A good business letter is brief, straightforward, and polite. There are two main styles of business letters: full block style and modified block style. Full block style is aligning all elements on the left margin whereas modified block style is down the middle of the page, align the return address, date, closing, signature, and typed name; align other elements on the left page margin. Below are the elements of a standard business letter and their functions.
When creating business letters, use 8 ½" by 11" unlined paper. Although 24-pound paper with 100+ brightness is a little more expensive, it will make a better impression than everyday copy paper. Use 1" margins on all four sides. Use a serif font such as Times Roman (12 point) or Georgia (11 point). A business letter should be single-spaced and, if possible, typed on a computer. Print the letter on only one side of the paper. Fold the letter horizontally into thirds. Mail the letter in a No. 10 security envelope (4 1/8" by 9 ½").
There are several business letter formats, but all of them can be subdivided into two basic groups: the block format and various indented formats. Although the block format is somewhat more common, (perhaps because it is easier), either one is acceptable. All conventional formats contain the same features:
1. Return address of the letter writer.
Your address or the address of the company you represent. If you are using preprinted stationery, there is no need to retype the information.
2. The date of the letter.
Leave two blank lines after the return address. Always spell out the month and include the day, a comma, and the year. This is usually typed in one of two ways:
(Begin with the day, no comma) 15 May 2006 or (Begin with the month; use a comma) May 15, 2006
2. Complete name, title, and address of the recipient.
Leave two blank lines after the date. Then type the address of the person or company to whom you are writing. Use "Mr." for a male recipient. If you do not know how a female recipient prefers to be addressed, it is best to use "Ms."
3. Salutation with a colon.
Type dear, followed by the person’s name. End the line with a colon. If you don’t know the name of the person, use a title instead (i.e., Dear Editor, Dear Madam).
4. Body of the letter.
Align your message on the left margin. Skip a line before starting a new paragraph, but do not indent the paragraph’s first line. Make sure that each paragraph is clear and concise.
It is best to keep an initial business letter short. Business people are busy and do not have time to read long letters! In a one-page letter, you will usually only need three or four paragraphs, single-spaced. Use a double space in between paragraphs. See examples that follow.
5. Closing.
Leave two lines of space after your last body paragraph, and then use a conventional closing, followed by a comma (i.e., Sincerely, Sincerely Yours, Respectfully).
The most common closing is "Sincerely." Follow this with a comma. Skip four single lines after the closing and type your name. Sign your name in the space above your name.
6. Signature:
Your signature should appear below your closing. Unless you have established a personal relationship with the person you are writing, use both your first and last name.
Sincerely,
(Your signature may appear here)
8. Name and Position:
Four lines after the closing, type your full name. Do not include a title (Mr. or Mrs.). If you are writing on behalf of an organization, type your title on the next line
9. Enclosure.
If you are enclosing additional information with your letter such as a resume or a curriculum vita, skip two single lines after your typed name and type "Enclosure" or "Enclosures." If you use the plural, you have the option of stating the number of enclosures in parentheses.
10. Abbreviations at the end of a letter:
If you send a copy of a letter to someone other than the person addressed, use cc: and the person’s name. Use Enc. or Enclosure if you enclose something with the letter. If someone else types it, put the writer’s initials in capitals, then a slash and the typist’s initials in lowercase. Just one abbreviation should appear on a line.
Effective letter writing boils down to knowing why you are writing a letter, understanding your reader's needs and then clearly writing what you need to say. Every letter should be clear, human, helpful and as friendly as the topic allows. The best letters have a conversational tone and read as if you were talking to your reader. In brief then, discover the Seven-Cs of letter writing. You should be clear, concise, correct, courteous, conversational, convincing, and complete.
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