LECTURE TEN: Business Letter

Writing
 Definition
• A business letter is the basic means of communication
between two companies.
• Most business letters have a formal tone.
 Summary
• Better writing can result in:
• Proposals that win contracts
• Advertisements that sell products
• Instruction manuals that users can follow
• Billboards that catch a driver’s attention
• Stories that make us laugh or cry, and
• Letters, memos, and reports that get your
message across to the reader.
 Summary
• Writing in a Clear Conversational Tone: Is the
key to success in business writing.
• (Use KISS) Keep It Short and Simple.
• Write to express— not to impress.
 SUMMARY

Prefer the General to the Specific

• Your readers want information — facts,
figures, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Do not be content to say something is good,
bad, fast, or slow when you can say how
good, how bad, how fast, or how slow. Be
specific whenever possible.
SUMMARY
Avoid Big Words
• Some writers prefer to use big, important-
sounding words instead of short, simple words.
a) This is a mistake; fancy language just frustrates the
reader.
b) Write in plain, ordinary English and your readers
will love you for it.
SUMMARY
Break up your writing into short sections
• Long, unbroken blocks of text are stumbling blocks that
intimidate and bore readers.
• If your paragraphs are too long, go through them. In the same
way, short sentences are easier to grasp than long ones.
Use Visuals
• Drawings, graphs, and other visuals can reinforce your text.
• In fact, pictures often communicate better than words; we
remember 10 percent of what we read, but 30 percent of
what we see. Remember a saying: When I hear, I forget, when
I see, I remember.
Use the Active Voice
• When possible, use the active voice. Your writing will be more
direct and vigorous; your sentences become more concise.
 Points to remember When Writing a
Business Letter
• Plan your letter before you start writing
to make sure it says everything you want
to say and says it in a logical sequence.
• The layout and presentation of your
letter is important as they give the
reader the first impression of the firm’s
efficiency.
 Points to remember:
• Ask yourself if the letter represents your
organization in a correct way.
• Accuracy is important. Pay special
attention to titles, names and addresses,
prices and specifications, enclosures.
• Ask yourself if the recipient will
understand your letter quickly.
• Include just the right amount of
information in your letter (better include
too much than too little).
 Points to remember:
• Use a simple but polite style of language.
Beware of idioms.
• Your letter should be clear. Take care
with abbreviations and figures.
 Elements of a Business Letter
• letterhead or return • body or text,
address, • complimentary close,
• date line, • signature,
• personal or • name and title lines,
confidential notation, • identification line,
• inside address, • enclosure line,
• attention line, • copies line,
• salutation, • postscript.
• subject or reference • Identification initials
line, • Special Mailing Notations
• On-Arrival Notations
 A Letter Sample
Sender’s Bredgade 51 DK 1260
address/Business Copenhagen K. DENMARK
Letterhead
January 27, 2022
Date
Soundsonic Ltd.
Inside address 25 Warwick House, Warwick Street,
Forrest Hill,
London SE23 1JF UNITED KINGDOM
For the attention of the Sales Manager
Attention line
Quadraphonic sound systems
Subject title
Dear Sir or Madam,
Salutation
Please would you send me details of your quadraphonic sound systems which were advertised in the April
Body of edition of Sound Monthly.
the letter I am particularly interested in the Omega range of equipment that you specialize in.
•Looking forward to hearing from you

Yours faithfully,
Complimentary close
B. Kaasen (Ms)
Signature
Production Manager
Title/Designation
Bill of loading (5 copies
Enc. : Bill of exchange (1 copy)
Encl.:
c.c. Messrs. Poole & Jackson Ltd. Solicitors
Copies
Sample of Letter Head
 Letterhead
A good letterhead should be:
• readable, informative and attractive BUT
• not too attention occupying
Mandatory elements:
• firm name,
• address
• telephone number,
• Website (www).
Optional elements:
• a logo,
• the executive’s name and title,
• a list of board directors or other governing bodies.
 Date
The date is written below the sender’s address,
sometimes separated from it by a space.

• Two most common forms:

November 27, 2009 (AmE)
27 November 2009 (BrE)

• The month is never abbreviated, the day is never

spelled out, and endings for numbers (27th) are not
usually used.
• The shortened date can also be used:
11/27/2009 (AmE)
27/11/2009 (BrE)
 Confidential or personal notation
Example:
Private & confidential

• Below the date but above the address of the

person you are writing to (recipient)
• Between the date line and the inside address.
• The same notation should be put on the
envelope.
 Inside address
The address of the recipient:
Soundsonic Ltd.
25 Warwick House, Warwick Street,
Forrest Hill,
London SE23 1JF
UNITED KINGDOM
• Always on the left and single spaced.
• The recipient’s name (if stated) is followed by the
company’s name, the department or division, the
street address, city postal code and country
• If one of the lines is very long, put half of it on the
next line, indenting two or three spaces.
 Recipients
• The recipient’s name (if stated) and the title are
separated by a comma
• The title can be underneath the name or omitted.
• If you are writing to more than one person, make a
list of the names in alphabetical order.
 Attention line
Example:
Attn: Sales Manage

• This is used when you do not know the name of

the person you are writing to.
• This line can also be printed before the address of
the company.
 Subject title
Example:
SUBJECT: Quadraphonic sound systems

The subject title

• Provides a further reference,
• Saves introducing the subject in the first paragraph,
• Immediately draws attention to the topic of the letter,
• Allows the writer to refer to it throughout the letter,
• Quickly identifies the purpose of the letter,
• Should be less than one line/ one or two words.
 Reference line
Example:
Ref No: 99887/09

• References indicate what the letter refers to (Your

Ref.) and the correspondence to refer to when
replying (Our Ref.).
• When referring to an order number or to a reference
number used by you or your recipient, make sure
you quote all references accurately.
• It can be placed instead of the subject title.
 Salutation
Example:
Dear Sir,
Dear Sirs,
Dear Madam,
Dear Sir or Madam,
Dear Mr. James,

• Should be written below the address and with a space

of one or two lines before the body of the letter.
• It is followed by a comma (,) or a colon (:), which is
optional
 Body of the letter
Deals with:
• how much information to give,
• how to plan a letter,
• what sort of style to use,
• how to make a letter as clear, informative and
accurate as possible.
Length
The length depends on:
• the subject of the letter
• the style and the language used.
The right length includes the right amount of
information.
 Sequence
• All the necessary points should be made in a
logical sequence
• Each piece of information linking with the
previous one in a pattern that can be followed.
• SO, put the ideas and information in logical
order.
 Style
• Avoid slang, jargon, buzz words, and elitist language.
• Avoid the passive voice. Use the active voice and active
verbs.
• Use full forms.
• Be brief. Give short but clear explanations, instructions,
reasons. Be specific. State the facts.
• Be pleasant, positive, lively, and encouraging.
• Use the word “you” in the opening sentence, but avoid
using too many “you”-s in your letter.
• “I”-s should be used when you are speaking about
yourself.
• “We”-s should be used when speaking on behalf of
your company or a group of associates.
Letter Writing Styles: Regional Criterion
AMERICAN STYLE BRITISH STYLE

Heading According to the format but The heading is usually placed

usually aligned to the left in the top right corner of the
letter (sometimes centred)

Date October 19, 2005 (month-day-year) 19 October 2005 (day-month-

According to the format but usually year)
aligned to the left Usually placed directly (or 1 blank
(two lines below the heading) line)
below the heading.
Salutation Dear Mr./Ms. Smith: Dear Mr./Ms. Smith,
Dear Sir or Madam: Dear Sir or Madam,
Gentlemen: Dear Sirs,
After the salutation there is a colon After the salutation there is a
(:) comma (,)
Complementar Sincerely, Sincerely,
y close Sincerely yours, Yours sincerely,
Yours truly, Yours faithfully,
 First paragraph:
• State the main idea in the first or second sentence
of your letter.
• These sentences should catch the reader’s eye and
get him to react to your letter.

In the first paragraph you will:

• Thank your correspondent for his letter (if replying),
• Introduce yourself and your company if necessary,
• State the subject of the letter, and
• Set out the purpose of the letter.
 Second paragraphs:
It is the main part of the letter

It is concerned with :
• points that need to be made,
• answers you want to give or
• questions you want to ask.
 Final paragraph:
When closing the letter ….

• Thank the person for writing, if you reply.

• Encourage further enquiries and correspondence,
• Mention that you look forward to be hearing
from the person soon.
• Important issues from the previous paragraphs
may be restated.
 Complimentary close
Example: Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully,
Yours truly, Truly yours, (Am.)

• If the letter begins Dear Sir, Dear Sirs, Dear

Madam, or Dear Sir or Madam, it will close with
Yours faithfully.

• If the letter begins with personal name (Dear Mr.

James), it will close with Yours sincerely.

• Leave one line between the body of the letter

and the complimentary close.
 Signature
• The signature block consists of your typed name,
your handwritten signature and your position in
the firm.

• The handwritten signature should be between

the complimentary close and the typed name
and title.
 Name and title
• Four or more spaces should be left below the
complimentary close for your name and title.

• A courtesy title (Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms.) may be

included.

• Omit the name and title if they appear on the

letterhead.
 Enclosures
• Small enclosures (checks, folded flyers, business
cards) are placed inside the folds of the letter.
• To safeguard against overlooking them include an
enclosure line in your letter.
• When your enclosures are bulkier, use an
appropriately sized manila envelope.
 Copies line - c.c. (carbon copies)
Example:
C.c. Mr. Jones
• C.c. is written when copies are sent to people other
than the named recipient.
• put c.c. and list the individuals receiving the copies
of the letter by full name and title.
• b.c.c. (blind carbon copies) is written on the copies
themselves (not on the top copy) if you do not
want the named recipient to know that other
people have received copies.
 Per pro
• The term per pro is sometimes used in signatures
and means:
for and on behalf of.
 Postscript

Example:
P.S.=post script
• A note for additional attention is usually put on
the left, two or three lines below the last line
 Identification Initials
If someone typed the letter for you, he or she
would typically include three of your initials in all
uppercase characters, then two of his or hers in
all lowercase characters. Common styles are
below.
• Initials are to be included if someone other than
the writer types the letter. E.g. Typist Initials
– If your secretary typed this for you
– Dr. HS/ak
 Special Mailing Notations
Type in all uppercase characters, if appropriate.
Examples include
• SPECIAL DELIVERY
• CERTIFIED MAIL
• AIRMAIL
 On-Arrival Notations

Type in all uppercase characters, if appropriate.

You might want to include a notation on
private correspondence, such as a resignation
letter. Include the same on the envelope.
Examples are
• PERSONAL
• CONFIDENTIAL
 Spacing and Punctuation for Business Letters
What is the spacing for a Business Letter?
• All Parts are Single Spaced
• Skip a line (Enter key twice) after most Parts and Paragraphs.
• Skip 3 Lines (Enter key 4 times) after:
– Heading
– Complimentary Closing
What are acceptable punctuation styles for a Business Letter?
• Open
– No punctuation after
• Salutation or Complimentary Closing
– Dear Mrs. Smith
– Respectfully yours
• Mixed
– Punctuation after
• Colon (:) after Salutation
– Dear Sir:
• Comma (,) after Complimentary Closing
– Sincerely,
 PROCESS OF LETTER WRITING
1. Pre-writing/ Planning
• Do a SAP (Subject, Audience, and Purpose)
analysis. Ask and answer three questions:
What is the subject (topic) of your
letter?
Who is your audience? (Who will be
receiving your letter?)
What is the purpose of your letter?
 PROCESS OF LETTER WRITING
• Gather Information to save time of writing such
as:
 copies of previous correspondence on the
topic
 customer records
service orders, and so on.
 PROCESS OF LETTER WRITING
2. Writing
• Most professional writers go through a
minimum of three drafts.
• In this initial drafting, “go with the flow” draft
where the words comes tumbling out.
 When you sit down to write, let the words flow
freely.
Don’t worry about style, syntax, punctuation — just
write. You can always go back and fix it later. By
“letting it all out,” you build momentum and
overcome inhibitions that block your ability to write
and think.
 PROCESS OF LETTER WRITING
3. Rewriting
• In the second draft — the rewriting step — you
take a critical look at what you’ve written.
• You edit for: organization, logic, content, and
persuasiveness.
• Using your PC, you add, delete, and rearrange
paragraphs.
• You rewrite jumbled passages to make them
clear.
 PROCESS OF LETTER WRITING

4. Polishing
• In the third draft, you give your prose a final
polishing by editing for:
Style
Syntax
 spelling
 punctuation.
• This is the step where you worry about things
like consistency in numbers, units of measure,
equations, symbols, abbreviations, and
capitalization.
 Business Letters: Some Common Abbreviations
Why abbreviations in business letter writing?
• Re: ?????
• Attn - Attention
• BCC - Blind Copied/blind carbon copy: it is necessary when
a letter is covertly copied to someone else for information.
• Cc /pc –photocopy: -carbon copy necessary when the letter
is overtly copied to someone else for information.
• aka –also known as
• ref / refs- reference(s)
• UFS-Under forwarding signature: it is necessary when a
letter has to be routed through someone else for
authorization or recommendation.
 Business Letters: Some Common Abbreviations
• Per pro –( Latin: Per Procurationem), A Latin
word meaning, signed on behalf of. It is placed in
the signature section of a letter or memo. Its
English equivalence is ‘For or ‘on behalf of.’
• w.e.f- with effect from: used when you inform of
the date or time when the process or activity will
commence.
 Business Letters: Some Common Abbreviations
• P.S. post scriptum "after what has been written"
• It is used to indicate additions to a text after the signature of a
letter. Example (in a letter format):Sincerely,
JohnSmith.
P.S. Tell mother I say hello!
• N.B. nota bene "note well“ Some people use
"Note" for the same purpose. Usually written with majuscule
(French upper case / 'capital') letters.
Example: N.B.: All the measurements have an accuracy of
within 5% as they were calibrated according to the procedure
described by Jackson (1989).
• i.e. id est "that is", "in other words".
Example: For reasons not fully understood there is only a
minor PSI contribution to the variable fluorescence emission of
chloroplasts (Dau, 1994), i.e., the PSI fluorescence appears to
be independent from the state of its reaction centre (Butler,
1978).
 Business Letters: Some Common Abbreviations
• e.g. exempli gratia "for example", "for instance".
• Example: The shipping company instituted a
surcharge on any items weighing over a ton; e.g., a
car or truck.
• etc. et cetera "and the others", "and other
things", "and the rest".
• Example: I need to go to the store and buy some pie,
milk, cheese, etc.
• C.V. or CV curriculum vitae "course of life"
• A document containing a summary or listing of
relevant job experience and education. The exact
usage of the term varies between British English and
American English.
 Business Letters: Some Common Abbreviations
• R.S.V.P. – This acronym means "Répondez s'il vous plait," French
for "respond, if you please." It is often used on invitations to
parties and special events, and is intended (as it says) to be
responded to with a "yes, we will attend," or "no, we will not."
• P.S. – Means "post script." At the end of a letter, people will
often include a P.S. to include an extra thought that was
intended to be included in the letter, but forgotten. Using a P.S.
was more common in typewritten letters, when you couldn’t go
back and add a sentence in the body of a letter.
• A.S.A.P. – "As soon as possible," used when encouraging
someone to respond to a request without delay.
• E.T.A. – This acronym means "estimated time of arrival," and is
used as a guess for when one expects to arrive while traveling.
• B.Y.O.B. – "Bring your own bottle" is used for parties where
guests are expected to bring their own beverages.
• cc/bcc-
 Classification of Business Letters

As letter – writing is a vast area of communication

and it is not so easy to classify letters. Our task
becomes easier if we lay down certain criteria for
classification.
1. Writer/Source Criterion
• Personal or informal business letters are the
ones you would most often write.
• Non-personal or Formal Business Letters are
written on Letterhead, such as IAA letterhead etc.
 Classification of Business Letters

Writer/source Criterion
• In the mean time we will concentrate on creating
Personal Business Letters, which means you will
put your return address in the heading.
• Personal Business letter:
– Not on Letterhead
– Contains your typed Return Address
• Formal Business letter
– Typed on Letterhead
– Letterhead
• Already contains your return address
• You don’t retype it….
A layout of a letter with Letterhead
 Classification of letters
Business Letters can easily be classified on the basis of their subject viz:
 Enquires
 Credit information
 Collection of dues
Sales promotion
 Sales circulars
Agencies etc.
Credit control
Supplier payments
Complaints
Employment contract
Redundancy
 Examples of widely used business letters (purpose )
Type of a Typical communication
Sender Receiver
letter objectives
Marketing Prospective Increase brand awareness,
Promotional
department customer stimulate sales
Accounts Speed up customer
Credit control Customer
department payments
Supplier Accounts Avoid conflict over firm's
Supplier
payments department late payment
Customer Keep customer loyalty by
Complaints Customer
services prompt action
Provide accurate
Employment Human
Employee information on pay and
contract resources
conditions
Inform, meet legal
Human
Redundancy Employee obligations and provide
resources
appropriate support
 Writing business letter
On Writing an Application Letter
 Standards of an Effective Business Letter
• An effective business letter can act as your
relationship officer (PRO).
• Commercial letters should confirm to certain
minimum standards of letter writing, namely:
 The language
 content
 style, context
 length
 structure
 layout
 tone and purpose orientation of a letter.
These are some of the characteristics of an effective
business letter.
 Knowing What is a Bad Business Letter
Characteristics of a bad business letter might be
any of the following:
• Lack of clarity
• Poor use of words and expressions
• Incorrect spelling and grammatical errors
• Too short or very lengthy
• Too many ideas crowded a into one letter
• Not accurate or factually incorrect
• Fails to convey the main purpose
• Too much jargon and technical words
• Lacking in aesthetic sense
 Knowing What is a Bad Business Letter
• Language used not familiar to the reader
• Lengthy paragraph
• Offensive in nature
• Absence of personal touch
• Lacking in courtesy
• Creates ill -will
• Written out of context
• Absence of relevant information
• Use of poor quality paper, ink, etc.
• Wrong address
• Without address
"Badly composed letters create avoidable
embarrassment“
 THE LAY-OUT OF BUSINESS LETTERS
a) Physical appearance layout
• Letter physical appearance includes: the quality of the
paper, the way it is folded and kept in the envelope, the
envelope itself with the addressee's name and address
and stamping.
• As has been well said, a letter's appearance is a part of
its message.
That is why most reputed companies choose the best
quality stationery and send out carefully written letters.
It also includes:
 Typing must be neat with equal spacing
 Paragraphing should be done.
 Folding of the letter must be neat. It makes a poor
impression if it is badly folded.
 Address on the envelope should be typed clearly.
 THE LAY-OUT OF A BUSINESS LETTERS
b) Stationery: Most organizations keep standard
stationery required for their correspondence.
• The quality of the stationery, the designing of the
letterhead, the layout and printing together make
the first visual impression on the receiver.
c) Letterheads: Letterheads can be got in several
sizes. Most companies have letterheads of
standard size.
 THE LAY-OUT OF A BUSINESS LETTERS
d) Continuation Sheets: A continuation sheet is
used if a letter does not fit in the single sheet of
the letterhead.
e) Envelopes: Companies have envelopes of various
sizes for use according to the size of the material
to be dispatched.
• The company's name and address should be
printed on the envelopes.
• The quality of the paper and the color must
match those of the letterhead.
 FORMAT OF A BUSINESS LETTERS

1. Indented Form
• This is the oldest style and is now outdated.
• In this form, address is in indented style and
every paragraph begins 3-5 spaces away from
the left margin.
• The indention causes the letter to look uneven
at the left margin.
• It takes more time to type because of the
indenting.
 FORMAT OF A BUSINESS LETTERS
2. Full Block Form
• This is the most modern style.
• There is no indention from the left margin at all;
every line, including the date and complimentary
close, begins at the left margin.
• The address has no punctuation at the end of the
line.
• The salutation and the complimentary close do
not have a comma at the end.
 FORMAT OF A BUSINESS LETTERS
2. Full block Form
• There is double line space between the parts
and between the paragraphs.
• Typists find this style as the easiest as there is no
confusion and no time needed for indentation.
Its shortcomings
• This style looks heavy on the left and the right
side looks blank.
• Moreover, when this letter is filed, it is difficult to
see the signature and date unless the file is
completely opened.
 FORMAT OF A BUSINESS LETTERS
3. Modified Block Form
• This style is a modification of the full block form.
 It eliminates the shortcomings of the full block style by
keeping the date and the complimentary close on the
right in their usual position.
• The inside address is in block form.
• The salutation and the complimentary close are
followed by a comma.
• All the paragraphs begin at the left margin, and there
is double space between the paragraphs.
• This is the most popular form as it has many of the
advantages of the full block form without its
disadvantages. Its appearance is modernized and
neat.
 FORMAT OF A BUSINESS LETTERS
4. Semi -indented Form
• This form is also called Semi -block form.
• It has the inside address in block form but the
beginning of every paragraph is indented.
• The date and the complimentary close are on the
right side.
• The salutation and the complimentary close are
followed by a comma as in the traditional style.
 Functions of Letter
a) A Piece of Conversation
• A letter is a piece of conversation by post or
hand delivery. Remember the Swahili saying,
‘………….’
b) Establishes Professional and the Personal Relations
• They are built on the personal and the
professional communication.
• It helps to build the better relations but also
performance.
• Consistent letter writing will evoke a sensation of
an actual meeting.
 Functions of Letter
c) It Facilitates in Learning human mind and
Behavior
• Every letter you write bears the hallmark of your
character and personality.
• Letters reflects politeness and simplicity.
• It also marks in understanding the behavior in
total as every entrepreneur needs to appoint
eligible as well as honest employees for the
growth and prosperity of the enterprise.
 Functions of Letter
d) A Letter is an Evidence and Reference
• The aim of letters is to achieve a definite purpose: e.g. selling
a product, mollifying the injured feelings of a customer, etc.
• It also acts as reference material for future judgments and
conclusion.
• They are permanent
• They are more formal
e) A good business letter is an announcement –it can Make
announcements, share relevant information and keep you in touch
with people who matter.
f) A good business letter can be your Public Relations Officer (PRO).
Block Style Business Letter Components
Modified Block Style Business Letter Components
Modified Semi-Block Style Business Letter Components