BUSINESS LETTERS MADE SIMPLE

1. BUSINESS LETTERS MADE SIMPLE

2. 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

3. 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?

4. FORM • Choose a font that is easy to read. • 1 to 1.5 inch left and right margins. • 1 to 1.5 inch top and bottom margins. • Present information • completely • concisely • professionally • Be consistent – block or modified block. Most use 1.25

5. 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” Return Address QUAD Inside Address

6. However… • If you have a letterhead, you don’t need the Return Address… Garden Center 123 Pine Street Oak Ridge, NJ 07438

7. 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.

8. RULES OF THUMB… • AVOID ABBREVIATIONS EXCEPT FOR STATES AND TITLES. (Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc. – FL, NJ, OH) • PLACE A SINGLE WORD TITLE AFTER THE NAMESEPARATED BY A COMMA. Mrs. G. DeGraw, President • PLACE A LONGER TITLE ON A SEPARATE LINE. Mrs. G. DeGraw Executive Director of Safety

9. 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 orMs. Moss Page 2 1” - 1 1/2” Return Address QUAD Inside Address DS Salutation: DS Body

10. PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)… • Complimentary closing • Use Sincerely, Sincerely yours, or Yours truly. Capitalize only the first word; end with a comma. Yours truly, Sincerely yours, Sincerely, Very truly yours,

11. 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.

12. PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)… • Reference initials… • Tell who typed the letter • Double spaced after the typed signature line • Lowercase initials Examples: /ged HE:gedGED Sincerely, Mrs. G. DeGraw Mrs. G. DeGraw, President /ged

13. R E V I E W • PARTS OF A PERSONAL-BUSINESS LETTER: • Return Address (includes DATE) • Inside Address • Salutation • Body • Complimentary Close • Reference Initials • Enclosures (if any)

14. 123 Pine Street Oak Ridge, NJ 07438 October 30, 2005 ABC Company 345 Spruce Street Whatever, 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. DeGraw Mrs. DeGraw, Chairperson /ged Enclosure Return Address Inside Address Salutation Body Complimentary Close Reference Initials Enclosure(s)

15. 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.