Secretaries are important members of any company or organization. To be a successful secretary you need to have good manners 
and the necessary skills, as well as understanding company policies. The volume and content of the duties of the secretary depends on the official position of the boss. So, the secretary of the head of the company will have more responsibility than the secretary of the head of the department. Proper business etiquette in the work of a secretary is the basis of work, especially for those who work with clients and other important persons.
Responsibilities of the secretary
The secretary's business etiquette requires him to treat his boss with courtesy and support. The secretary must be able to work in a team with his superior in order to properly perform his duties. The secretary must agree with the preferences of the boss and the policies of the company for which he works.
No gossip is allowed, and the secretary should not be involved in activities that have nothing to do with the commercial activities of the company. Do not be familiar with your boss and call him by his first name, even if it is your old school friend.
Appearance
In most companies, secretaries occupy very serious positions. Often they interact with customers and members of the company's management on behalf of their boss. For this reason, the secretary must dress in accordance with company policy. If the dress code of the company provides for a conservative style of clothing 
, then the secretary should be an example of how to look for all other employees of the company. This shows respect for the company, its leaders and those who deal with it. If the company does not have a special dress code, then the secretary is still required to come to work neat and clean.
Don't wear tight or revealing clothes to work. Make sure your clothes are always washed and ironed. Don't wear short skirts to work. 
, and your shoes must be appropriate business style. Most often, these are classic pumps with a flat sole or a small heel. The main thing is that you feel comfortable working in such shoes. As for makeup, a female secretary should not use bright colors so as not to look defiant. The same goes for jewelry. The appearance of the secretary should be as simple and businesslike as possible, without any frills.
Behavior
Good business etiquette requires secretaries to follow the golden rule at work. The secretary should set an example for others on how to behave with visitors. The secretary must treat everyone with respect and never treat people of lower rank worse. The secretary is not supposed to often interrupt others and always apologize if he still had to do this.
Communication
In the work of a secretary, good manners during a telephone conversation are very important. Many customers who call the company for the first time form their impression of it on the basis of a telephone conversation with the secretary. It is best for the secretary to answer the phone immediately, that is, before the phone rings a third time. In a telephone conversation, the secretary should be as polite and attentive as possible to his interlocutor. It is unacceptable to show excessive emotionality and irritability in the work of a secretary. The secretary must answer all phone calls and customer requests politely and with a smile.
Organization
One of the most important functions in the work of a secretary is proper organization. Your workplace should be clean and well organized. Do not fill the table with papers. If you work in a place where you have to ask customers or other company visitors to wait to see your manager, make sure your workplace looks decent. It should not contain any extra items. All important documents must be out of sight of visitors.
As for the personal qualities of the secretary, he must be responsible, serious, executive, obligatory, punctual, tactful. Without these qualities, all business etiquette in his work can simply be reduced to zero.
The secretary's business etiquette requires him to keep order not only at his workplace, but also to ensure that he is also at the manager's workplace. The secretary must ensure that the boss's desktop is not littered with documents and other papers, that he always has a supply of necessary stationery, and so on.
Despite the fact that for many the work of a secretary seems simple and does not require special skills and abilities, not everyone can hold this position.
1. Plan
Introduction 3
1. Etiquette of oral business speech of the secretary. four
1.1. Culture of business communication secretary.4
1.2. Basic ethical requirements for conducting telephone conversations. eight
1.3. Tasks of the secretary in the preparation of various meetings. ten
1.4. What is the role of the secretary in organizing the reception of visitors. 13
2. Etiquette of written business speech of the secretary. 16
2.1. Ethical requirements for writing a business letter. 16
2.2. Etiquette of writing and wording of a business letter. eighteen
2.3. How to issue a telegram, teletype, telephone message, fax. 21
Conclusion 24
Literature 25
Introduction
In the modern era, many new professions appear that require a person to correspond to today's day. The profession of a secretary has existed for a long time. But now it has taken on a completely different meaning. A person who has devoted himself to this profession must have a broad outlook, a whole range of business and personal qualities associated with the specifics of secretarial work.
It has long been customary to call professional ethics codes of conduct that ensure the moral nature of those relationships between people that arise from their professional activities.
A modern secretary must know: the provisions and instructions for documentary support, the management of the enterprise, its divisions. He must perfectly know typewriting, work on a personal computer, the rules of spelling and punctuation, the order of arrangement of material when printing various documents, the standards of a unified system of organizational and administrative documentation, and much more.
But most importantly, he must have the skills of etiquette in written and oral business speech. It is on these skills that we will focus in this work.
1. Etiquette of oral business speech of the secretary.
1.1. Culture of business communication secretary.
Important indicators of the secretary's communication culture are courtesy, correctness, goodwill. The secretary must master facial expressions, voice intonations, and gestures. Delicacy, courtesy in relations with visitors and employees, a certain amount of artistry - all this ensures the successful work of a secretary.
The secretary needs to know the rules of greeting. When a visitor appears in the reception, the secretary should say hello, offer to sit down. At the first meeting with the head, a senior official or when receiving an honorary guest of the organization, the secretary must stand up and say hello. If you need to shake hands, then you should get up from the table, go to the visitor and give a hand (a woman is allowed not to shake hands if she does not want to do this).
If the secretary sees the visitor for the first time, he must identify himself. After that, the secretary inquires about the name of the visitor, on what issue he came. It is necessary to observe tact, use only polite forms of address, be friendly.
Respect for people should become a daily norm of behavior and a habitual way of communicating with others. That is the job of a secretary.
When receiving visitors, the secretary should not conduct personal conversations on the phone, and should also refrain from conversations that reveal official secrets and not gossip.
When a visitor appears, the secretary must complete the typewritten line or telephone conversation. Reading of any documents should be stopped and taken care of by the visitor.
The secretary must remember that formal communication, when there is no desire to understand and take into account the personality of the interlocutor, when the usual set of "masks" are used (feigned politeness, excessive severity, irony, superiority, indifference, etc.), the visitor is keenly aware of his sensations gives an impression of the organization as a whole.
An important form of communication between a secretary, an assistant secretary and visitors is a conversation.
The secretary has to conduct a business conversation with people of different age, position in society and type of nervous system. The key to a successful conversation is competence, tact, goodwill, the desire to quickly solve the problem or provide assistance in solving it. The secretary must assess the psychological state of the interlocutor, get an idea of the essence of the problem, give the visitor the opportunity to speak. The more detailed and detailed the question is, the greater the opportunity to find the right solution.
It is important to be able to ask questions to the visitor and especially to listen to him.
The tone of the conversation should be neutral. You can not start a conversation with a refusal and assertion of the impossibility of resolving the issue. As a rule, this causes a negative reaction and leads to a conflict situation. Even if the answer is negative, the secretary must tactfully and kindly lead the interlocutor to this conclusion, convincingly show the impossibility of a positive decision. During the conversation, you should not interrupt the visitor, engage in extraneous matters, interrupt the conversation with telephone conversations. If the phone rang, then, depending on the type of conversation, the secretary picks up the phone and transfers the phone call to a convenient time or apologizes to the visitor and briefly conducts a telephone conversation.
Business communication of the secretary is not limited to contact with visitors. The most important place in his work is occupied by the relationship between the head and the secretary.
In essence, the secretary performs the functions of the first assistant to the head, helps him in planning working time, in carrying out planned activities, frees him from minor technical work, filters the flow of correspondence, telephone calls and visitors.
The work of a secretary in an organization begins with an introductory briefing by the head. The manager must tell the secretary in detail about the methods of his work, his usual mode, personal habits, formulate the main requirements that he will place on the secretary, find out the degree of qualification of the secretary. It is not possible to establish the necessary business contact between the manager and the secretary immediately, it takes a test of time, joint work.
J. Harrison, a prominent specialist in the field of management and organization of work, names the following qualities necessary for a secretary:
1. The secretary should not make mistakes in the documents and thereby free the head from the need to check each document. The secretary must work to prove to the manager that he can work independently.
2. When talking on the phone, the secretary must be able to tactfully answer any question, and the head must trust his secretary to resolve issues that are considered confidential in the activities of the office.
3. The secretary must be able to select for the leader the most important facts contained in reports and journals in order to relieve him of the need to study the materials in detail.
4. The secretary must understand that in the case of urgent work, he needs to stay after the end of the working day.
5. The secretary must clearly understand his duties and level of competence in independently resolving issues in the absence of the head, and the head must, in turn, be sure that the secretary will cope with the work that may arise in his absence.
6. The leader must constantly inform the secretary about all his affairs so that she can help him as much as possible.
7. The leader must be able to admit his mistakes and apologize when he is wrong.
8. The leader should rely on the punctuality of the secretary, and the secretary should be aware that the leader can sometimes be non-punctual.
9. Both parties need a sense of humor.
10. The behavior of the secretary and the efficiency of his work is an example for all employees.
11. The secretary should keep track of events in the personal life of the leader, for example, take care of flowers for special occasions, greeting cards, etc.
In order for the relationship between the head and the secretary to develop successfully, it is necessary to coordinate joint work and establish work rules. In this case, the specific working conditions of the enterprise, the personality of the head and the secretary should be taken into account: the time of arrival at work, the report on the received correspondence and current affairs, the time
day break, reception of visitors, time to leave work.
A good secretary should tactfully show attention to the leader and respectful care for him. The secretary must be loyal to the shortcomings of the leader and, if possible, compensate for them with his work.
One of the main tasks of the secretary is the ability to be an intermediary between the manager and employees. He must make every effort to create favorable business relations between the manager and other employees. Knowing the mode of work and the nature of the head, the secretary can assist employees in organizing the reception of their head, help draw up a particular document, satisfy a personal request, etc.
In the practice of the secretary's work, there are often cases when the secretary has to smooth out conflicts that arise between managers and employees. Much here depends on the flexibility of the secretary's behavior in difficult situations, the ability to control one's emotions.
The secretary sometimes has to speak on behalf of the head. It is very important to be able to politely and clearly give the necessary instructions, to control their implementation. At the same time, familiar relations with employees, the manifestation of arrogance, bureaucracy or indifference are unacceptable.
It is important for the secretary to establish good business contacts with the secretaries of various departments of his enterprise, as well as higher and subordinate organizations.
1.2. Basic ethical requirements for conducting telephone conversations.
A significant amount of time during the working day of the secretary is occupied by telephone conversations. Thanks to the telephone, the efficiency of decision-making is increased, there is no need for correspondence, a trip to another organization, etc. The responsibility of the secretary includes receiving telephone calls, answering subscribers, filtering calls and, if necessary, connecting the manager with the subscriber. The task of the secretary is to free the manager from the challenges that the responsible employee of the organization can decide on.
If we talk about the ethics of telephone communication, then it is necessary to adhere to the following:
- speak only to the point, about the most important thing, without unnecessary details, briefly;
- be polite: friendly tone, use of polite forms of communication, clear diction;
- be self-possessed: conduct a conversation patiently, without emotions, calmly;
- it is impossible to transfer by phone the information having confidential character;
- it is unacceptable to occupy the office phone with conversations on personal matters, especially in the presence of visitors.
You should only call the home number of a business officer if it is absolutely necessary.
The basic rules for conducting telephone conversations when calling the secretary can be reduced to the following. Immediately pick up the phone, name the organization, introduce yourself, pause, giving time to introduce yourself to the subscriber. Then, answering the greeting with the words "Good afternoon", "Hello", find out the question on which the subscriber is calling.
It is important for the secretary to have a clear idea of when and on what issues to connect with the head. When receiving a telephone call, the secretary must, having named the organization and himself, in the correct form, find out on what issue the subscriber is calling, who he is, and assess the urgency of the conversation. Knowing the distribution of duties among employees, the secretary can correctly forward the call to an employee who is competent in resolving the issue.
In the event that the secretary forwards a telephone call to another employee, the subscriber should give the last name, first name, patronymic of this employee, his position and telephone number.
If it becomes necessary to answer the subscriber for inquiries and move away from the phone to search for relevant information, you need to warn the subscriber about this. If it was not possible to find the necessary information, you should tell the subscriber the exact time when he can call back.
It is unacceptable to hang up, letting the subscriber know that you are busy, so that the subscriber does not call again. Such a "reception" testifies to the secretary's low culture. The correct answer would be: "Sorry, there is a meeting. Please call in 20 minutes."
No telephone call should go to the head, bypassing the secretary (except as specified). Before connecting the head with the subscriber, the secretary must tell him the subscriber, his position and organization, last name, first name, patronymic and the question on which he is calling. If the secretary kept a record of the preliminary conversation, then you can put it in front of the leader or state the essence of the issue orally.
In cases where the secretary calls, you need to adhere to the following:
1. Prepare all the necessary documents that may be required during the conversation. Clarify the last name, first name, patronymic, position of the desired subscriber in order to avoid distortion.
2. Having dialed the subscriber's number and received a response, you should name yourself and the name of the employee you need. If the secretary does not have these data, you should ask the employee dealing with the relevant issue to the phone.
During a long-distance telephone conversation, you need to name the city from which you are calling, then yourself, the position of your leader and the name of the institution.
After mutual introductions, the reason for the need for a conversation should be stated. You can start it with the words: "I am instructed ...", "We are forced to turn," and then state the essence of the issue.
If the conversation should be conducted by the head, the phone switches to his device.
When transmitting a telephone message after the presentation, they say: "Accept the telephone message" - and give time to the interlocutor to prepare everything necessary for recording.
The final words of telephone conversations depend on their outcome. In accordance with the rules of good manners, at the end of a telephone conversation, the man hangs up only after the woman puts it down, the subordinate - after the senior in position. In any case, the redundancy of the final remarks is undesirable.
1.3. Tasks of the secretary in the preparation of various meetings.
In each organization, various meetings, meetings, conferences, etc. are held to resolve issues that require collegiate discussion.
Often, due to poor organization and preparation of meetings, they are unnecessarily delayed and are ineffective.
Most major meetings are held in organizations according to a plan, which is mandatory for the secretary and makes it possible to think in advance of a set of measures for their preparation.
If the head is invited to a meeting with a high-ranking head, then the secretary must prepare the necessary documents for him in advance, print the text of the report, promptly remind the head of the date, place and hour of the meeting, its duration.
The duties of the secretary in preparing the operational meeting, which is usually held on a certain day of the week or daily at the beginning of the working day, include notifying the participants, monitoring their timely appearance, clarifying and reporting to the manager about the reasons for the absence of non-appearing employees. If for some reason a situation arises that requires the immediate connection of the head, the secretary should write down the incoming information, enter the office, trying not to distract the attention of those present, submit a note to the head and wait for his instructions. During the meeting, the secretary should in no case leave the reception room, since at any time the participants in the meeting may need his help.
For scheduled meetings and meetings with a large number of participants, preparation begins 1.5-2 weeks before the meeting. Together with the head, the secretary specifies the date, place and time of the meeting, its agenda, the list of participants, speakers, and also specifies the need to involve various services of the institution in the preparation of the meeting.
The next step is to notify the meeting participants. The secretary, together with the head, draws up the text of the telephone message, invitation.
1-1.5 hours before the start of the meeting, the secretary prepares for the members of the presidium a folder with meeting materials, clean paper, pencils and colored pencils
(red), paper clips, adhesive tape, rulers, a decanter of clean water and a glass (for speakers) or mineral water, etc.
Registration of participants begins 30 minutes before the start of the meeting.
If invited guests arrived at the meeting, they should be escorted into the hall and seated in the front rows. The rest of the meeting participants are placed randomly.
The place of the head is in the middle of the table of the presidium, the rest of the members of the presidium are placed in accordance with the rank of their positions, places of honor are to the right and left of the head. They are given first of all to women - participants of the meeting.
The workplace of the stenographer should be set up so that she can hear the speech of the speakers well.
If the secretary does not take part in the meeting, then he is on duty at the telephone. Before the beginning of the meeting, during breaks and after closing, the secretary should enter the room to assist the participants, if required.
If the secretary takes part in the meeting, then his duties include: distribution of materials to the meeting participants, selection of materials and documents for the head; informing the manager about latecomers; a message to the manager about the participants in the meeting who are asking for the floor; break time warning. The secretary may be entrusted with keeping the minutes of the meeting.
At the end of the meeting, the secretary should correct the text with the leader and speakers, collect the texts of reports and speeches, clarify with the leader the list of persons and institutions to whom the meeting materials will be sent.
It usually takes 2-3 days to complete the minutes of the meeting. The secretary prints the protocol and sends it to the destination. Under the personal control of the secretary
there is also a solution to such issues as the reproduction of materials for distribution, the processing of the transcript of the meeting.
At the direction of the head, the secretary communicates the results of the meeting to those persons who were not present at it, but who need to know about its results.
In small meetings, the duties of the secretary may include setting the desktop with soft drinks and glasses. Ashtrays and other smoking accessories should not be provided for meeting participants.
1.4. What is the role of the secretary in organizing the reception of visitors.
Reception of visitors can be divided into three types:
reception of employees of your institution on current affairs; reception of representatives of other organizations, including delegations; receiving visitors on personal matters.
The secretary is obliged to ensure that a sign indicating the days and times of reception of visitors is posted on the doors of the reception; keep records of visitors and monitor the implementation of decisions made during the reception; follow the order of reception and the time of the conversation.
It is better to make an appointment in advance by making appropriate entries in the reception log.
The secretary must remember that a visitor of any rank, without exception, can enter the office of the head only after the report of the secretary. The secretary personally reports on representatives of higher organizations. After asking the visitor to wait, he enters the manager's office and reports a visitor waiting to be received. In this case, it is desirable to name the surname, name, patronymic, position of the visitor and the issue on which he arrived. The secretary can report to the manager about the visitor using the intercom and, having received consent to the reception, invites the visitor to go to the office. It is unacceptable to invite a visitor to the office of the head of the visitor in outerwear.
If the visitor came without prior agreement, the secretary has the right to decide independently whether to report him to the head immediately or make an appointment.
In case of refusal, the secretary tells the visitor the exact date and time when he will be accepted.
When organizing the reception of employees of his institution on current issues, the secretary is obliged:
know the circle of persons who have access to the manager at any time, and let them through without hindrance;
to bring to the attention of all employees of the institution the hours of reception on current issues;
determine the rules for the duration of the visit and warn the visitor about it;
inform the manager about the visitor using a selector or telephone.
It is not uncommon for visitors to go to a manager's appointment with a question that can be resolved by another employee. The secretary must know the distribution of responsibilities between the senior officials of the institution in order to direct the visitor to the employee who is competent in resolving a particular issue.
When organizing the reception of seconded workers and enterprises, the secretary is obliged:
find out the question on which the visitor arrived;
note the travel certificate;
assist in the selection of the necessary materials;
find out whether the seconded specialist is provided with a hotel; if not, then help in resolving this issue, explain the most convenient transport route from the hotel to the institution.
If a delegation arrives at the reception, then care should be taken in advance to allocate an employee of the organization who will accompany the delegation. If a foreign delegation arrives, care should be taken to provide an interpreter and souvenirs for members of the delegation.
If necessary, at the request of the head, the secretary must be able to prepare and serve tea or coffee to the head and the visitor (members of the delegation).
Disruption of reception for disrespectful reasons should not be allowed. If the manager to whom the visitor was invited is absent, it is necessary that the visitor be received by another competent employee. The secretary must in such a situation apologize for the absence of the leader and explain the reason for his absence.
The secretary should pay special attention to organizing the reception of visitors on personal matters by the head. For this type of reception, the leader usually sets aside certain days.
During all types of reception, the secretary himself receives all telephone calls, forwards to the deputy heads of issues that require immediate resolution. You should not be allowed into the manager's office during the reception of employees who are not related to the reception on personal matters.
At the end of the conversation and after the decision is made, the leader writes down himself or instructs the secretary to record the results of the conversation in the appropriate accounting forms. Control over the implementation of decisions made by the head is carried out by the secretary.
2. Etiquette of written business speech of the secretary.
2.1. Ethical requirements for writing a business letter.
The beginning of the text is located under the details of the heading. It is subject to a number of requirements, namely: clarity, brevity, accuracy, precaution and courtesy.
Clarity. You should not use fuzzy formulations, in particular, such emotionally colored ones as, for example: "The walls at the entrance to the house will be luxuriously finished." In this case, you should specify which materials will be used. It is not necessary to write: "Our representative is on his way to meet you as soon as possible", it is worth fixing the exact date of the visit. Clarity of writing comes from clarity of thought and clarity of wording. Any correspondence should be written in good clerical language. The use of foreign words, even very familiar ones, is not recommended, as it can lead to errors in understanding.
brevity. A sales letter should be short and concise so that the addressee, having skimmed through the eyes, can quickly make the right decision. A sales letter is a working tool, nothing more.
Accuracy. Commitment to truth in business dealings is an absolute must. Inaccuracy, especially lies, can lead to a loss of customer confidence. It is not necessary to declare, for example, that the delivered goods are of the highest quality, while the quality is normal. This will only cause distrust in the client. Do not write "In reply to your last letter" but "In reply to your letter of July 14th" or "of the 14th of this month" because the firm you are writing to may have sent another letter in that interval which you haven't received yet. Do not say: "Our conditions are the same as for your previous orders under the same article," as by this you force the reader to refer to the previous correspondence. In this case, it is better, on the contrary, to repeat the conditions of the same text, indicating, if this is true, that they have not changed.
Precaution. The writer of the letter should not give arms to a rival or potential adversary, as business and competition in it is often very severe. He should avoid, when presenting the essence of the matter, references to the current state of affairs of the firm. For example, he should not disclose the latest real prices for his goods, but only those base prices that he wants to talk about. This is not a lack of sincerity, this is a tactical move. Any employee, before finalizing a letter, must make sure that it is consistent with the overall strategy of the company. Moreover, he must take all precautions to protect himself from possible litigation by consulting, for example, the company's legal department. Thus, he will refrain from promising to pay at a certain time if he is not sure that he will be able to fulfill this obligation. He will also not promise to deliver the goods by a specific date, while the goods are still in the manufacturing stage and, therefore, one cannot be absolutely sure that the stipulated deadline will be met.
Politeness. If the position of your correspondent annoys you, do not try to show it: he may be offended. If your business partner is slow to respond to an urgent email, don't accuse him of being malicious. It is possible that you did not accurately indicate his address and the letter may be returned to you by mail. Write the letter a second time with a polite apology that you may have mistyped the address. To show your sincere trust and affection, please send a photocopy of the previous letter. If you still suspect your correspondent of unwillingness to answer, send him a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. Perhaps it is better in this situation to send a more insistent letter, but without violating the rules of courtesy.
2.2. Etiquette of writing and wording of a business letter.
The nature of the appeal is chosen taking into account two points:
- who is the recipient of the letter;
- what type of relationship is maintained with him. There are two simple rules to follow:
- when you hesitate and do not know how to address, then the use of the address "master" or "lady" is always correct and in any case preferable to a mistake;
- when a person has several positions, choose the most important one.
If you want to use conventional addresses, then a man writing to another man can address him with the words "dear Mr. X (last name)" or "dear ... (first name and patronymic)", if he knows him well. A man writing to a woman might address herself like this: "Ms. X (surname)". Never simply "Mr" or "Dear Mr. X (surname)", nor simply "Madam" or "Dear Mrs X" should ever be used.
Further, considering the addresses used in commercial correspondence, attention should be paid to the fact that if the recipient has an important position, this must be emphasized, for example: "Mr. Minister", "Mr. President". Notaries, attorneys, famous artists and artists in France are addressed as "maitre", which means "master", "teacher", "teacher", "mentor", i.e. someone highly respected. The words "Madam" and "Mr" are never abbreviated when referring to them.
The clerical service often deals with letters that are very similar in content. In this case, several standard phrases are used, which are always the same in all letters. They can be grouped into three groups:
- wording for the beginning of the letter;
- wording reflecting the content of the letter;
- formulas of politeness.
Here are some examples for each group. wording to start a letter.
To confirm receipt:
"We acknowledge receipt of your letter from...";
"Your letter from ... we have received";
"We appreciate your interest expressed in the letter dated...".
To confirm something:
"We have informed you by our letter dated...";
"In continuation of our telephone conversation...";
"We once again confirm our letter in which...".
To place an order:
"Could you send to our address as soon as possible...";
"Please confirm receipt by notification...";
"We ask you to take the next order ...".
To respond to an order:
"We accept the terms proposed in your letter dated...";
"In response to your letter of... we are sending you an attachment...";
"Thank you for receiving your order from..."
wording reflecting the content of the letter:
"Could you let me know...";
"You will oblige us if you specify ...".
To claim payment:
"Analysis of your account shows that you remain in debt in the amount of ...";
"In order to avoid possible error, we remind you that our account..."
To transfer money:
"You will find with this attached bank check (or postal order) for No. ... in the amount of ... francs, and we would be grateful to you for confirmation of receipt";
"In addition to your bill, please accept...";
"In addition to your account statement dated ... we have transferred to your account number ... in the bank ... an amount in the amount of ..."
To find out a mistake, apologize, refuse:
"We're sorry about the error that has crept in...";
"We regret to inform you..."
Some of the most commonly used closing courtesies in business letters include the following:
"With deep respect" is the standard wording used in relation to unknown persons;
"With best wishes" is a more familiar wording, used between equals, as well as when referring to a superior to a subordinate;
"Devoted to you" - the wording used when a supplier addresses a client serving an employer;
"Respectfully" - when addressing a younger to an older one;
"With deep respect" - used in solemn letters to a senior official, minister, etc.
Sometimes they write shorter phrases, such as: "Sincerely yours." Such wording is used in letters that are impersonal in nature, such as orders.
protocol wording. Here are a few greetings used in the international clerical language:
for the Minister (Prime Minister): "Please, Mr. Minister (Prime Minister), the assurances of my sincere respect";
for a senator (deputy): "Please, Mr. Senator, the assurances of my sincere respect";
for the head of the department: "Please, sir... (F. I. O.), assurances of my deep respect";
for the deputy head of the department: "Please, sir ... (F. I. O.), assurances of my sincere respect."
Signature. This attribute is usually located under the text in the lower right corner; its constituent parts are arranged one below the other (in a column):
first the position, then 5-7 intervals for the signature itself and, finally, the decoding of the signature, i.e. the initial of the name in one capital letter and the full surname also in capital letters. Thus, the "Signature" attribute looks like this:
Director (Signature) S. MORAN
2.3. Making a telegram, teletype, telephone message, fax.
Telegram and teletypewriter - documents allocated to a separate group in connection with the method of transmitting their text by telegraph, teletype, telephone.
Telegrams come in various categories: government, urgent, out of category (simple); power of attorney telegrams, etc. A variety of telegrams are phototelegrams intended mainly for the transmission of technical information (drawings, diagrams).
Teletype messages are telegrams transmitted by teletype (individual telegraph).
Telegrams and teletype messages, as a rule, are printed on special forms. The telegram address is shorter than the postal one, often conditional (for example:
ROSTOV-DON ALMAZ). The text of the documents is extremely short ("telegraphic language") - without conjunctions, prepositions, punctuation marks. If necessary, abbreviations of the type are used: full stop, comma, etc. Corrections in the text are not allowed. Numbers and numbers are usually written in cursive. The text of the telegram is certified by the seal of the organization.
Details of telegrams and teletypes are printed in capital letters from the left margin (zero tab position). The address of the sending organization is printed in lowercase letters (except for capital letters) under the horizontal line separating the address from the text.
An example of a telegram design:
URGENT
ROSTOV-DON INTEGRAL
PRODUCT TEST DELAYED
ACCESSORIES POINT
EXTEND YOUR BUSINESS FOR TWO WEEKS
HEAD OF THE OTK IVANOV
Bryansk, River, 40
Head of QCD (personal signature) I. O. Surname
00.00.0000
seal
For the transmission of operational information, telephone messages are used - official messages transmitted by telephone.
Mandatory details of the telephone message are: names of institutions of the addressee and addressee; details "from whom" and "to whom" indicating the position, surname, name and patronymic of officials; number, date and time of transmission and reception of the telephone message; positions and names of the person who sent and received the telephone message; phone numbers; text and signature.
The telephone message must have a heading, it is compiled in accordance with GOST R 6.30-97 as for a business letter, i.e. it is expressed in the prepositional case with the preposition "about" or "about" (for example: "On changing the time of Council meetings"; "On the arrival seminar participants).
In general, telephone messages are written in "telegraphic language", that is, briefly, precisely, in simple sentences. In the first part of the telephone message, the facts that prompted the telephone message are stated, in the second - the actions taken. Telephonograms are stated in the first person. For example: "We remind you that the contract expires." The length of the telephone message should not exceed 50 words.
It is desirable that institutions have special forms for incoming and outgoing telephone messages. The following form is recommended:
TELEPHONE GRAM
TEXT
Addressee ________________ Addressee ______________________
(name of institution) (name of institution)
FROM ________________ FROM WHO ____________________
(position, full name) (position, full name)
transfer time _h _min transfer time _h _min
Transmitted by ________________ Received by _____________________
(surname) (surname)
Phone number _________ Phone number ________
Heading Heading
(signature)
On the forms for incoming telephone messages, the requisite "addressee" must be printed in a typographical way, and on the forms for outgoing telephone messages, the requisite "addresser" must be printed in a typographical way.
Fax is a very common method of transmitting information. It is convenient because the original text with all its features can be transmitted at the speed of a telephone message. Any A4 document can be sent by fax. There are no special requirements for the transmitted document, however, the text must be understandable and have all the necessary details. The fax layout is shown below.
NAME Addressee:
ORGANIZATIONS Position
Surname I.O.
00.00.0000 phone number_____
Fax-------
On No. __ from __
Title to text 1
TEXT
Position (signature) I. O. Surname
Conclusion
Summarizing all of the above, we can say that professional etiquette is a set of rules of conduct relating to the external manifestation of attitude towards people (treatment with others, forms of communication and greetings, ethical culture of oral and written business speech).
The latter is of particular importance. Since in our time an enterprise and an institution are evaluated by partners on the quality of the design of the business correspondence they send and the ethical culture of communication between employees of this institution, enterprise, firm.
The time has come when the knowledge of office work, the ethics of business communication for leaders of any level, managers, secretaries, and various specialists have become an integral sign of professionalism.
It is important not only to have the etiquette of professional oral communication, but also to observe the etiquette of compiling, designing, sending business letters, telegrams and other work correspondence.
Literature
Evening L.S. Secrets of business communication. Minsk, 1996.
Golovin B.N. Fundamentals of speech culture. M., 1988.
Gromova N.M. Fundamentals of business correspondence. M., 1992.
Opalev A.V. Ability to communicate with people. Business etiquette. M., 1996.
Romanov A.A. Grammar of business conversations. Tver, 1995.
Ethics Dictionary. Edited by I.S.Kon. M., 1983.
Handbook of business correspondence. M., 1996.
Feller M.D., Poltorak Yu.L. Drafting texts of production documents. M., 1990.
Sheinov V.P. Psychology and ethics of business contact. M., 1996.
Yager D. Business etiquette: how to survive and succeed in the business world. M., 1994.
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Business ethics is a system of moral norms accepted in society, which determine the order of interaction between participants in business processes. Business etiquette is a set of rules and laws of conduct based on these norms. Knowledge of the basics of business etiquette is necessary if a person plans to move up the career ladder or improve his professional status.
Business etiquette will help the secretary or assistant manager:
The business etiquette of the company is also formed in accordance with its organizational and corporate culture. The ethics of business relations that have developed at the enterprise is a consequence of the management style chosen by the head, of how strictly the production processes are regulated. So, for example, less formalized, free standards of business ethics are typical for the IT and advertising sphere, while for standardized production - more stringent ones.
Business etiquette includes a group of rules that in practice regulate such areas of activity of the secretary as:
All types of business etiquette associated with the functionality of a secretary are designed to facilitate work by complying with established rules. In each of the listed areas of activity, the ethics of business relations are laid down as the basis for the requirements imposed not only on behavior and manner of communication, but also on appearance.
The expert of the "Secretary's Handbook" magazine will talk about how to create a business wardrobe for an extra-class secretary
Business etiquette - this definition implies the ability to behave, but this skill is a necessary addition to professional competence. The secretary or assistant to the head must have high professional qualities, be competent in those matters that fall within his area of responsibility. Only in this case, he will be able to provide a competent solution to these issues, without distracting the head and replacing him in case of absence.
Etiquette of business communication involves the timely and high-quality performance of both work duties and one-time assignments. The manager must be sure that everything that is required from the secretary will be completed on time and without errors. Punctuality and commitment are signs of professional compliance.
Secretary hint. How to record the tasks of the head in tabular form
Business etiquette, the basic rules of business communication exclude familiarity, even when the secretary has developed a trusting relationship with the manager. Violation of subordination is unacceptable, as well as addressing the leader by name and “you”. But this does not exclude the manifestation of attention and unobtrusive care, for example, to take the leader's coat, offer him a cup of tea with his favorite biscuits.
The secretary, by virtue of his duties, may be aware of the events of the personal life of his boss, but should never discuss it with anyone. The only thing that business etiquette allows is a timely reminder to the manager about family events and birthdays, assistance in selecting and purchasing gifts for such occasions.
And, of course, the concept of business ethics involves maintaining complete confidentiality, non-disclosure of everything that the secretary or assistant to the head could hear in his office. This prohibition also applies to any criticism of the boss, even when he really deserves them.
The question of what type of etiquette business etiquette belongs to can be answered unequivocally - to business etiquette. And with regard to the secretary, who performs representative functions, there are even stricter rules than those that govern the behavior and appearance of other employees.
Even in those companies where there is no official dress code and there are no special requirements for the appearance of employees, the secretary is obliged to observe business dress code. For women, this style, as well as for men, offers a one-color suit - trousers or with a skirt, with a strict cut. "Revitalize" the appearance of a blouse, neckerchief, brooch. In the color scheme of the costume, it is allowed to use two or three colors that are in harmony with each other. Shoes are chosen to match the suit, it should be darker, classic style, with low heels.
Secretary hint. The main shades of a business wardrobe
Business etiquette does not require a complete rejection of jewelry. It can be expensive jewelry or jewelry in an amount of no more than three. Earrings, a ring and a thin chain are a standard set. It is better to refuse large beads altogether, the classic option is a string of pearls that will suit any costume.
A neat haircut, long hair styled in a strict hairstyle will complement the look according to business etiquette. At the same time, you need to abandon cheap hairpins, shiny elastic bands, any kind of hoops.
Of course, no woman can refuse perfume, but this is not required. Only in this case, you need to follow the rules of business etiquette and do not use perfumes with a sharp, spicy aroma.
The secretary is the person who first meets visitors who come to the head or contact the company. It is important that the first impression of communication with the secretary is favorable.
Business ethics implies an even, unbiased attitude towards the interlocutor. The secretary should meet any visitor kindly, with a smile. At the same time, it is not necessary to get up if it is not a leader or an honored guest who entered. Unlike the generally accepted rule of household etiquette, a female secretary should not give the first hand. But she must respond to the proposed handshake confidently and firmly.
Secretary hint. Visitor types
A visitor who has not announced the purpose of his visit in advance should be politely asked to introduce himself and tell about the purpose of the visit. Based on this information, the secretary has the right to independently decide whether to report to the manager about the visitor or to record him for the time of the official reception.
A visitor waiting for an appointment or invited to the manager's office should be offered tea or coffee, having previously learned about his preferences.
The secretary is formally an ordinary employee, but in fact his position is different from the rest. He represents the leader, and this should be remembered when communicating with colleagues. In the first place for the secretary are the interests of the boss, but at the same time he should not “set himself” and must treat other employees with respect.
Secretary hint. Types of distances with others
In order to regulate the flow of requests from employees, the secretary needs to clearly know the structure of the enterprise and understand what issues are within the competence of a particular department or employee. In enterprises with a strict hierarchy, only heads of departments can be allowed to the head of production issues. In companies that do not adhere to a strict hierarchy, the secretary is guided by the provisions of business etiquette, deciding on the importance of the issue and the “admission” of the visitor to the head.
The secretary's knowledge of the basics of business etiquette makes him an arbitrator in conflict situations and disputes related to organizational issues. This increases the authority of the profession and the status of the secretary.
Secretary hint. Interaction with external and internal visitors
According to business etiquette, organizational issues for holding business meetings, conferences and meetings are most often entrusted to the secretary. Its main task is the organizational support of such events. He not only receives guests, but also accommodates them if a multi-day meeting is planned.
In addition, the secretary is responsible for preparing the necessary documents, prospectuses, bulletins and other information and demonstration materials. It ensures the availability of the technical means necessary for demonstrating presentations and reports.
The secretary and his assistants before the start of the meeting distribute stationery and documents, escort guests to the places prepared for them, according to the seating rules. During the breaks of meetings, the secretary should provide the meeting participants with drinks and snacks.
"Let people feel them
meaningful and do it sincerely.”
DALE CORNEGI
Ethics in a broad sense is understood as a system of universal and specific moral requirements and norms of behavior implemented in the process of social life. Accordingly, the ethics of business relations singles out one of the areas of public life.
Based on universal human norms and rules of conduct, the ethical norms of service relations have some distinctive features.
Ethics of business relations has received more and more attention lately. This is expressed in an increase in the volume of training programs in the system of university and postgraduate training in the relevant disciplines. Courses for studying the basics of the general ethics of behavior are also being introduced into some school curricula, into the system of secondary specialized education, and over time, the coverage of educational institutions with such courses is increasing.
At the same time, it should be emphasized that the concept of "professional role" includes not only the ability to perform job duties, but also the skills of relationships with the external environment (colleagues, management, subordinates, clients, partners, etc.) in the process of implementing the goals fixed for specific position professional tasks or functions. Compliance with the ethics of business relations is one of the main criteria for assessing the professionalism of both an individual employee and the organization as a whole.
There are many visitors in the reception room of the head, and the image of her, the head and the organization as a whole depends on the secretary's knowledge and compliance with the rules of business ethics. Observing business etiquette, the secretary simultaneously serves as a positive example for both visitors and employees.
Should the visitor knock on the door of the manager's office?
This question does not arise if the secretary is in place: it is he who either reports to the manager about the visitor, or (if he has the appropriate authority) himself gives permission to enter the office.
In the absence of a secretary working time in the door knocking is not accepted . It is assumed that the owner of the office is not doing anything that could compromise him. You just have to open the door; if the leader is not alone or is talking on the phone, close the door and wait until he is free; if free, ask permission to enter.
AT non-working time follows the door knock ; You can open it only after you have heard the invitation. If there is no answer, knock again (perhaps a little louder). In the absence of a reaction, the door must not be opened in any case! After all, if the owner is in place, but did not give permission, then he is not ready to see anyone, and the visitor, despite this, comes to him. If the owner is absent, then he may appear at the moment when the visitor closes the door, and thinks that he is leaving his office. Few people like to realize that in his absence there was an outsider in the office.
The visitor should greet the owner of the cabinet only after he has received permission to enter and crossed the threshold of the cabinet (there is no greeting across the threshold).
The main rule of business ethics is to create convenience for the partner.
Having received permission to sit down, the visitor should begin to state his question only after the owner has shown his readiness to talk, for example, with the words: "I'm listening to you." You need to give the owner time to finish the previous business.
During the conversation, each side should show attention to the interlocutor. Contributes to a productive conversation visual contact between the interviewers. A slight nod of the listener encourages the speaker.
Being late for a meeting is a gross violation of business ethics. However, if this happens, the latecomer must apologize and give really serious reasons for the delay.
If the latecomer did not apologize, then it is not customary to reprimand him. Second rule business ethics is: Don't focus on your partner's mistakes.
To control the time of the meeting (if there is no clock in the room), a wristwatch is placed on the table next to the business notebook. If this is not done at the beginning of the conversation, then you can use the following technique: the watch moves to the inside of the wrist, and now, putting your hands on the table (as is customary in business meetings), you can see the dial unnoticed by the partner.
You received a call from a business person of a higher or equal status. It is he who is given the pre-emptive right to give a sign to the end of the conversation. After all, only he knows how many questions he has and whether he received answers to them. However, the caller must strictly take care of the brevity of his appeal. There is only one way to achieve this - to prepare well for the conversation, write its plan and key phrases.
If the phone rang during a business conversation, then the actions of the owner depend on what kind of conversation it is and at what stage it is. In case of an extremely important conversation, the handset does not rise or rises and is immediately placed on the lever, signaling that the subscriber is busy.
When the bell rang at the moment of the near end of the conversation, the handset is removed and placed on the table with the microphone down so that the caller does not hear the conversation. This serves as a signal to the visitor to end the conversation as soon as possible. If the conversation is in full swing, then the receiver is picked up, the owner asks the visitor how much time he needs, and says into the phone: “Please call back in ...”, indicating the time with a large margin. It is important that the subscriber, having called back at the appointed time, does not again hear the request to call back. It is recommended not to find out who is calling, so as not to offend by postponing the call.
It is not customary for a visitor to put himself in order in the reception room - there is a toilet room for this. The secretary should tell the visitor where it is located.
The visitor can be invited to the office a few minutes earlier than the time assigned to him (up to 5 minutes), if the head has already been released. Therefore, a third-party visitor is advised to come to the reception no later than 10 minutes before the appointed time in order to have time to put himself in order and take into account the possible difference in the clock readings.
Due to the last two circumstances, for a meeting on neutral territory, it is recommended to arrive 5 minutes before the appointed time.
At the door, you should skip ahead: the younger - the elder, the man - the woman, the subordinate - the leader. The subordinate gives way to the leader. However, he has the right to skip ahead. If the one who has the priority right to pass first gives way to another, he should thank. When two people of the same sex, age and position approach the door at the same time, the priority right to go first is given to the one on the right. Only the right has the right to give way to the left with the words: “I beg you ...” (the left passes forward silently).
The one who received the invitation to pass first must thank and pass. In business ethics, it is not customary to bargain at the door, demonstrating one's upbringing (and at the same time - ignorance of business ethics), - time is more expensive.
The first to enter (or approach) are greeted regardless of gender, as well as: subordinates - with leaders, younger ones - with elders, men - with women. In the same order they introduce themselves and introduce one another.
When greeting, introducing yourself, you need to look into each other's eyes. It is customary to be interested in the health, affairs of the family members of the person you welcome.
Greetings
The secretary greets everyone who enters the reception with a friendly smile.
Special rule: the secretary greets his leader, the head of the highest rank and the guests of honor, getting up from the desktop, if he sees them for the first time that day.
The secretary should not be the first to shake hands. But you have to respond to the handshake. Your hand should not be sluggish and lifeless.
Performance
The secretary may represent all visitors to his manager, except for the immediate higher management.
When carrying out business assignments, the secretary must introduce himself.
If you need to address a person you are seeing for the first time, use common phrases:
Kindly introduce yourself.
For what question?
When women meet, the one who goes with the man is the first to greet. When couples meet, women greet each other, then men with women, then men with each other.
When giving a hand, a woman is not required to take off her glove. The exception is when she greets the elderly. The removal of a glove by a woman is a sign of special disposition.
It is customary for us to kiss the hand only for married women, and it is more appropriate to do this indoors. Kissing the hand, the man should bend over a little, at the same time bringing the woman's hand to his lips. The woman should raise her hand without causing the man to bend over.
If one of the participants in a business meeting sneezes, he should apologize quietly. At the same time, others pretend that nothing has happened (marks that sneezing is not accepted, so the one who felt the urge should take a preventive action, for example, rub the sinuses and bridge of the nose).
If the manager instructed to treat visitors with tea, coffee, you should ask what they prefer. When serving the ordered guests, you need to smile at them. If one of those present has dropped a spoon, it is not customary for him to pick it up. This will be done by the host after the visitors leave.
"Required Executive Assistant with an impeccable level of literacy." I came across such a funny wording on one of the sites with vacancy announcements. The question of who, in fact, will check the level of literacy for impeccability, remained open. But an interesting idea came to mind.
In Russian, the word "literate" has several meanings. The fact that a good secretary should be friends with spelling is implied a priori. But, in my opinion, a “competent secretary” is not only one who writes “zhi-shi” with the letter “i” at any time of the day or night, and “not” - certainly separately from the verb. "Competent" is also "possessing knowledge and skills in any special area." And in colloquial speech, we use this word as an equivalent to the concepts of "correct" and "thought out."
The work of a secretary, contrary to stereotypes that still persist, does not at all belong to the category of easy and uncomplicated. And it depends only on a particular person whether the notorious reception room will become a swamp, where he will get bogged down for a long time, or a runway, from where he starts to career heights. I think the vast majority like the second option. But in order to get all the benefits that it provides from the secretarial profession, you need to approach the work competently.
The first thing to do is to be glad that you are a secretary. There are a number of reasons for this.
Reason #1
The position of a secretary in a small company, or with a narrow range of duties, can be obtained, even for those who have not yet managed to acquire work experience so dear to the heart of employers. Competent secretary , having settled in his very first place, he will work for at least a year. During this time, he will try not only to take the maximum from work, but also how to look around, decide. Suddenly, the profession of a secretary will turn out to be a calling!
Reason #2
Many companies still have more trust in those who came on the recommendation or have been working for a long time, rather than employees "from the street". Therefore, in the event of a vacant position, it is easier for the employer to “raise” the secretary, giving him broader powers and a higher level of wages, rather than looking for someone from outside. Competent secretary he spends his free time during the working day not on idle chatter on “ICQ” or endless drinking of coffee, but on trying to delve into all the affairs of the company as much as possible. Fortunately, there are opportunities for this - a huge amount of information passes through his hands. In addition, after three months, a maximum of six months, the work on the performance of the duties agreed upon when accepting is spent many times less time, much is brought to automatism, a competent specialist adjusts to work and optimizes everything that can be optimized. So why not use the freed up temporary resources for the development of adjacent areas of work?
Reason #3
Modern technologies are the cornerstone of many secretarial functions, so secretaries are among the first to learn about the achievements of modern office equipment and software updates. Competent secretary will never miss an opportunity to learn a new computer program and will not cling to the habit of acting "the old fashioned way." If super-fancy equipment is purchased for the office, then he will certainly learn how to use all its functions. These are not just useful skills, but also an additional line in the resume. In addition, trust my experience, a secretary who is able to figure out for himself “which button to press to make it work” does not run the risk of becoming an object of ridicule of system administrators, and they finally have reasons to expose our colleagues in the workshop to the laughingstock of the entire Internet. run out.
Reason #4
Companies are different, and the duties of a secretary often include functions that exceed the basic set. Competent secretary perfectly understands that non-specific duties are not an unfortunate misunderstanding, but a great chance to learn something new, useful, which in the future will bring dividends in the form of additional knowledge and, consequently, increase its value in the labor market. Therefore, when faced with a new task, he treats it not as a headache, but as a challenge and develops in himself the approach “and I can do it too.” One of my acquaintances came into the profession already with a fairly decent baggage of other experience, and after working for two years as a “general secretary”, she carefully moved straight from the secretary’s chair to the chair of the editor of a profile magazine.
