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January 16

Business Letter Format Tips

When creating business letters, use 8 ½" by 11" unlined paper. Although 24-pound paper with 100+ brightness is a little more expensive, it will make a better impression than everyday copy paper. Use 1" margins on all four sides. Use a serif font such as Times Roman (12 point) or Georgia (11 point). A business letter should be single-spaced and, if possible, typed on a computer. Print the letter on only one side of the paper. Fold the letter horizontally into thirds. Mail the letter in a No. 10 security envelope (4 1/8" by 9 ½").

There are several business letter formats, but all of them can be subdivided into two basic groups: the block format and various indented formats. Although the block format is somewhat more common, (perhaps because it is easier), either one is acceptable. All conventional formats contain the same features:

1. Return address of the letter writer.
1600 Main Street
Springfield, Kansas 12345

2. The date of the letter.
This is usually typed in one of two ways:

(Begin with the day, no comma) 15 January 2003

(Begin with the month; use a comma) December 1, 2003

3. Complete name, title, and address of the recipient.

Use "Mr." for a male recipient. If you do not know how a female recipient prefers to be addressed, it is best to use "Ms."

Ms. Anna Brown, Chair
Department of Linguistics
Right State University
1415 University Drive
Felicity, OH 45434

4. Salutation with a colon.

Dear Ms. Brown:

5. Body of the letter.

It is best to keep an initial business letter short. Business people are busy and do not have time to read long letters! In a one-page letter, you will usually only need three or four paragraphs, single spaced. Use a double space in between paragraphs. See examples that follow.

6. Closing.

The most common closing is "Sincerely." Follow this with a comma. Skip four single lines after the closing and type your name. Sign your name in the space above your name.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Wilson

7. Enclosure.

If you are enclosing additional information with your letter such as a resume or a curriculum vitae, skip two single lines after your typed name and type "Enclosure" or "Enclosures." If you use the plural, you have the option of stating the number of enclosures in parentheses.

Enclosures (2)

Block Format

Type every line flush with the left margin

(begin at top margin)

1600 Main Street
Springfield, Kansas 12345

(four single spaces)

December 1, 2003

(double space)

Ms. Anna Brown, Chair
Department of Linguistics
Right State University
1415 University Drive
Felicity, OH 45435

(double space)

Dear Ms. Brown:

(double space)

I want you to know you have an exceptional employee, Jane Doe, in your support division. Her calm, patient manner was a great help to me when my frustration was at an all-time high. Her knowledge of the software and her remarkable problem-solving abilities are rare indeed. If the quality of a firm's employees is an indication of future success, then Doe Corporation has a very bright future.

(double space)

Sincerely,

(four single spaces)

[Signature]

John Doe

(double space)

Enclosure

Indented Format: Example 1

Indent your return address, the closing, your typed name, and the optional enclosure

to the approximate center of the page (position 4.25" to 4.5").

(begin at top margin)

1600 Main Street
Springfield, Kansas 12345

(four single spaces)

December 1, 2003

(double space)

Ms. Anna Brown, Chair
Department of Linguistics
Right State University
1415 University Drive
Felicity, OH 45435

(double space)

Dear Ms. Brown:

(double space)

I am writing to thank you for the training seminar you arranged, and to especially thank you for sending Mr. Doe to be our primary instructor. He did his homework well, and was more aware of our needs than any of our previous instructors. We appreciate the time he took to study samples of our work in advance so his comments were immediately applicable. We would welcome his instruction again. Please convey our thanks to Mr. Doe.

(double space)

Sincerely,

(four single spaces)

[Signature]

John Doe

(double space)

Enclosure

Indented Format: Example 2

Indent your return address, the closing, your typed name, and the optional enclosure

to the approximate center of the page (position 4.25" to 4.5").

Additionally, indent each paragraph approximately five spaces.

(begin at top margin)

1600 Main Street
Springfield, Kansas 12345

(four single spaces)

December 1, 2003

(double space)

Ms. Anna Brown, Chair
Department of Linguistics
Right State University
1415 University Drive
Felicity, OH 45435

(double space)

Dear Ms. Brown:

(double space)

As manager of our computer department, I commend your employee, John Doe, for the prompt and courteous service he gave us last week. He determined our cable needs and produced a fair written estimate very quickly. Once he started the work, he stayed on location until he had installed all additional computers. You can be certain that we shall ask for him personally to serve our future needs.

(double space)

Sincerely,

(four single spaces)

[Signature]

John Doe

(double space)

Enclosure

From: http://www.writeexpress.com/business-letter-format.html

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Business Letter Writing (from:http://www.business-letter-writing.com/)

"Millions of us write letters as part of our work but few of us know the keys to an effective business letter. Too many business letters are impersonal, longwinded and difficult or tedious to read.

Most writers hide behind tired phrases and an over-formal approach when writing business letters.

When you write a letter you create an image of you and your company in your reader's mind. A good letter should be effortless reading that makes you want to read more. It should be clear and concise, with short sentences and simple words. It should keep to the facts and be easy to read and to understand. ..."

For detailed information,click:

http://www.business-letter-writing.com/

高职高专英语备课资料收藏-Business Letters

Writing an Effective Business Letter. (From:http://www.fayu.cn/blog/user1/589/archives/2005/404.html)

Writing an effective business letter is an important skill for every manager and business owner. In this brief overview we will examine the five main steps in creating an effective business letter. With this knowledge you can quickly amend and personalize business letters.

Main Steps:

· Identify your aims

· Establish the facts

· Know the recipient of the letter

· Create sample Copy

· Decide on Physical layout of letter.

Identify your Aims:
Clearly establish what you want to achieve from the letter- whether it is to win back a dissatisfied customer or to reprimand an employee. Whatever the aim, create your letter from these goals.

Establish the facts:
Make sure you have the relevant accurate facts available. For a late payer, this might include relevant invoices, complaint forms, talks with your sales department and any previous correspondence from the customer.

Know the recipient of the letter:
Write in the language of your recipient. Try to put yourself in the position of the recipient. Read it from his point of view. Is the letter clear or open to misinterpretation.

If you know the recipient, use this knowledge to phrase the letter to generate your desired response.

Create a sample Copy:
Having established your aims, amassed the relevant facts with a conscious view of the recipient- write down the main points of your letter.

Decide on Physical layout of letter.
The physical appearance of a letter consists of the paper and the envelope.

The first thing a recipient sees is the envelope. It is essential that it is of suitable quality with the name and address spelt correctly. Quality envelopes and paper suggest a professional company.

It is wise to make sure the envelope matches the size of the paper. While you will use 81/2 x 11 inches(A4 size) sized paper for the majority of letters - a 4 x 6 inches(A5) can be used for specific shorter letters. But insist that correctly sized envelopes are used for this A5 size paper, allowing you maintain and convey an coordinated image.

Technical layout of letter:
The following elements will constitute the formal outlay.

· Letterhead
· Name and address
· Date

· Reference

· Salutation

· Subject matter

· Communication

· Signature

· Enclosures

Letterhead:
This will include your company's name, address, telephone number, fax number and email address. Include your web address if available. Other information may be required depending on the legal status of your business formation. Contact your legal adviser for exact details.

Name and address:
Always include the recipient's name, address and postal code. Add job title if appropriate. Double check that you have the correct spelling of the recipient 's name .

Date:
Always date your letters. Never abbreviate January to Jan. 31.

Reference:
These are optional. They are a good idea if you have a large volume of correspondence. These days modern word processors made this an easy task to complete and maintain.

Salutations:
The type of salutation depends on your relationship with the recipient. Always try to personalize the letter thus avoiding the dear sir/madam situation.

Subject matter:
Again this is optional, but its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing successfully with the aims of your letter. Normally the subject sentence is preceded with the word Re: It should be placed one line below the greeting.

Communication:
This will contain a number of paragraphs, each paragraph dealing with one point and one point only.

Signature:
The signature should be clear and legible-showing you are interested in the letter and consequently the recipient. Your signature should also be followed underneath by a typed version of your name and your job title.

Enclosures:
If you include other material in the letter, put 'Enclosure', 'Enc', or ' Encs ', as appropriate, two lines below the last entry.

A letter's style:
Previously we created the main points of our letter, now we must transform this into a final version. To do this, four main considerations are necessary.

· Format

· Prose

· Manner

· Accuracy

Format:
There are three main formats: blocked, semi-blocked and indented.

The former has all entries tight against the left -hand margin. The semi-blocked format sets the references and the date to the right margin for filing and retrieval purposes, with the remaining entries placed against the left margin.

The indented format follows the same layout as either of the above, but indents each paragraph by five or six spaces.

Prose:
Clarity of communication is the primary goal. Don't use technical jargon if the recipient is unlikely to understand it. Short sentences are less likely to be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Be precise, don't ramble. Check each sentence to see if it is relevant. Does it add to the point ?

Manner:
Always try to personalize your letters. Always try to be civil and friendly even if the subject matter is stern and sensitive. Give the impression to the recipient that some effort and thought has gone into the letter.

Accuracy:
Once the final version of the letter has been created, polish it off with a final spelling and punctuation check.
From http://www.business-letters.com/business-letters.htm

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