Correspondence and Business Communication for the Secretary
Written communication with stakeholders
This domain tests the secretary's correspondence: letters and emails to members, the Registrar, bankers, auditors, suppliers and authorities. The exam values correct tone, complete statutory particulars and proper records of dispatch.
Core rules and concepts
- Business communication should be clear, concise, courteous, correct and complete; statutory correspondence must also be legally precise.
- A formal letter generally includes the company's letterhead, reference number, date, recipient's address, subject, salutation, body, action required, signature and enclosures.
- Notices and circulars to members must contain the date, time, venue and business; where required, explanatory statements and proxy details must be included.
- Email is acceptable for routine communication but statutory notices need the mode and proof required by the Act, articles and secretarial standards.
- The secretary should maintain a dispatch register, acknowledgment records and copies of important correspondence.
Worked example
A shareholder has not received a dividend. The secretary writes a reply: acknowledge the query, quote the shareholder's folio number, explain the dividend warrant or bank mandate status, state the action being taken and give a reference number. Reasoning: the reply must be courteous but also identify the account and create an audit trail. A vague assurance without folio details is poor secretarial practice.
Traps that cost marks
Do not use casual language in statutory correspondence. Do not omit the subject line or reference number. Do not send a notice without proof of service. Do not disclose confidential shareholder data to an unauthorised person. Do not confuse an internal memo with a statutory notice.