Invitations in English. Business letter in English

The era of writing paper letters has partially faded into oblivion, now it’s time virtual communication. However, this does not mean that politeness has lost its meaning. Therefore, your business partners will expect a business invitation letter in a consistent, strict and concise style. To do this you will need a certain set of phrases.

What is a business invitation letter

An invitation letter in English (the so-called invitation letter or letter of invitation) is used to invite a business partner to a presentation, conference, dinner or any other event.

Thus, the style of communication should be polite, observing all formalities. It is unacceptable to use abbreviations and slang forms of language. However, there is nothing wrong with adding a little humor if it relates to your business. This is acceptable when you invite a person to dinner or a conference.

If we are talking about an invitation to a candidate for a position (letter of invitation to new job), then usually such a letter is composed quite dryly and simply - date, time, place.

Letter structure

Strictly adhere to the formatting rules when writing a letter of invitation to cooperation. However, please note that the invitation letter cannot be long. It should contain the most necessary information and very few phrases in the style of “we are very glad to invite you to a meeting.” Business people save time, so pay attention to this.

The following information should appear in the upper left corner:

● recipient – ​​first name, last name, patronymic;
● official name of the company;
● address of the office where the company is based;
● city;
● country.

Then an indentation is made, to the right of the above information the date is written in the format day, month, year, for example “October 16, 2007”. The letter is then aligned in width.

You should definitely say hello to the person, then politely invite him to an exhibition, conference or any other event. Specify the time, place, who you can invite with you (“We will be glad to see your wife with you”).

Then the final phrase (“We will be glad to see you again”) is written from the paragraph; the sender’s name and surname, the name of the institution are written from the new paragraph, and a signature is placed.

It is considered good form to write an invitation some time before the event, say, a week or two. There is no point in writing earlier - a person may not yet know his plans. Later it’s already ugly.

List of useful phrases and expressions

This section lists useful phrases that you can use when writing a business invitation letter.

Dear... - respected...
Please, come to... - Please visit...
to establish a strong business connection - to establish strong business connections
We would be very pleased if you could visit our... - we would be very glad if you could visit... (name the event)
We await your reply with interest - We await your reply with impatience/interest
We look forward to hearing from you – We are waiting for your response
Yours faithfully/Yours sincerely - Sincerely yours. The first is used when the recipient is unknown, the second when he is known (there is a full name).

Phrases to respond to an invitation letter:

We are writing in response to – We are writing in order to respond to...
Thanks to White-company for the invitation to… – Thanks to the company for the invitation (to a meeting/to any other event)
I would be very interested to visit your... - I would be very interested to visit... (event)
We have pleasure in accepting - We gladly accept the invitation.

Sample invitations

This is what a sample invitation letter for participation in an event looks like. It would be correct to add a little about a possible partnership, if one company is not yet cooperating with the other, to say something about positive interaction.

Dear Mrs Blue,

It gives us great pleasure to invite you to our annual partners appreciation event on Friday, the 29 of October at 6 p.m. We believe it to be a wonderful opportunity for us to learn more about your company, establish strong business relations and have a good time.

We look forward to seeing you at the event.

Sincerely yours,

Sample response to invitation

When you write a response to an invitation, there is no need to describe the agreement in detail - it is enough to mention general phrases and also send the letter on time. This will be enough to ensure that the norms of business correspondence are met.

Writing an invitation letter is not that difficult. Writing a letter will be simple if you use template phrases and remember the formatting standards and rules of business correspondence. After all, inviting a friend to a birthday party and inviting negotiators to a friendly meeting are completely different things.

Invitation letters are very popular among the British. It's always a pleasure to write and receive invitation letters, especially if it's on the occasion of a birthday. Although you are most likely not English, you may also need to invite someone to your birthday party in English. For example, if you study English abroad and it happens that on your birthday you will be surrounded by new friends who, in addition to their native language, only know English. Or if you want to invite your friends who live in another country far from you for a special occasion, then a written invitation in English is the best way to do this. Such a letter can be sent electronically or by paper mail.

Of course, you can always send an invitation card in English. But, despite the fact that such letters serve the same role as invitation cards, invitation letters are more personal and usually contain additional information or clarifications.

So, if you are writing an invitation in English to a birthday party, then at the beginning of the letter you must definitely mention where the recipient is invited. That is, the following details must be included: name (birthday party) and type (formal or not) of the event, date, time and location.

The letter can also mention the expected dress code for the occasion. You can also include details such as what the party program is expected to be and whether there will be lunch, dinner, appetizers, cocktails, etc. All these details will help the invitee come more prepared for the event.

Also, if desired, the invitation can be extended to personal friends, relatives or family members of the invitee. If for some reason you do not want to be given any gifts on the occasion of the celebrated event (which is very doubtful), this also needs to be mentioned.

Before finishing the invitation letter, do not forget to mention that you want to receive confirmation in return about whether the invited person will be able to come to your event and with whom he will come, if the invitation involves personal guests of the invitee. This way you will know exactly who will come and who will not, and how many guests you will ultimately have at your birthday party.

In previous articles it was already mentioned in general or, so in this case we will be interested only in the content of the English birthday invitation letter.

Examples of inviting relatives, friends and colleagues to a birthday party in English with translation

Invitation in English with transfer of friends to a restaurant on the occasion of their birthday

Family invitation in English for a birthday to your home

Friendly invitation in English to your home for a birthday party

English invitation (with translation) to a dinner party at a hotel on the occasion of a birthday for friends with whom we studied at the academy, institute or university

We continue to replenish our collection of useful colloquial phrases, and in this article we will talk about vocabulary related to invitations. We are communicating more and more with foreigners, attending various events that involve communicating in English. Invitations - an integral part of any social network, they are sent out in huge quantities. I have been asked several times for help with checking self-written invitations. Perhaps you too have come across invitations, but are not always sure how to write them correctly or what phrase is best to use to accept or refuse someone's invitation.

Invitations can be oral or written (more formal) form. Let's consider first verbal invitations.

If you want to invite someone somewhere, you can safely use the verb invite:

I invite you to party tomorrow. - I invite you to a party tomorrow.
We invite you for dinner. - We invite you to dinner.

You are invited is sometimes used, but this phrase is more typical for written invitations (discussed below):

We are having a picnic on Sunday. And you are invited! - On Sunday we are having a picnic. And you are invited!

In addition, in English there are a large number of question phrases used for invitation:

It's my Birthday next week. I am having a party. - Next week is my birthday. I'm throwing a party.

Would you like to come? - Do you want to come?

Do you want to come? - Do you want to come?

Do you fancy coming? - Would you like to come?

Are you coming? - Can you come?

As you can see, all these phrases express the same idea. The exception is Do you fancy coming? , which is the least formal of all the others.

In response to a verbal invitation, it would be appropriate to thank. This can be done using simple phrases:

Thanks for the invite. - Thanks for the invitation! (less formal option)

Thank you for the invitation. - Thank you for invitation! (More formal option)

It’s nice/ good / kind of you to invite me. - It's nice of you to invite me.

Thank you very much! - Thanks a lot!

In order to refuse your interlocutor politely and without offending him, you will need the following speech samples:

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it. - Unfortunately, I won't succeed.

I’d love to come but ... - I would love to come, but ...

I"m sorry, I already have other plans. - Sorry, but I already have other plans.

I'll have to take a rain check for it. - Let's do it another time.

The last phrase is an idiom of sports origin, originally from America. The fact is that in the past, baseball games were often canceled or postponed due to bad weather. In this case, a person who had purchased a ticket in advance for the rescheduled match could come on another day and watch the game.

Now let's move on to written invitations.

Nowadays, Internet invitations to various events, which we send to our friends and subscribers, are very widely used. If you suddenly decide to create an invitation in English to invite friends to a party, meeting or picnic, then remember that in English it is customary to draw up invitations a little differently from the usual invitations in Russian.

If you are planning an event and want your invitees to include this date in their plans in advance and not plan anything else on this day, then you can send them a card signed: SAVE THE DATE with subsequent information about the event. Such signatures are made on invitations, which are sent out in advance, sometimes well in advance, to inform guests about the planned event. They seem to say: “You should be at my holiday! Don’t plan anything else on this day and circle it in red on your calendar.”

Written invitations are issued depending on their level of formality. Most often their structure is as follows:

1. Organizers and introduction.

Unlike Russian, where at the beginning we indicate the addressee (Dear Masha! Dear Pyotr Petrovich!), an English invitation indicates the person who is organizing the party, inviting you to a wedding, birthday or other event. These could be the names of the newlyweds, the name of the birthday boy, the name of an organization or club.

Mary and Sam Jones request your presence to an intimate gathering in honor of ... - Mary and Sam Jones request you to attend an intimate gathering in honor of ...

Mary and Sam Jones request an honor of your presence at ... - Mary and Sam Jones request to be honored with your presence at ...

Mary and Sam Jones request the pleasure of your company at ... - Mary and Sam Jones ask for company...

Mary and Sam cordially invite you... - Mary and Sam cordially invite you...

The department of education welcomes you to... - The department of education invites you...

The local youth club cordially invites you to attend... - The youth club cordially invites you to attend...

The first two examples are more formal, such invitations are suitable for a wedding, the third and fourth are not as formal as wedding invitations. And finally, the last two are from organizations that are less sophisticated.

If the invitation is informal or the organizer is not indicated, or is already clear, then the invitation can start like this:

You are cordially invited to a party/ a picnic ... - We cordially invite you to a party / picnic...

We welcome you... - Welcome / we invite you to...

Please join us for ... - Join us...

Please be our guest at... - Be our guest at...

2. Event, time and place of its holding.

Following the organizers or the introductory “inviting” phrase, the name of the upcoming event is presented:

Bill's Birthday Party - Party in honor of Bill's birthday

Annual Charity Funfair - Annual Charity Fair

Baby Shower is an event, a party, which is held about a month before the birth of a child, at which gifts are given to future parents

Bridal Shower - a party at which gifts are given to the future bride

A separate line in the form of abstracts indicates the time of the event with the date and day of the week (Date, time), and the venue (venue).

If the invitation is informal, the phrase is often used meet at ...(meeting... / meeting place...):

Meet at Max’s house - Meet at Max’s

Meet at central park - Meeting point - central park

3. Additional information.

If the event requires registration or has additional requirements or conditions for participants, you may want to include this in this part of your invitation. This usually contains information about the holiday program, but not in the form of a narrative, but in the form of abstracts. Sometimes invitations say what you should or shouldn’t take with you:

No gifts. - No gifts.

Don't forget your fancy hat. - Don't forget to wear a funny hat.

Take a bottle of wine. - Grab a bottle of wine.

The final part of the invitation usually includes an abbreviation RSVP, which stands for “Please answer” (from the French Répondez s’il vous plaît). The rules of good manners require a mandatory response when this abbreviation is present. Then indicate the contact person and his phone number or e-mail:

RSVP to Tom: 111222333

The date by which it is necessary to confirm participation in the event may be indicated:

RSVP July 20

The following inscription is often found:

RSVP regrets only or simply regrets only

This means that you only need to respond if you refuse.

Of course, designing an invitation is a creative matter and you can show all your creativity and deviate from any templates. Bright colors, pictures, photos will add originality to your invitation. As an example, here are some nice invitations to various events:

If you need professional help in studying, we are always happy to help! First step - ! We are waiting for you!

Formal letters/emails are written in a formal style to people who hold official, leadership positions, such as managers, directors.

Official letters can be of different types:

• Business letter;
• Letter requesting information;
• Complaint letter;
• Letter of application for employment;
• Complaint letter;
• Letter of apology.

Structure of a business letter

Sender's name and address

The sender's details are located in the upper left corner.

The sequence of details is as follows:

• manager's name;
• his position;
• sender's company name;
• house number, street;
• city, postal code;
• a country.

Example:

Mr Viktor Moskvin

154 Sadovaya St

The absence of punctuation marks in a business letter is called "open punctuation".

date

The date is located under the details, indented three lines. There are several options for writing the date:

• July 28, 2017;
• July 28th, 2017;
• July 28, 2017;
• 28th July, 2017.

Address of the recipient

The recipient's address is written after the date as follows:

• recipient's full name;
• job title;
• Company name;
• house number, street;
• city, postal code;
• a country.

Must be indicated before the name abbreviated address:

• Mr. (mister, master)
• Dr. (doctor),
• Ms. (miss, for an unmarried woman),
• Mrs. (Mrs. – for a married woman or if you are not sure about your status).

Example:

Mrs Jennifer Gray

editor publishing company “GoodBook”

The location of the address is similar to the writing of the sender's address.

Addressing the addressee of the letter

• The address to the addressee begins with the word “ Dear..." (Dear): If the full name of the recipient is indicated, then the greeting begins exactly like that, with a personal greeting: Dear Mrs Jennifer Grey.
• If the name is unknown, then the letter addresses vaguely: Dear Sir or Madam.
• If addressed to a company, the address is general: Dear Sirs.
• If the letter is addressed to an American company, a colon is placed at the end of the address: Dear Mrs Jennifer Gray:

Sender's job title

If the letter was written by a man, then the word Mr is not used. If the letter is written by a woman, then after the name in brackets there is (Mrs). There is no period at the end of the sentence. For example: Yours sincerely,

School of foreign languages ​​“Lingva”, or

Yours sincerely, Nikole Noble (Mrs)

School of foreign languages ​​“Lingva”

Application mark

A business letter may be accompanied by other documents. To indicate this in business correspondence an abbreviation is written after the signature Enc or Encs (« Enclosures" - "Applications"). After this inscription a comma is placed and all documents attached to the main letter are listed. For example:

Yours sincerely,

School of foreign languages ​​“Lingva”

Enc, a copy of the license.

Business and formal letters. Structure of a business letter and speech patterns to use in it

Samples of business/formal letters

Examples of business official letters

Letter of enquiry

1.Dear Sir/Madam,

2.I am writing in connection with an advertisement for your English course. I am 19 years-old student from Russia. I am interested in English and have been looking for a course in English at higher level.

I would like to ask for more details about this English course. I would be very grateful if you could inform me about payment forms and enrolment requirements.

I look forward to your answer.

3.Yours faithfully,

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to you in connection with an announcement regarding your English course. I am a 19-year-old student from Russia. I am interested in the English language and therefore am looking for English courses to improve my level.

I would like to know more details about this English course. I would be very grateful if you could provide me with information about payment methods and enrollment requirements.

Looking forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Anna Rudova

Dear Mr. Stevens

Mrs. M.K. Collins has applied for work as saleswoman in my drugstore. She has referred me to you as one for whom she has done similar work. Please give me some general information as to her fitness for this work. I shall be grateful to you for this help.

Sincerely yours,

Dear Mr. Stevens,

Mrs. M.K. Collins applied for a job as a salesperson in our pharmacy. She indicated you as the person to contact for additional information because she was doing this work for you. Please provide me with general information regarding its suitability for this position I will be grateful to you for your help.

Yours sincerely,

Brian Warner

Letter of complaint

I am writing to complain about ineffective work of your book service center. On February the third I ordered from you one copy of “Dandelion wine” by Ray Bradbury. The book arrived by mail and I found that some of the pages were transposed so that the book was not usable.

As a result I was left without a needed book. I would like the privilege of returning the defective book to you in exchange for a perfect copy. I hope it would be possible for you to replace it as soon as possible. I look forward to your answer.

Yours sincerely,

Dear Mr. Olsen,

I am writing to complain about the ineffective work of your book center. On February 3rd, I ordered from you one copy of the book “Dandelion Wine” by Ray Bradbury. The book arrived by mail and I discovered that some of the pages of the book were in the wrong order, so the book was “unreadable”.

As a result, I was left without the book I needed. I would like to replace the defective copy of the book with a normal one. I hope you can replace the book as quickly as possible. Looking forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Bill Barry

Additional speech models for a letter of complaint:

• I must express my dissatisfaction with... - I must express my dissatisfaction...
• In fact I have already talked/written about it but nothing has changed/happened to... - In fact, I already talked/wrote about it, but nothing has changed...
• There has been no replay to my previous letter. – There was no response to my last letter.
• The item has not been replaced. – The product has not been replaced.
• It suddenly stopped working. – Suddenly the product stopped working.
• The keyboard was missing. – The keyboard was lost.
• Contrary to the description in the menu/brochure/time-table…The description in the menu/brochure/time-table does not correspond…
• The food was not cooked properly. – The food was not prepared properly.
• The price was expensive enough. - The price was too high.
• It was a very unfortunate event because... - This event ended in failure because...
• In this way it ruined all my plans as... - Thus, all my plans were ruined due to...
• I hope I can expect... - I hope that I can count (expect)...

Letter of application

(Letter of application)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing in response to your job offer concerning the post of computer operator which I found in the latest issue of “Daily News”.

I believe this position fits my expectations of a perfect job for a young person. As far as my qualifications are concerned I have been working for about two years as a computer operator in Gray Service Company, where I have had the chance to get “hands-on” experience with computers in a real working office and coming into contact with the public for the first time. There I have gained a lot of professional valuable experience. In addition to this, I consider myself to be hard-working and a very sociable person.

I would be happy to attend the interview at any time that is convenient to you. I am enclosing the names of two referees from Gray Service Company, whom you can contact for more details. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Dear Sir / Madam,

I am writing to respond to your advertisement for the position of a computer operator, which I found in latest issue Daily News.

I believe this position meets my expectations of an ideal job for a young person. Regarding my qualifications, I worked as a computer operator for 2 years at Gray Services, where I had the chance to get practical experience working with a computer in a work office and the first experience of communicating with people within the profession. I gained valuable professional experience at work. In addition, I consider myself a hardworking and very sociable person.

I will be happy to attend an interview at any time convenient for you. I provide the names of two former colleagues, whom you can contact for more detailed information about me. Looking forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Jane Morrison

Additional speech models for a job application letter:

• I am writing in reply to/with regard to... - I am writing to answer/in connection...
• I am writing in connection with... - I am writing in connection...
• I would like to express my interest in... - I would like to express my interest in...
• I found the position/job/post offer extremely interesting because... - I believe that the position/job/post is extremely interesting because...
• I would like to apply for this job because... - I would like to get this position because...
• My reason for applying for this job is that...(I am very sociable, hard-working, talented in...) -The reason I want to get this place...
• As for my experience it includes... - As for my work experience...
• I worked for...as... - I worked in the position... for...
• I am ready to come to an interview at any time. – I am ready to come for an interview at any time.
• I enclose my CV/references from my previous employers. – I am attaching a resume/recommendations from previous employers.

• I met him...in..., when he joined...
• …has asked me to write a letter of recommendation to accompany his application for… I am very pleased to do so…. asked me to write a letter of recommendation to submit at the place of requirement.... I'm glad to do this.
• ...distinguished himself / herself ... showed himself as...
• His/her greatest talent is…His/her greatest talent is…
• He/she is a creative person... He/she is a creative person...
• His / her excellent capacity to...was invaluable...
• While he / she was with us he / she... His responsibilities included...During the time he/she worked for us... His/her responsibilities included...
• His / her main responsibilities were... His / her daily tasks included... His / her daily tasks included...
• The only weak spot that I ever noted in his / her performance was... The only flaw that I noted in his / her personality...
• I am confident that…will continue to be very effectively. He/she deserves my best recommendations. I am confident that... will continue to work very effectively. He/she deserves my best recommendations.
• I would happily recommend…as a hopeful candidate. I am happy to recommend... as a promising employee.

Business greeting letter

The purpose of a congratulatory business letter is to formally congratulate the head of the company or your colleague. This letter may be shorter than a formal business letter, but have a more emotional tone.

Additional speech models for congratulatory letters:

• Best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year from...! Please accept my best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year from...!
• In appreciation of our association during the past year, everyone at … extends our very best wishes for a wonderful holiday season! — Appreciating our cooperation over the past year, each employee ... expresses our best wishes for the holidays!
• Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year! — With warmest wishes for a happy holidays and a wonderful year ahead!

Job Application Letter (Resume Cover Letter)

In the introduction to the cover letter, it is recommended to mention the source of information and the desired position.

The main part of the letter talks about the applicant’s professional knowledge, skills and abilities, and contains information about the resume accompanying the letter. Express your desire to come for an interview, if possible at a time convenient for the employer or his representative, as well as the hope for a positive decision in favor of the applicant. Finally, thank you for reading the letter.

Additional speech patterns for job application letters:

• I was interested to read your advertisement for … I was interested when I read your advertisement in …
• Please accept this letter as application for the … position currently advertised in the … Please accept this letter as an application for the vacant position … which was advertised in …
• I have exceptional verbal and written communication skills. I have exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• I can supply references from…if required. I can provide recommendations from...if required...
• Thank you for your attention. Thank you for your attention.

Business invitation letter

In the business world, meetings with partners are part of the key to success, so proper invitation design is very important. When writing an invitation, make sure that the partner's name is indicated in full. Keep the invitation short, use humor appropriately, and of course, time the invitation!

Phrases for invitation:

• You are cordially invited to be the guest of… We cordially invite you to be the guest of…
• Allow me the pleasure of inviting you to... Do not refuse the pleasure of inviting you...

Reply to a business letter in English

Some letters received by the company require a response. The structure of such a letter is no different from a business letter.

Additional speech models for responding to a letter:

• Thank you for your letter. Thanks for your letter.
• We greatly appreciate your offer. We highly appreciate your offer...
• We shall be pleased to supply you with... We will be very happy to supply (send) to you...
• Regarding your question about... Regarding your question about...

Conclusion

An official letter consists of the following parts:

Official greeting: Dear Sir/Madam – when you don’t know the person’s last name; Dear Mr/Mrs Wilson – when you do not know the recipient's name.

The first paragraph contains a greeting and introduction, the purpose of the letter.

The main part of the letter reveals its content - provides arguments, requests information of interest (usually 1-3 paragraphs).

The last paragraph is the summary of the entire letter, namely, the actions you expect from the recipient, final comments.

The formal ending of the letter: Yours faithfully,... – when you do not know the person’s last name; Yours sincerely,... when you don't know the recipient's name.

Formal letters can also be a response containing the requested information. The response letter has the same structure.

Make sure that no part is left out when you write the letter.

A well-thought-out and carefully written business letter is an effective tool in business, which can not only help in concluding various types of transactions, when applying for a job, etc., but also spoil the impression of the sender, which does not guarantee his success in achieving his goal.

In the 21st century it has become very fashionable to send special written messages invitations for special celebrations such as a wedding, anniversary or baby shower, exhibition, or for visas.

And also today’s world is very dynamic, and many of us have friends abroad, including in English-speaking countries, and there are also foreigners working in Russia. Therefore, it would not be a bad idea to learn some rules that will help you write invitation in English.

How to issue invitations in English

To do this, you need to remember a few rules:

1. Get started invitation in English with the address: “ Dear friend«, « Dear Michael«, « Dear partners" etc. depending on the status of the person you are addressing. The message must be centered on the line. If you know the person very closely, you can start with a greeting: “ Hello Ann«, « Hey Tom«.

For example,
I’d like to invite you to dinner this Monday. – I would like to invite you to dinner this Monday.

Don't forget to write where and what time you are you invite friend or partner. If invitation more formal, you can use one of the following invitations.

For example,
Next week, on Moday, I’m having a party at home. — Next week, on Monday, I invite you to a party at home.
Our company would like to invite you vising… — Our company would like to invite you...
We request you presence to an intimate gathering in honor of … – We ask you to attend an intimate gathering in honor of...
We request an honor of your presence at… – We ask you to be honored with your presence at...
We request the pleasure of your company at … – We ask you to join them...
We cordially invite you at… – We sincerely invite you...
The department of education welcomes you to… – The Education Department invites you...
The our club cordially invites you to attend… – Our club cordially invites you to visit…

If invitation unofficial or the organizer is not indicated or is already clear, then invitation you can start like this, for example,

You are cordially invited to a party/ a picnic… – We cordially invite you to a party/picnic...
We welcome you… – Welcome / We invite you to…
Please join us for… – Join us…
Please be our guest at… – Be our guest on…

3. You can provide some details about the upcoming event, for example, how many guests are expected, what is included in the program, etc.

4. Give your recommendations regarding what a visitor to this event should prepare for. For example, how many additional guests can you take with you, do you need to have them on hand? invitation, are there any fees, dress code, etc.

5. At the end of the letter, you must express your gratitude for the attention shown to the letter: “ Thank you for your attention«.

6. Tell them how much time the person is given to decide on their participation in the event and ask them to contact you in one way or another. Say goodbye to your interlocutor and wish him a good day.

7. The final part of the invitation usually includes the abbreviation RSVP, which stands for “Please Reply” ( from the French Répondez s’il vous plaît). The rules of good manners require a mandatory response when this abbreviation is present. Then indicate the contact person and his phone number or e-mail.