90 likes | 214 Views
Business Letters. A good business letter should be brief, straightforward, and polite. If possible, it should be limited to one single-spaced typewritten page. Because it is so brief, a business letter is often judged on small, but important things: Format Grammar Punctuation
E N D
A good business letter should be brief, straightforward, and polite. If possible, it should be limited to one single-spaced typewritten page. • Because it is so brief, a business letter is often judged on small, but important things: • Format • Grammar • Punctuation • Opening and Closing Business Letters
Purpose for Writing: Audience: • Formal Complaint • Formal Praise • Formal Questions/Queries • Formal Requests • Cover Letters for Resumes • Business people are often BUSY. So… • Be specific and to the point. • Sloppy format and long rambling will get your letter trashed. Purpose and Audience
A business letter is not the place to try fancy fonts or experimental writing styles. • Use 12 point Times New Roman font or 11 point Calibri. • These letters are not emails or phone calls—no slang, no writing like you talk • Your business letter will be mailed. You need a stamp by Thursday. Writing Your Letter
The format of our letter will be FULL BLOCK. • Therefore, align all elements of your writing on the left margin of your document. Structure of Business Letter
Return Address: This is YOUR address! We include it with the body of the letter so the company may send you a response. • Date: Leave two blank lines after your return address. • Always spell out the month. Include the day, a comma, and the year. • Ex. April 1, 2014 NOT 4-1-14 Parts of Business Letter
Inside Address: Leave two blank lines after the date. Type the address of the person or company you are writing. • Salutation: Type Dear followed by the person’s name. • If you do not know the name, type the title. • For example: Dear Editor, Dear Customer Service Manager Parts of Business Letter
Body: • Align message on the left margin. • Skip a line before starting a new paragraph, but do not indent the first line of the paragraph. • Make sure each paragraph is clear and to the point. • Triple check for grammar mistakes Parts of Business Letter
Closing: Leave two lines of space after your last body paragraph. Use conventional closings followed by a comma. • Examples: Sincerely, Sincerely Yours, Respectfully, • Signature:This appears below the closing. Skip about 4 spaces after your closing and then type your full, first and last name. • Once you print your letter, you will include a handwritten signature in the space between the closing and your typed signature. Parts of Business Letter