Writing Business Letter

Why it is important to use the correct business letter format?

Because the way a business letter looks immediately gives the reader their first impression even before they read it. The quality of the paper, letterhead design, the margins, spacing and more all have something to say about the organization. A weakness in any of these elements can detract from the effectiveness of the message, even though it is expertly written.

The Paper
Recommend using the 20lb for normal use and 32lb for important letters like resume cover letters and thank you letters. Color: White is the standard and should usually be used. Light tints (gray, blue, green, etc) are also becoming popular. Size: To me only the Letter or A4 are the only acceptable sizes. There are other sizes but I don’t recommend it unless you are in the creative field.
Layout
In a business letter format, there are many layouts; the three most popular are the semi-blocked, blocked and full-blocked. Whatever layout you wish to use, it doesn’treally matter. As for me, I prefer the full-blocked simply because it is easier to type on the computer.
Margins
Left and Right 1 Inch
Top and Bottom 1 ½ Inch
Spacing
Most letters are single spaced. Use doublespace for short letters. Leave one blank line between paragraphs, 2 Blank lines before the complementary close (i.e. Sincerely) and 3 to 4 lines for the signature.
Envelopes
Make sure the address on your envelope is easy to read so that it doesn’t get tossed in some mailroom. Place the address just below the vertical center and just to the right of the horizontal center.
Any special instruction such as “Attention,”“Personal,” “Please Forward,” or “Confidential,” goes on the left side of the envelope below the return address.
Confidential: Ms. Susan Johnson
Date Lines
Place the date at least two spaces below the letterhead. The line may be flush left or right, or centred below the letterhead.

Do not abbreviate the month or use nd, st, or th with the day numbers, like May 5th, 1998. Also, do not use a month’s number, like 6/23/89.

Both date orders listed below are appropriate; however, the latter is used mainly by the government, the military, and those outside the United States.

December 10, 2003
10 December 2003

Addresses

Make sure a person’s name is spelled correctly. A recipient may decide to ignore a letter that was written by someone who cannot spell his/her name.

Do not use both the title and the degree of a person. For example, write either Howard Wyatt, D.D.S. or Dr. Howard E. Hyatt and not, Dr. Howard Wyatt, D.D.S.

Two or more men are addressed as Messrs., which means Misters. Do not use first names with this abbreviation.
Messrs. Smith, Wyatt, and Fury

Two or more women are addressed as Mesdames, Mmes., or Mses. Do not use first names with these abbreviations:
Mses. Farb, Lionel, and Gray

When addressing couples, give both appropriate titles:
Dr. and Mrs. Harold Wright
Mr. Harold Wright and Dr. Margaret Wright
Drs. Harold and Margaret Wright
Dr. Margaret Wright and Mr. Steven Jones
Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Adams-Quinn
Ms. Margaret Wright
Mr. Steven Jones

In selecting a title, always notice the way an individual identifies him or herself. For example, some who hold degrees do not use their titles while others do.

Some married women prefer Mrs.; others prefer Ms. If you do not know the title the woman prefers, use the standard Ms. or drop the title altogether:

Place the inside address at least two lines below the date.

Place a person’s title after his name unless it is unusually long, then go to the next line.
Ken Green, President
Ken Green
Vice President of International Operations

The comma before the abbreviations Jr. and Sr. is optional.
Michael Jordan, Jr.
Michael Jordan Sr.

Make sure the address on the envelope is written so that a postalworker can read it at a glance.

When both a street and a post office address are given, the postal service will deliver your letter to the address that appears directly above the zip code.

Place an “attention line” directly below the company name on an envelope.

On the envelope address, type the names of foreign countries all in caps.
Spell out all numerical street names from one to ten.
127 Ninth Avenue, North
127 E. 15 Street
Five Park Avenue
One Wingren Plaza

Use a hyphen between street and residence numbers.
556 - 91 Street

Reference Lines

“Reference lines” assist with filing or routing correspondence. A reference line can refer to your files and/or your reader’s files. Place your reference line first.

Our reference: Project #234
Your reference: Invoice #3444
RE Order #4558

Salutation
Always use the name of the individual if you know it.

Dear Amy: (personal friend or close business associate)
Dear Mrs. Rider:
Dear Miss Spears:
Dear Ms. Tyler: (use Ms. If you don’t know the marital status or the preference)
Dear Mr. Farnham:
Dear Dr. Doom:
Dear Sir Elton John:

If you don’t know the name of the individual, address it to the individual’s title in the company and then use dear Sir or Madam: Here is an example:

Head of Human Resource
ABC Company
123 Sesame Street

Dear Sir or Madam:

But please only use this if you really cannot find out the name of the person. Most companies will tell you who the person is. All it takes is a phone call.

If you are addressing to an organization and not an individual, then use the following:

Ladies and Gentlemen:

And if you want to highlight the letter to an individual(s) in the organization, use the attention line asfollows:

Attention: Miss J. Fonda, CEO and Mr. M.Jackson, CFO

Ladies and Gentlemen:

If you are addressing officials, it requires a more formal format. See Addressing Business Letters for Officials for more information.

Subject Line

Sometimes to speed up the handling of your mail, it may be wise to use a subject line.

Dear Mr. M. Jackson:

Subject: Order No. 456-9A6

Complimentary close

For a normal business letter format, Iprefer to use Regards, Sincerely, and Sincerely yours. Other acceptable formal business letter close includes Cordially, Cordially yours, Very sincerely yours, Very cordially yours, Yours very truly, Very truly yours and if the person is of highstature, Respectfully yours.

Signature

Do use a title (Mr., Miss, Ms) to indicate your preference and you gender and give you First and Last Name.

Example:

Sincerely,

	Ms. Tony Braxton

Identification Initials
The “identification line” gives the initials of the person who typed the letter.
dms
DDB:dms This indicates that the person who originated the letter
DDB/dms also typed it.

This is usually not necessary nowadays as most people (even big CEOs type their own letters) don’t have a secretary to type their letters.
Enclosure Notations

The “enclosure notation” goes flush left two lines below the signature block or the typist’s initials, if they’re included. Identify each and every enclosure that is being sent so that the reader will know if something is missing from the packet.

Enc.
Enclosures: 3
Enclosures: Hire contract
Check for $458
Enclosures:
1. Draft of absentee policy
2. Invoice #459990

Copy Notations

Use cc, meaning carbon copy, even though you may use photocopy or other reproductions.

This notation goes at the very end of your letter and flush left.

If you do not want your reader to know that you are sending a copy to another person, omit cc and instead, type bcc, blind carbon copy, only on your copy of the letter.

Below are the ways to present this feature.
cc: Sarah Smith
cc: Dr. Howard Stewart
12337 Rocky Lane
Houston, Texas 77070
Copy to: Sarah Smith
Copies to: Sarah Smith
Howard Jones

Postscripts

Postscripts serve two purposes:
1) to re-emphasize a key point
2) to be informal and personal.

The postscript may be handwritten or typed:
P.S. Just return the enclosed card to see if you aren’t pleased with the service you receive!
PS. Give my regards to the others who had a part in making the program such a success.

For various type of letter click here.