DIGITAL LITERACY AND COMPUTING

CHAPTER 2

Effective Business

Communication

From formal letters to mail merge — communicating like a professional.

SMP Al-Azhar Syifa Budi Kota Bogor (BNR)�Grade VIII • Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

What You Will Learn

2.1

Business Communication

Types of communication, document features, standard letter parts, and house style.

2.2

Working with Business Documents

Using templates and creating new business documents efficiently.

By the end of this chapter, you will write a professional business letter and produce personalized documents using mail merge.

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

2

SECTION 2.1

Business Communication

Business communication is the exchange of information within and between organizations, customers, and partners.

It must be clear, accurate, and appropriate for its audience — how you communicate shapes how people see your organization.

Clear

Formal

Accurate

Purposeful

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

3

SECTION 2.1

Types of Business Communication

Letter

Formal written message to a person or organization

Email

Fast digital message for daily correspondence

Newsletter

Regular update shared with a group of readers

Press Release

Official announcement issued to the media

Advertisement

Message designed to promote a product or service

Report

Detailed document presenting facts, data, or findings

Memorandum

Short internal note used within an organization

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

4

SECTION 2.1

Common Features of Business Documents

Addressing Recipients

Business documents address recipients formally, using a title before the name:

Mr.

for men

Ms.

for women (unspecified)

Mrs.

for married women

Formal Greetings

A polite, formal opening sets a professional tone from the very first line:

“Dear Madam,”

“Dear Sir,”

“Dear Sir/Madam,”

“Dear Customer,”

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

5

SECTION 2.1

Standard Letter Inclusions

Every formal business letter is built from the same essential parts, in order:

Document Date

The date the letter is written or sent

Sender & Recipient

Full names, titles, and addresses of both parties

Reference Number

A unique code used to track or file the letter

Introduction – Message – Closing

Opening line, purpose/details, closing remark

Signature of Sender

Handwritten or digital signature confirming authorship

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

6

SECTION 2.1

House Style

A company’s "house style" is the consistent visual identity applied across all its documents:

Logo

Placed consistently, usually top of the page

Font Style

A fixed typeface and size used throughout

Layout & Spacing

Consistent margins, alignment, and spacing

Headings & Signs

Standardized heading styles and section markers

Watermark

Faint background mark confirming authenticity

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

7

SECTION 2.2

Working with Business Documents

From understanding structure to producing real documents — using templates and creating new files efficiently.

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

8

SECTION 2.2

Document Templates

What is a Template?

A pre-formatted document with the layout, fonts, and structure already set — ready for new content to be added.

Saves time on repeated documents

Keeps formatting consistent

Looks professional every time

Reduces errors and omissions

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

9

SECTION 2.2

Creating New Documents

A simple process to build a new business document from scratch or from a template:

1

Choose a blank page or template

2

Set up house style: logo, font, layout

3

Add letter parts in order

4

Write & format the message

5

Proofread & save the file

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

10

HANDS-ON PRACTICE

Project: Extracurricular Invitation Letter

You will act as an extracurricular (ekskul) committee member preparing an official meeting invitation.

1

MEETING 1

Build the Invitation Template

Design a reusable ekskul meeting-invitation letter that follows house style and includes all standard letter parts.

2

MEETING 2

Mail Merge in Action

Use your template to generate personalized invitation letters for every member through mail merge.

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

11

ASSIGNMENT · MEETING 1

Create an Ekskul Invitation Letter Template

Design an original meeting-invitation letter template for your extracurricular, ready to be reused for future meetings.

Include a placeholder ekskul name/logo and a consistent font style (house style)

Add the date, sender (committee) details, and a placeholder for the recipient

Include a letter/reference number field

Structure the body as introduction → meeting details → closing

Add a formal greeting and a signature line for the ekskul leader

Apply consistent margins, spacing, and heading style throughout

Deliverable: Save your file as "LastName_InvitationTemplate.docx" and submit through the class folder.

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

12

ASSIGNMENT · MEETING 2

Mail Merge: Personalized Invitations

Use your Meeting 1 template and a member data list to generate personalized invitation letters using mail merge.

Prepare a recipient data source (name, class, role) for at least 5 members

Link the data source to your Meeting 1 invitation template

Insert merge fields correctly (name, class, role, letter number)

Preview and check every merged letter for accuracy before finishing

Complete the merge to produce one personalized invitation per member

Deliverable: Submit the merged letters as one combined document, plus your data source file.�Files: "LastName_MergedInvitations.docx" and "LastName_MemberList.xlsx"

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

13

ASSESSMENT

Scoring Rubric

Total: 100 points

Khaerul Rizal Akbar, S.I.Kom.

Grade VIII

14