Formatting Business Letters

PLAN

Business Letter Formats

Planning a Business Letter

Writing a Business Letter

Business Letter Vocabulary

1.

Business letters are formal paper communications between, to or from businesses and usually sent through the Post Office or sometimes by courier. Business letters are sometimes called "snail-mail" (in contrast to email which is faster). This lesson concentrates on business letters but also looks at other business correspondence. It includes:

• letter
• memo
• fax
• email

Who writes Business Letters?

Most people who have an occupation have to write business letters. Some write many letters each day and others only write a few letters over the course of a career. Business people also read letters on a daily basis. Letters are written from a person/group, known as the sender to a person/group, known in business as the recipient. Here are some examples of senders and recipients:

• business «» business
• business «» consumer
• job applicant «» company
• citizen «» government official
• employer «» employee
• staff member «» staff member

Why write Business Letters?

There are many reasons why you may need to write business letters or other correspondence:

• to persuade
• to inform
• to request
• to express thanks
• to remind
• to recommend
• to apologize
• to congratulate
• to reject a proposal or offer
• to introduce a person or policy
• to invite or welcome
• to follow up
• to formalize decisions

Business Letter Formats

There are certain standards for formatting a business letter, though some variations are acceptable (for example between European and North American business letters). Here are some basic guidelines:

• Use A4 (European) or 8.5 x 11 inch (North American) paper or letterhead
• Use 2.5 cm or 1 inch margins on all four sides
• Use a simple font such as Times New Roman or Arial
• Use 10 to 12 point font
• Use a comma after the salutation (Dear Mr Bond,)
• Lay out the letter so that it fits the paper appropriately
• Single space within paragraphs
• Double space between paragraphs
• Double space between last sentence and closing (Sincerely, Best wishes)
• Leave three to fives spaces for a handwritten signature
• cc: (meaning "copies to") comes after the typed name (if necessary)
• enc: (meaning "enclosure") comes next (if necessary)
• Fold in three (horizontally) before placing in the envelope
• Use right ragged formatting (not justified on right side)

Formatting Business Letters

Block format is the most common format used in business today. With this format, nothing is centred. The sender's address, the recipient's address, the date and all new paragraphs begin at the left margin, like this:

This are other, slightly different ways of formatting a business letter, where for example paragraphs are indented or the date is typed on the right hand side. You can see examples of these in the sample letters.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1292