business decision • Team work • Writing letters • Memos • Talking on the phone • E-mail • BBM
To succeed as an entrepreneur, you will need to develop your writing, speaking and listening skills
Writing Skills • As an entrepreneur, you will frequently communicate in writing • With: • Customers • Employees • Managers • Other business owners • Suppliers
Good Business Writing • Communicates ideas clearly • Gets results by being positive, persuasive • Convincing readers that they should accept what the writer is communicating
Business Letter • The most common form of business writing • You may write letters to: • Solicit business • Respond to customer questions • Negotiate purchases • Deal with suppliers
Must be professional/formal • It’s a little different than writing to a friend • A certain level of formality is necessary • Certain standards must be respected • It shouldn’t be difficult to understand • Should be clear • Concise • Coherent • Get the message across • Positively
Follow the Basic Rules • Anything business related should be kept formal • All personal letters can be written in a personal manner • You should know the difference
2. Be sure to spell all names correctly and have the correct address • No matter how well you write your letter, a spelling mistake looks unprofessional • It could cause the letter to be lost in the mail or returned
3. Always date your business letter • You may have to refer to this date at a later time • E.g. Source document
Use names and titles appropriately • Use the person’s first name if you know them well • If you do not know them personally and the letter is very formal, use: (Dr., Mr., Miss., Mrs., etc…)
Be direct and positive • Always maintain a positive tone. • Portray your business in an optimistic light, even if it is bad news
Be persuasive and specific • Make sure what you want from your reader is clear • Use non threatening language that will persuade the reader to take the most desirable action
Avoid using fancy language • Don’t write using language that you would not use when speaking • Use straightforward language
Be polite • Always deal with issues in a businesslike, professional manner • Never express outrage • Never become abusive • Never be insulting • Be especially polite when writing a bad news letter
Use an appropriate closing • Make sure your close corresponds to the content of the letter • If you are complaining about something, don’t close with ‘Warmest Regards’ • Use: Sincerely, Cordially, Sincerely Yours or Cordially Yours to close your letter
Proofread for spelling and grammatical errors • One single mistake can ruin the outlook of a perfectly sounding letter
Business MEMOS • Also known as a MEMORANDUM • A short written form of business communication • Has a set format: • Whom it is for • Whom it is from • The date • Subject of the memo
Sample Business Memo CHOCOLATE HEAVEN EMPORIUMMEMORANDUM TO: All StaffFROM: Management T.C.DATE: November 9th, 20--SUBJECT: STAFF CHRISTMAS PARTY It's that time of year again. As you all know, Christmas is our busiest season of the year. Every year it is a struggle for management and supervisors to find the time and energy to organize a staff Christmas party. This year, we have decided to postpone the Christmas party until after our busy season. Party Details Date: Second or third Saturday in January (T.B.A) Theme: Beach Food: Caribbean Special events: Karaoke and belly dancing We apologize that the celebration will have to wait until the new year, but we guarantee that it will be worth the wait. Anyone interested in volunteering to help out with the event is encouraged to call Lucy, our events coordinator. Lucy's cell phone number is 222-3098. Please contact Lucy outside of business hours regarding this matter. Thank you. T.C.
Interoffice MEMO • A letter from one person in a company to another in the same company • Or to a group of employees • Or to everyone • Can be hand-delivered • E-mailed • Interoffice mail • Faxed to one another
MEMOS • Should be: • Clear • Concise • Persuasive • Positive
MEMOS used for: • Communicating policies and procedures • Assigning tasks • Motivating staff • Congratulate employees • Announce changes
Let’s try it!! • You own a shop that sells comic books. • Write a business letter to your main supplier, a comic book wholesaler • Tell the supplier that you have not received the shipment you ordered of the most recent edition of a popular comic • Be sure to follow the rules • Make up names for your business and your suppliers business
Let’s try a MEMO • As the owner of a large manufacturing company • Write a memo to your employees • Communicating a change in your vacation policy • State what the policy has been and what it will now be • Again, follow the rules