Correspondence with Members — Secretarial Practice STD 12 Commerce / Arts — Question

The Secretary has to communicate the decisions of the Management and other information to the members through correspondence. The Secretary should be very cautious and careful while corresponding with members of the company. Writing letters to the members is a challenging task and it requires skills, knowledge and techniques.
Following are the precautions that are needed to be taken by the secretary while writing different letters on different occasions:
(i) Correct Information:
The Secretary should always provide correct, up- to date and factual information to the members. Due care should be taken while giving facts and figures.

(ii) Lucid Language:
The Secretary must use simple words and sentences and adopt convincing style while writing letters to the members. The use of simple language makes it easy to understand. Technical words, long sentences should be avoided in the letter.

(iii) Prompt Response:
The Secretary must be prompt in sending replies to the letters received from the members. Any questions or queries raised by the members must be replied promptly by the Secretary. Complaint letters should be attended to without any delay.

(iv) Secrecy:
The Secretary should not disclose any confidential information of the company to the members. The Secretary should tactfully answer letters without giving any secret information of the company.

(v) Politeness (Courtesy):
A courteous letter shows sympathy, respect mutual understanding and consideration for the receiver. Use of courteous language means using polite words. A complaint letter should be replied politely. Rude language should be strictly avoided as it spoils image of the company.

(vi) Legal matters:
The Secretary should compulsorily follow provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 with latest amendments and other relevant laws. If necessary, secretary should consult with legal advisor on certain matters before drafting.

(vii) Consideration:
The Secretary should give importance and consideration to the reader and write the contents keeping in mind the problems of the member. While sending negative replies, he should draft these letters more carefully, so that members should not be hurt. Secretary should make the member feel that the management honestly regrets refusal.

(viii) Image of the Company:
The Secretary should try to project good image of the company in every situation. While drafting the letters, Secretary has to try his best to remove their doubts, queries and difficulties in a polite and courteous manner.