BUSINESS LETTER

WRITING

BUSINESS LETTER WRITING

•Formal Business Letter•Less Formal Business Letter•Special Situation Business Letter

PARTS OF A BUSINESS

LETTER

HEADING•Most companies use letterhead--stationery with the company’s logo, name, address and other contact and identifying information. If the company does not have letterhead, the company’s full name and address should be typed at the top of the page.

DATE• Letters should always include a date. You enter dates two to six lines below the heading, depending on the length of the letter. •Dateline: Three to six lines beneath the letterhead, flush left or right. The dateline contains the month (fully spelled out), day, and year

REFERENCE•Recipient address: Three to six lines below the dateline, flush left. The recipient address is composed of:

–Addressee’s courtesy title and full name–Addressee’s business title–Business name–Street address–City, state, and zip code

ADDRESSEE•Your letter should include the name of the addresses with her title (Ms. Gandang D. Inakala, Dr. Leng Go), followed by her company name and full address, including the postal code.

SALUTATION•The salutation is your greeting. Most salutations begin with “Dear” followed by either the recipient’s first name, or title and last name. One or two lines below the last line of the recipient’s address.•If you use first names in person, you may do so in your salutation.

BODY PARAGRAPHS• The opening paragraph should always state why you are writing. Then, in a simple and straightforward manner, explain the situation, the solution, the suggestion. Be as brief as possible since long complicated messages often distract readers. Starts one line below the greeting. The body of the letter contains whatever you have to say.

COMPLEMENTARY CLOSING•Always use a complimentary close. It is a short, polite closing followed by a comma. When the letter is impersonal, use “Yours truly.” If the letter is to someone above you in rank, use “Respectfully yours.” If you have a personal connection to the addressee, use “Sincerely” or “Sincerely yours”. Two lines below the last line of the body of the letter, flush left or centered.

SIGNATURE•Four spaces below the close, type your full or business name. In the space in-between, you will hand write your signature in ink. Use black or dark blue ink for your signature.

FINAL NOTATION

Two lines below your typed signature. For example, if you're sending copies of the letter to other people, you may type cc:, followed by the alphabetically listed names of those receiving the letter.

POST SCRIPTS

A note for additional attention is usually put on the left, two or three lines below the last line

DO’S AND DON'TS IN WRITING A BUSINESS LETTER

• Shorten your sentences. Avoid long, flowing, complex sentence structures•Use first names rather than last names. •Use exclamation points occasionally. •Use phrases to replace crisp words. For example, instead of the word occasionally, use “from time to time” or “now and then.” Such phrases are less concise but feel more casual. 

•Use complete sentences. Avoid sentence fragments such as “Good to know” or “No surprise.” • End your sentences with periods rather than letting them trail off with ellipses, which are illustrated here . . . • Avoid slang and contractions. Rather than “We’re psyched to meet you!” write “We are looking forward to meeting you.”

•Avoid writing about your kids’ recitals, your exciting weekend, and other personal news•Avoid mentioning anything personal about your reader. For example, avoid “Hope you had a good weekend” and “I heard you were sick. Hopefully you are feeling better.”• Include words and phrases that communicate warmth: happy to, pleased, delighted, etc.

•Avoid the words immediately and now, which often sound pushy.•After you write a message, review the beginning to see whether it includes unnecessary background information or “throat-clearing.” Delete anything that precedes the real message.•Use complete sentences rather than “Fine” or “Thanks.”

•Avoid quotations after your signature in email. •Avoid smiley faces, unnecessary graphics, and background wallpaper in email. •Use you, I, and we. Using pronouns will make your writing more down to earth and engaging.•Use last names rather than first names

•Avoid slang, jargon, buzz words, and elitist language. Avoid the passive voice. Use the active voice and active verbs. Use full forms. Be brief. Give short but clear explanations, instructions, reasons. Be specific. State the facts. Be pleasant, positive, lively, and encouraging.

POINTS TO REMEMBER•Plan your letter before you start writing to make sure it says everything you want to say and says it in a logical sequence. The layout and presentation of your letter is important as they give the reader the first impression of the firm’s efficiency.

•Ask yourself if the letter represents your organization in a correct way. Accuracy is important. Pay special attention to titles, names and addresses, prices and specifications, enclosures. Ask yourself if the recipient will understand your letter quickly. Include just the right amount of information in your letter (better include too much than too little).

•Use a simple but polite style of language. Beware of idioms. With a very few exceptions, business correspondence is being word processed in most places of business. Your letter should be clear. Take care with abbreviations and figures

•The elements of a letter should be neither too widespread nor too dense. If your letter is brief, use larger fonts. It will look better. The format should convey information clearly and logically, reflecting your organization’s style.