Writing business style texts correct format is not given to everyone. The main trap that thousands of authors fall into every day is a completely incorrect interpretation of business texts and a misunderstanding of the principles of their work.
If you believe official sources, then:
The text of the official business style is the main means of communication in business, legal and other environments that involve the exchange of impersonal official information.
Pretty simple definition, right?! And yet, for some unknown reason, thousands of lawyers, economists, managers, and even diplomats daily try to add the same erroneous sign to such texts. Do you know what?
The Error of Modern Business Correspondence is that people deliberately complicate it. For some reason, it is generally accepted that the more complex the message, the more cunning the terminology and the longer the sentence, the more vigorous the material will be. They say you can't spoil porridge with butter.
In this material, we will try to talk about what a really good business style text should be, what its structure should be, what you should pay attention to and what mistakes you should not make. We promise that after this note you will be able to take a slightly different look at the rules for writing business texts.
Requirements for business text and its structure
In general, many documents are written in an official business style, ranging from the constitution and state acts, ending with explanatory and dismissal ones. We, first of all, are interested in texts for business, and therefore the main emphasis will be placed on it.
Business text texts have their own distinctive features that other styles do not have. Here are the main signs:
Conciseness. Creating a business text requires pity for the reader. If bureaucrats can afford to create "masterpieces" on many sheets, then this is not welcome in the business environment. Since businessmen are busy people, then the texts should be made in such a way that a person can get acquainted with them without Corvalol. Only facts, only figures, only important details.
Understand correctly: brevity does not mean the omission of some important details. All explanations must be given, and important points- mentioned. Conciseness in this case is the rejection of verbiage for the sake of verbiage.
Clear structure. You need to think over the structure of a business letter in advance. There is nothing worse than a text in which the meaning constantly jumps from place to place. We recommend choosing a starting point from which you will begin to unfold the narrative.
If you mention a fact, try to immediately enter everything that you want to report on this fact. : there is nothing worse than reading an unstructured "sheet" of text. Ideally, if each paragraph has one complete thought. This will make reading much easier.
Lack of emotion. When writing a business style text, we recommend remembering the English lords, who cannot be embarrassed even by a bomb explosion. No emotions, just facts with a straight face. However, there are also exceptions here: if you are in correspondence with a person you like, but the format business communication does not allow special liberties, one can only hint at obvious sympathy.
For example, put exclamation points in two sentences in a row or enter some word from the literary style. It seems to be a trifle, but a person experienced in business correspondence will understand everything perfectly.
Ease of Presentation. If you respect the person who will read your text, keep the material simple. Not simplified, but simple. Despite the fact that the rules for writing business style texts allow the use of clericalism and special terms, you should not aggravate the material with complex structures. Alas, but often sentences are so confusing and long that at the end you already forget the beginning.
See how the sentence is getting too complicated? Break it down into two or three smaller sentences. It won’t hurt you, but it’s convenient for a person.
Use of prepositions and compound conjunctions. Perhaps, business texts are the only format where the mass use of prepositions (on the basis of, in accordance with, and so on) and conjunctions (due to the fact that, due to the fact that, and so on) is allowed. Of course, you don’t need to put them through the word, but to give the text the appearance of a business message, this is a very, very good technique.
So, let's repeat the basic rules for creating a business text once again:
It should be a clearly structured material of small size.
In such a text there is no place for emotions and the loss of logical threads.
You should strive for simplicity of presentation, refusing complex sentences.
Your goal is to convey to the person business information, but it is very easy to do so.
Business text signsThree examples of mini-texts in business style
Example one. Business letter to a client:
Dear Sergey Sergeevich! In response to your request for the installation of a new door, we inform you that on December 25 a representative of our company will visit you. Typically, the installation time of the door is no more than one hour. We hope that you will be satisfied with the quality of our work.
Second example. A small business text for company employees:
On December 5, 2015, Company N starts participating in the annual social marathon Feed the Cat. In this regard, the company's management recommends that all employees bring daily workplace 2 liters of milk with a fat content of at least 2.5%.
If a cat or cat of any age is found, the animal should be given milk immediately. Employees who drink the maximum number of animals will be rewarded at the end of the current quarter.
Third example. Leader's letter:
I, Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich, from December 5 to February 12 of this year, within the framework of the social marathon “Feed the Cat”, gave milk to 12 cats and 10 cats. I spent the bonuses received for winning the corporate competition for personal purposes.
Since the animals are used to getting milk from me, and I don’t have money for their subsequent feeding, I ask you to allocate an amount of 100,000 rubles to buy milk at the expense of the company.
Writing rules business letters
If you didn't already know business style divided into two different types:
Everyday business style.
The first is zero emotions, a jacket with all the buttons and the facelessness of the author. The second one is more democratic and emotional (if you can say that about business texts at all). By the way, it is in the everyday style that most business letters are written. Moreover, interestingly, often the development of business correspondence occurs as follows:
Stage one. Official business style;
Stage two. Everyday business style;
Stage three. Inclusions of elements of informal communication;
Stage four. Informal communication "without ties".
It is clear that if you write something like “Hello, Kolya! What do you have there for the prices of combines? ”, then this will not be assessed properly. If you go through all the stages of business correspondence “according to the rules”, then over time the format of communication can change significantly. This is a common trend.
We have already analyzed the rules for writing business texts, and therefore we will not repeat ourselves: letters are written in the same way as texts. However, there are also some unspoken rules of correspondence, which we have not yet talked about. Since not everyone knows them, it is worth talking about them separately:
A business letter must contain a subject. It's bad form to leave the "Subject" field blank.
Don't change the subject line of a business email or delete your email history without a good reason. Yes, you may remember all the details of the communication, but the person on the other side of the mailbox may not remember them.
Neutral emotionality. Even if you are actually ready to throw a sledgehammer at the recipient, this should not be tracked in any way in a business letter. Corporate culture teaches to “put in place” the interlocutor with more cunning tricks: “forgetting” the mention of the name, refusing exclamation marks at the beginning of the letter, ignoring some questions, and so on.
No emoticons. No emoticons until the communication format has reached at least the third stage (elements of informal communication).
Sending a letter with errors is the height of ignorance.
Failure Explanation. It is enough that banks do not explain the reason for the refusal to issue loans. Be more friendly: even if you are forced to refuse, be sure to soften the tone of the letter and explain the reason.
See for yourself:
First example of a business letter
Hello! We do not plan to buy crushed stone this year. All the best.
Second example of a business letter
Hello Ivan! Unfortunately, our company does not plan to purchase additional batches of crushed stone this year. This is due to the fact that we have already fully agreed on the entire list of future expenses, and the company has no funds left for the purchase of crushed stone. We sincerely hope that next year we will agree with you in advance on the purchase of crushed stone in order to budget the necessary funds in advance.
I think you can see for yourself that the first version was written by a soulless robot, and the second one by a person who sincerely regrets. Two business style letters on the same topic, but they are so different!
You don't have to start from afar. If you have something to say, say it right away. When a person starts to enter from afar, it is more unnerving.
This is the most important rules writing letters in a business style that you will definitely need. The main thing is to remember that not always some kind of obvious officialdom is expected from you. If you see that a person is not averse to moving to a more informal level of communication, feel free to move on. There is nothing wrong with that.
That's all friends. Everything that we wanted to tell about creating texts in a business style, we told. If you have questions, comments or additions, feel free to write a comment. We are sure that this will only benefit the material.
Formal business style serves legal relations between citizens and the state and is used in various documents - from state acts and international treaties to business correspondence. The most important functions of this style - communication and impact - are implemented in such official documents as laws, regulations, decrees, orders, contracts, agreements, business correspondence, statements, receipts, etc.
This style is also called administrative, as it serves the sphere of official, business relations, area of law and public policy. Its other name - business speech - indicates that this style is the most ancient of book styles, its origins are in business speech era of the Kievan state, in which juristic documents(contracts, "Russian Truth", various letters) were created already in the 10th century.
The official business style stands out among other book styles, and is characterized by stability, relatively clear stylistic isolation, extreme standardization and unification, maximum specificity and absolute accuracy.
Despite the great variety business documents, their language is strictly subject to the requirements of an official business presentation: the accuracy of the wording of legal norms and the need for absolute adequacy of their understanding, the composition of the mandatory elements of the document, ensuring its legal validity, the standardized nature of the presentation, stable forms of arranging the material in a certain logical sequence, etc.
For all forms of business writing, strict compliance with the literary norm at all language levels is mandatory - the use of:
1) lexical and phraseological means of colloquial, colloquial nature, dialectal, professional jargon words;
2) non-literary variants of inflection and word formation;
3) colloquial syntactic constructions.
The official business style does not accept expressive elements: evaluative vocabulary, high or reduced words (joking, ironic), figurative expressions. The most important requirement for the language of a document is the objectivity and "dispassion" of the presentation of facts.
The official business style functions mainly in writing, but its oral form is not excluded - speeches by statesmen and public figures at solemn meetings, meetings, receptions. The oral form of business speech is characterized by a full style of pronunciation, a special expressiveness of intonation, and logical stresses. The speaker can allow some emotional elation of speech, even interspersed with other-style language means, without violating, however, the literary norm. Wrong accents, non-literary pronunciation are not allowed.
The vocabulary of official speech is characterized by the widespread use of thematically determined special words and terms (legal, diplomatic, military, accounting, sports, etc.).
The desire for brevity leads to the appeal to abbreviations, complex abbreviations government agencies, institutions, organizations, societies, parties, etc. (Security Security Council, Airborne Forces, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Air Force, Scientific Research Institute, DEZ, LDPR, NZ, PE, CIS, GVMU MO RF, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health), as well as reductions (illiquid assets, cash (black), federal, etc.).
Business texts are distinguished by the use of words and expressions that are not accepted in other styles (the above, the following, the above, proper, prohibited, preventive measure, deed, punishability, etc.). These include stable phrases: a cassation complaint, an act of civil (state), an act of disobedience, a written undertaking not to leave, etc. The regular use of such words and expressions that do not have synonyms contributes to the accuracy of speech, excludes other interpretations.
The inappropriateness of the expressive coloring of official speech makes it impossible to use interjections, modal words, a number of particles, words with subjective evaluation suffixes, adjectives in comparative and superlative degrees. Nouns denoting positions are usually used in the masculine form (accountant, director, laboratory assistant, postman, controller, etc.).
In official speech, non-finite forms of verbs are more common - participles, gerunds, infinitives, which especially often act in the meaning of the imperative mood (take note, make a suggestion, recommend, withdraw from use, etc.).
The syntax of the official business style reflects the impersonal nature of speech (Complaints are filed with the prosecutor; Carriage of goods is carried out). In this regard, passive constructions are widely used, which allow you to abstract from specific performers and focus on the actions themselves (According to the competition, enrolled ... 10 patients were admitted; 120 applications were registered; The deadline for the order is extended provided ...).
Syntactic constructions in official speech are full of cliched phrases with denominative prepositions: in order, in connection with, along the line, on the basis of, etc. (in order to improve the structure; in connection with the indicated complications; along the line of cooperation and mutual assistance; on the basis of decision). These syntactic clichés are a specific feature of the formal business style. The use of such syntactic constructions is necessary for expressing typical situations. They facilitate and simplify the compilation of standard texts.
At the same time, a characteristic feature of business speech is the predominance of complex sentences: a simple sentence cannot reflect the sequence of facts to be considered in an official business plan.
In order to achieve conciseness and accuracy in a business style, parallel syntactic constructions are often used (participial and participle constructions, constructions with verbal nouns).
Business style syntax is characterized by a strict and definite word order in a sentence. This is due to the requirement of consistency, consistency, accuracy of presentation of thoughts in business texts.
A stylistic feature of business speech is also the predominant use of indirect speech. Direct speech in an official business style is resorted to only in cases where verbatim citation of legislative acts and other documents is necessary.
In the design of texts, official business style big role paragraph division and heading play, details are constant elements of the content of the document: names, dates, signatures, as well as accepted for this document graphic design. All this is of paramount importance in office work, testifies to the literacy of the compiler of documents, his professionalism and culture of speech.
Depending on the area of use official business style is divided into sub-styles:
1) diplomatic, implemented in the texts of a communique, note, convention, memorandum, international agreement;
2) legislative (legal), represented in the texts of the law, constitution, decree, charter, civil and criminal acts;
3) administrative and clerical, used in clerical correspondence, in administrative acts, orders, contracts, various documentation (applications, powers of attorney, autobiographies, receipts, characteristics, protocols, etc.).
Official business documents differ in the degree of standardization of speech.
There are three types:
1) documents that, without a standard form, lose legal force(passport, marriage certificate, birth certificate, matriculation certificate, diploma);
2) documents that do not have a standard form, but for the convenience of their use, drawn up according to a certain model (notes, contracts, etc.);
3) documents that do not require a mandatory specified form when they are drawn up (minutes, resolutions, reports, business letters). However, for these types of business papers, certain standards have been developed that facilitate office work.
The variety of genres in the official business style gives reason to single out official documentary and everyday business genres in its composition; the first presents the features of the language of diplomacy, laws, and secondly - official correspondence, business papers.
Note the linguistic features of official documents belonging to different genres.
The language of diplomatic documents is very peculiar: it has its own terminology (attache, communiqué, demarche, summit, pact, convention), some terms are native Russian (ambassador, envoy, chargé d'affaires). Sometimes words in diplomacy take on a special, special meaning. For example, the word protocol, known to us in its common sense (minutes of a meeting - a document recording everything that happened at a meeting, cf.: protocol of interrogation - an accurate reflection of questions and answers), in the speech of diplomats gets a different meaning: it is "a set of generally accepted binding rules, traditionally observed in international communication.
The rules of diplomatic courtesy require addressing high-ranking persons with their titles and title forms (Prince, Queen, His Highness, His Excellency, etc.).
Strict forms of the beginning and end of various documents have been developed. For example, a personal note must be written in the first person (on behalf of the one who signs it). The appeal requires the addition of the word respected, and at the end, before the signature, a courtesy formula (“compliment”) is obligatory: I ask you, Mr. Ambassador, to accept the assurances of my very high consideration.
The syntax of diplomatic documents is complex, it is dominated by long sentences, complicated by participial phrases, subordinate clauses (mainly definitive and explanatory), a lengthy list of homogeneous members, often graphically underlined with the help of paragraph division of the construction.
For example, the introductory part (preamble) of the Charter of the United Nations looks like this:
WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS ARE RESOLVEDdeliver future generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lives has brought unspeakable grief to mankind, andto reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women, and in the equal rights of nations large and small, andcreate conditions under which fairness and respect for obligations arising from treaties and other sources can be observed international law, andto promote social progress and better living conditions in greater freedom,AND FOR THESE PURPOSEbe tolerant and live together, in peace with each other, as good neighbors, andcombine our forces to maintain international peace and security, andto ensure, by the adoption of principles and the establishment of methods, that the armed forces shall not be employed except in the general interest, anduse the international apparatus to promote the economic and social progress of all peoplesWE DECIDED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS.
This whole long piece of text is one sentence, in which infinitive phrases are underlined by paragraphs, paragraph indents and significant parts (subject of the contract, goals, etc.) are in font.
The language of laws is distinguished by a different stylistic design: it should always be simple and concise, the main thing in it is the accuracy of the expression of thought. The clarity and accuracy of the wording is absolutely necessary here, since the laws are designed for unambiguous perception, they should not be interpreted in different ways.
Let us cite as an example the classical formulations of human rights from the Universal Declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly half a century ago.
Article 1 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards each other in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 3 Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade are prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5 No one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Vocabulary of such important documents not devoid of some grandiloquence, which is determined by the content of the text. The elevated sound of speech is quite natural in such cases. This is how government notes are written, international treaties etc. However, among the legislative documents there are quite a few that are distinguished by dry, even boring language. Such a reputation is created for him by the use of special words and expressions, the so-called clericalisms (living space, living, enlisting, providing time off (vacation), endorse, hear, proper, after the expiration of the term, in in due course, come into force, etc.). This style is replete with standard wording, a lot of repetition, which is also functionally conditioned.
Here is an example of an excerpt from the "Law on Pensions of the Russian Federation":
II. old age pension
Article 10. General grounds determining the right to a pension.
Pension on a general basis is established:
- for men - upon reaching 60 years of age and with a general seniority at least 25 years old;
- women - upon reaching the age of 55 and with a total work experience of at least 20 years.
The repetition of situations considered in legislative documents leads to the standardization of ways of expression, this leaves a mark on the morphology of this substyle. It is characterized by the frequent use of denominative prepositions (for purposes, at the expense of, in business, in the area), which, as a rule, “pull” verbal nouns (achievement, settlement, recovery, establishment, appeal, inquiry, etc.).
In addition to verbal nouns, personal ones are also frequent here, that is, nouns denoting the names of people by their actions, social roles, other indications: adoptive parent, witness, detainee, vacationer, client, applicant, buyer, visitor, spectator, passenger, etc. All these and similar words receive a negative assessment outside of official business speech as typical clericalisms, but here their use is justified, they perform a style-forming function.
The language of laws is characterized by an impersonal form of presentation, since legislation reflects the will not individual, and the state (Pension is assigned; At the end of the investigation, an indictment is drawn up). This explains the abundance of passive voice verbs (cf .: The house is being built by the joint-stock company "Theme"; The stadium was built and equipped by the sponsors of the boarding school). Of the other verb forms, infinitives are especially common here: they are needed for imperative constructions expressing a prescription, an order (to ensure timely payment of wages; to reinstate; to report ... to refuse).
The syntax of legislative documents is characterized by the predominance of complex sentences; in complex subordinate clauses, conditional clauses are common. There are many conditionally infinitive constructions here, which is determined by the target task - to stipulate the conditionality of the legal norm, as well as the fact that laws do not have retroactive effect.
In the legislative language, a type of sentence has developed, associated with a special composition of the text of laws. In such cases important role rubrication plays, reflecting the compositional structure of the text. The simplest heading is a paragraph, which serves as an indicator of the transition from one thought (topic) to another. A paragraph is always an internally closed semantic unit.
A characteristic feature of the legislative sub-style is the use of special coordinating conjunctions: as well as, as well as, as well as, as ... and. Here, the predominant use of indirect speech is noted (direct speech is possible only when legislative acts are quoted verbatim, as well as in the oral judicial speech of lawyers, prosecutors and other members of the court).
The way of presentation in the legislative sub-style is directive.
The language of the administrative and clerical substyle deserves special attention, since knowledge of it is important for every citizen, since such business papers as an application, receipt, explanatory note and many others, constantly accompany us in work and even on vacation. The ability to write the necessary "paper" is an integral feature of literacy, the culture of human speech.
However, the purpose of the administrative and clerical substyle is wider than the preparation of everyday business documentation. The sphere of functioning of the clerical substyle is administrative-departmental relations, which are associated with various kinds of offices that are in charge of official correspondence and paperwork.
The administrative and clerical substyle has two functions:
Informational content (agenda, announcement)
Organizational and regulatory (instruction, order, business correspondence).
The administrative and clerical sub-style includes many genres. These include the so-called subordinate (that is, issued on the basis of and in pursuance of laws) documents issued by executive and administrative bodies (administrative acts, circulars, orders, instructions), and contractual documents, as well as various clerical documentation: application, description, autobiography , power of attorney, receipt, etc.
Administrative and clerical documents stand out against the background of other business texts by some features in the use of language tools.
The vocabulary of this documentation includes various terminology (professional, accounting, trade, sports, etc.), the use of which is determined by the situation.
The nomenclature designations of various enterprises and institutions are used (the Central Bank of Russia, the State tax office, open joint-stock company(OAO), Moscow Commodity Exchange, etc.); titles of positions, academic titles, degrees; special terminology related to the execution of business papers (incoming, outgoing (document), document flow (movement of documents in an institution), index ( conventions assigned to documents in the process of their accounting (registration) and execution), stamp (a mark indicating the special nature of the document - “secret”, “urgent”, “personally”), register (list, list of something used in office work) , details (mandatory elements of an official document), document form (a set of document details located in the established sequence), etc.
Many turns of speech that are constantly used in business correspondence have gained a stable character.
The arsenal of these language blanks is quite extensive, for example:
I am hereby responding to your letter of...
In accordance with the Protocol on mutual deliveries, I ask you...
I hope for further fruitful cooperation...
We look forward to receiving your reply as soon as possible...
Addressing them to the writer of the letter simplifies the task: he chooses a ready-made wording, inserting it into the appropriate part of the text.
The standardization of business writing has led to the creation of ready-made texts (standard texts, stencil letters), in which you only need to enter specific information. The appearance of such samples for business letters is associated with the need to solve the same type of problem situations in production, transport, and trade.
Such letters have advantages due to much less labor time spent on their composition (in stencil letters - filling in the gaps) and processing.
A typical text is built on the basis of not only clichéd phrases, but also clichéd sentences:
In response to your request, we send you the information you are interested in.
We hereby confirm our participation in the exhibition.
Expression is alien to administrative and clerical speech, but in special cases (holiday order for an institution, diploma, address to the hero of the day), it is possible to use evaluative suffixes, degrees of comparison of adjectives, figurative expressions.
The syntax of clerical documents is complex: complex sentences are used, a long list of homogeneous members, participial and adverbial phrases. In clerical documents, narration, description and reasoning are very often combined with each other. The directive style of presentation in these documents is rare (mainly in orders, instructions).
An important role in the stationery is played by graphics, writing and location of details.
Formal business style- this is a kind of literary language that serves the sphere of official business relations: the relationship between state power and the population, between countries, between enterprises, organizations, institutions, between the individual and society.
The function of business style is that it gives the presentation the character of a document and thereby translates the various aspects of human relations reflected in this document into a number of official business ones.
Official business style is divided into two varieties:
1. The official-documentary sub-style includes the language of diplomacy and the language of laws. Its main genre is speeches at receptions, reports, laws, international treaties, official communications.
2. Everyday business style includes official correspondence and business papers (statement, certificate, order, act, etc.)
The most common distinguishing feature of the official business style is a deliberately restrained, strict, impersonal-objective tonality (official coloring), which serves to express the ascertaining and prescriptive nature of documents. The official business style has a high level of communication and, at the same time, concretization, since the texts reflect specific situations, there is an indication of specific persons, objects, dates. A distinctive feature of the style is also the widespread use of standard language means of expression. In addition, standardization in the official business style affects not only language tools, form elements, but the entire document or letter as a whole.
The main features of the language of service documents are as follows:
1. The use of clerical stamps - reproducible lexical and phraseological units that correlate with frequently repeated situations, common concepts (during the reporting period, taking into account, issued for presentation, listening and discussing ...).
2. The use of words-names of persons by action, status (contributor, tenant); collective nouns (elections, children, parents); the name of persons by profession and social status (citizens, employees).
3. The introduction of special terminology that does not have synonyms in common vocabulary (order, protocol, agreed, in order, party, implementation ...).
4. Limitation of the possibility of lexical compatibility of words. For example, a business letter is compiled (not written, not sent, not sent).
5. Predominance of nouns.
6. Use of verbal nouns (travel, performance).
7. Most forms of the verb act in the sense of obligation (to count, to oblige).
8. The almost complete absence of personal pronouns of the 1st and 2nd person and the corresponding personal forms of the verb.
9. The use of predominantly present tense forms of the verb in the sense of a prescription or duty, as well as verb forms with the meaning of a statement (the commission examined).
10. Widespread use of complex denominative prepositions (for purposes, by virtue of, along the line, in part).
11. The use of the following syntactic constructions for the most part: simple sentences (usually narrative, personal, widespread, complete), with homogeneous members, isolated turns, with introductory and plug-in constructions, the predominance of allied over non-union in sentences; impersonal offers.
12. Using direct word order in sentences.
Let us consider in more detail the genres in which the everyday business style (official documents) is implemented.
The word document comes from the Latin word documentum, which means “proof, evidence.” The word document entered the Russian language in the Petrine era: business papers that had legal significance began to be called documents. Later, the word document developed two new meanings: 1) a narrow household : passport, certificate 2) figurative, expansive: everything that can testify to something, confirm something (a work of art - a document of an era, etc.).
The definition of an official document distinguishes between two areas of public practice: administrative and managerial, where official documents are used, and scientific and technical, where technical or scientific documentation is used.
Official documents have the following mandatory qualities:
* reliability and objectivity;
* accuracy, excluding ambiguous understanding of the text;
* maximum brevity, conciseness of wording;
* legal impeccability;
* standard language in the presentation of typical situations of business communication;
* neutral tone of presentation;
* compliance with the norms of official etiquette, which is manifested in the choice of stable forms of address and words and phrases corresponding to the genre, in the construction of the phrase and the entire text.
Documents must be drawn up and executed on the basis of the rules set forth in the Unified state system office work (EGSD).
The type of document should correspond to the given situation and the competence of the institution. Form of documents different types unified. Many documents consist of separate elements - details, the set of which is determined by the type and purpose of the document (for example, addressee, addressee, date, document name, signature). In the text of the document, two semantic parts are usually distinguished: one sets out the reasons, grounds and goals for compiling the document, the other - the conclusion, proposals, requests, recommendations, orders. Some documents may consist of one part: application, order, letter.
Documents are not homogeneous in terms of the degree of unification and standardization. One group consists of documents in which not only the form is uniform, but also the typical content, for example, a passport, diplomas, accounting accounts, etc. The other group includes documents that have a unified form, but variable content, they differ significantly in their content. information (autobiography, act, report, statement, order, etc.).
The following types of documents are distinguished according to their functional value:
* Organizational and administrative documents
* Information and reference documents
* Administrative and organizational documents
* Personal documents
* Business letters
Diverse. In every life situation there are certain norms of communication. In the official sphere, too, there are specific norms that sometimes run counter to the general language. This is a feature of the official business style. It is dry and insipid, all turns in it are unambiguous and constant.
Formal business style: definition
The official business style is the style of business and legislative acts, which has been formed over the years. Its characteristic feature is the constancy in the use of the same words and lexical phrases.
Which every person periodically meets in his life, should be understandable and unambiguous. In addition, all his genres are written according to the same patterns. Sometimes, to get a new document, it is enough just to rewrite 2-3 words.
Stylistic features
Like everyone else, he has his characteristics. The official business style in business texts is characterized by accuracy and unambiguity of presentation, obligatory-prescriptive nature, complete impersonality, absence of any emotional manifestations, standardization and stereotyping.
Any document should be interpreted in only one way. Therefore, all the data presented in it are unambiguous, because otherwise it means confusion and lawlessness in any business.
Since this is a business style, it is used to regulate the official sphere of human life and society. Everything that is stated in it must be unquestioningly executed.
There can be no personal characteristics or subjective interpretations in the documents. Therefore, the official business style of the Russian literary language allows the presentation of personal information only in minor documents such as a statement or explanatory to argue the need for a particular action.
The unambiguity of presentation interprets and a high degree stereotypes. It is present at all levels of style: from a set of lexemes to overall structure the entire document.
Style vocabulary
Like any other, official business style in business texts, it uses a standard set of lexemes and phrases. First of all, these are words from the industry of official communication: prescribe, permit, notify, plaintiff, chapter, law and the like. In other styles, they are used much less frequently.
The second characteristic feature is the use of constant expressions and clichés of speech. This makes any text predictable, but at the same time completely unambiguous: on the basis of, considering, according to.
It is noteworthy that, despite the high level of impersonality, the use of first-person pronouns and verbs is allowed in the official business style. By comparison, in a scientific style, this is completely unacceptable.
And the last feature is the presence of dry, slightly outdated clerical vocabulary, which in other styles sounds inappropriate and somewhat comical: takes place, is in a state of intoxication, a liquid that looks like cognac.
Syntactic constructions
By the constancy of syntactic constructions, each person can easily determine the official business style. Examples of it are well known to everyone in the school. And certainly more than once in my life I had to write a statement or protocol.
At the syntactic level, first of all, the presence of small constructions, simple sentences, the minimum number of complications, such as homogeneous members of a sentence or plug-in constructions, is noted. This is dictated by the need for simplicity and unambiguity in understanding the information contained in the document.
At the text level, there is a high level of standardization of its structure. For example, each application begins with a header in the upper right corner, which indicates who is addressing whom. Next comes the text of the application itself, which ends with the date and signature of the applicant. The upper left corner of the document is left to overlay the resolution on this application. The same standardization is typical for all other genres.
Application industries
Quite a wide distribution is found by any person all the time. Therefore, this style is divided into several sub-styles, depending on the industry.
Legislative documents are used to form regulatory framework society. It prescribes the rules by which every person who falls under the influence of this particular document must live. Also, the legislation establishes penalties for non-compliance with the requirements.
The jurisdictional branch ascertains the violation and assigns punishment for it. Here are also the review of the case in connection with certain evidence or circumstances.
The administrative formal business style is very common. Examples of such documents are even studied in school curriculum. This includes documents regulating the activities of individual organizations and their interaction with individual individuals.
And the last branch is diplomatic. Relations between states depend on the correctness of documentation in this area. One wrong comma or word can cause a global conflict.
Genres
In practice, the official business style of speech has a wide variety of examples of texts. It would be rather problematic to name absolutely all genres in one article. Therefore, we will focus on the most popular of them, dividing them into groups depending on the industry of use.
Legislative documents include a law, an act, a decision, a decree. They are compiled on higher levels authorities by specially trained people.
In the field of jurisprudence, the genres of official business style in Russian are represented by sentences, court decisions, cassation complaints, search warrants or arrest warrants.
Administrative documents are among the most common. This includes an application, an autobiography, an order, a recommendation, a fax, a telephone message, a receipt, and many others.
In diplomacy, treaties, pacts, agreements, conventions are most often used.
business management
A lot has already been said about how rich in genres the official business style is. Examples of their use are found all the time. This is an active style used everywhere in everyday life. Most often, a simple person encounters him in the business industry. When applying for a job, we write a resume, curriculum vitae and application, submit references from a previous job.
Basically, all these documents have approximately the same structure. They begin with an indication of the author who compiled this text, followed by a presentation of the material, which is certified by a signature and seal, if any.
Generalization
In Russian philology, the official business style of a document, language, speech has an active use. It is highly standardized and has a certain set of words and expressions that are used contrary to some of the laws of the language.
For example, tautologies are not a stylistic error, since they contribute to an unambiguous understanding, which cannot be achieved by using pronouns for a more beautiful literary sound.
Each person in his life must be able to use this style, since it regulates the interaction of the individual with the organization, the state and the entire legal world as a whole.
Today, the relevance of studying and applying this concept is difficult to overestimate. The role of business etiquette is important in the life of each particular organization, and is also of great importance at the international level. Competent possession business style increases the status and authority of a person, opening up new career and personal prospects for them. It can be described as a formula for success, the result of which is influenced by a person’s speech, behavior and dress code.
Definition and origins of business style in speech
Business style in speech is a set of linguistic and other means that can be applied in the field of official communications. Such relationships can arise between people, organizations and states. This format of communication has its roots in antiquity. In the era of the Kievan state, documents began to appear that had legal force. Among other book styles, origins of business style originated in the 10th century. Until now, it has been used to draw up legislative documents, orders, agreements, and in official correspondence.
Formal business style- a functional kind of language, which is characterized by stability and standardization. It does not allow for ambiguous and poorly structured sentences and phrases. Words are used exclusively in the direct meaning. Examples of this style are the reports of figures at solemn and official meetings and meetings. It is also used in the working atmosphere at meetings, presentations, meetings.
Forms of manifestation of business style
The official format finds its application in writing, oral communication, wardrobe. The manner of dressing is peculiar business card person, whether he is in the presidency, manages the company or performs ordinary functions in it. In addition to the first impression, clothes can have a psychological impact on interlocutors. Business style clothing requires more attention.
Corporate manners are manifested in human behavior. Components: the ability to remain calm and behave with dignity in a non-standard situation, the will to act, the willingness to take responsibility, not to be afraid to be flexible, to be objective. Business behavior subject to certain: common sense, ethics, expediency, conservatism, efficiency and others.
Business style of speech
Dress code of the company and its functions
Every major company has its own dress code. It helps to unify appearance employees and maintain the image of the company. positively affects the reputation of the company and creates an overall impression of it in the eyes of customers. Each employee should have at least four suits in their wardrobe, which should be changed periodically. Walking in the same suit for two or more days in a row is not recommended.
In some large companies spelled out specific and quite strict requirements. The dress code in the contract with the worker is given several pages with a detailed description of the clothing and the materials from which it must be made. In comparison with foreign firms, in the CIS countries they are more loyal to the uniform of employees. Separate requirements are established for mandatory business style for negotiations, presentations or field meetings. Friday is considered "no tie day" if no important meetings are scheduled for that day.
The introduction of a dress code affects not only the general corporate culture. Tastefully selected wardrobe makes the employee more disciplined. He feels the personal responsibility that lies with him when. Such people are more likely to succeed in negotiations.
The importance of business style in business
In the business world, it is extremely important to follow a certain set of rules and norms that dictate the manner of speaking and behaving in different situations. Adhering to these requirements, you can count on an effective meeting, negotiations, signing a contract. Even a dinner or a meeting without ties should be held in the appropriate way.
Compliance with business style is not something unattainable for beginners. Everyone can learn the basic principles according to which a meeting, conversation, presentation should take place. In theory, the main models of behavior have long been defined, important principles and norms have been described. For example, at the first meeting, the dating algorithm is as follows: greeting, introduction and exchange of business cards.
In practice, difficulties can arise, since experience is needed in everything. Don't be afraid of your own mistakes. It is considered good form to directly ask for advice from a more knowledgeable person. At the same time, one should maintain an acceptable distance, avoid familiarity in behavior and not curry favor with the interlocutor.
Norms of business style at meetings without ties
At such meetings, important issues are not resolved and documents are not signed. The informal atmosphere is conducive to discussing common prospects and plans for the future, casual conversations about family and hobbies. You can relax and deviate from compliance with strict norms. informal business attire allows you to wear more comfortable things. In whatever free format the communication takes place, the interlocutors should behave with dignity and friendliness in order to have a good time together.
