BUSINESS LETTERS MADE SIMPLE

Keyboarding

PURPOSE

• What do I want the reader to know?

• What kind of business letter am I writing?– Letter of inquiry– Letter of application– Letter of complaint– Letter of regret– Thank you letter

AUDIENCE

• How well do I know them?

• How much do they know about my subject?

• How will they feel about my message?

• What vocabulary will set the tone?

FORM

• Choose a font that is easy to read.• 1 to 1½ inch left and right margins.• 1 to 1½ inch top and bottom margins.• Present information

– completely– concisely – professionally

• Be consistent – block or modified block.

PARTS OF A PERSONAL-BUSINESS LETTER

• Heading– Writer’s complete

address (Return Address)

– Current date

• Inside Address– Receiver’s complete

name, title, company and address (Letter Address)

1” - 1 1/2”

QUAD

• If you have a letterhead, you don’t need the Return Address…

However…

123 Pine Street123 Pine StreetOak Ridge, NJ 07438Oak Ridge, NJ 07438

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)…

• Salutation– Begin with Dear:– Use Mr. or Ms. before the receiver’s name– Use Dear or Attention followed by an

appropriate title, such as Customer Service Department or Sales Manager.

– Use Dear Sir or Madame or Ladies and Gentlemen. Include BOTH genders for a general audience.

RULES OF THUMB… AVOID ABBREVIATIONS EXCEPT FOR STATES AND

TITLES.

(Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc. – FL, NJ, OH)

PLACE A SINGLE WORD TITLE AFTER THE NAME SEPARATED BY A COMMA.

Mrs. G. DeGraw, President

PLACE A LONGER TITLE ON A SEPARATE LINE.

Mrs. G. DeGrawExecutive Director of Safety

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)…

• Body– Single-space paragraphs,

double-space between paragraphs.

– Two paragraphs.– Avoid long phrases.– Avoid making business

letters longer than one page.

– Heading on Page 2.

Ms. Moss 2 or Ms. Moss

Page 2

1” - 1 1/2”

QUAD

DS

DS

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)…

• Complimentary closing– Use Sincerely,

Sincerely yours, or Yours truly. Capitalize only the first word; end with a comma.

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)…

• Signature lines– Leave four lines (QS) for your handwritten

signature– Type your name and title below the signature

line.– Type the words Enclosure(s) two lines below

the typed signature.– Sending a copy of the letter elsewhere?

cc: PLUS the person or department name. This line goes beneath the enclosure line.

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)…

• Reference initials…– Double spaced after the typed signature line– Lowercase initials

Examples: /ged

HE:gedGED

Sincerely,

Mrs. G. DeGrawMrs. G. DeGraw, President

/ged

R E V I E W

• PARTS OF A PERSONAL-BUSINESS LETTER:Return Address (includes DATE)Inside AddressSalutationBodyComplimentary CloseReference InitialsEnclosures (if any)

123 Pine StreetOak Ridge, NJ 07438October 30, 2005

ABC Company345 Spruce StreetWhatever, IL 01233

Dear Mr. Brown:

Insert the part of the body of the letter here. The body of the letter should tell something about what you hope to convey.

It should also have a closing paragraph in it. There should be at least two sentences per paragraph.

Sincerely,

Mrs. DeGrawMrs. DeGraw, Chairperson

/ged

Enclosure

BLOCK versus MODIFIED BLOCK

BLOCK• All parts of the letter

begin at the left margin.

• Paragraphs are NOT indented.

MODIFIED BLOCK• The heading and

complimentary close begin at the center of the page.

• Paragraphs ARE indented.