1. Personal Business Letters and Common documents
Document Formatting
Personal Business Letters and Common documents

2. Purpose of Document Formatting
Our focus will be to learn how to format personal business letters, business letters, and memos
This is important regardless of your future occupation
These are the rules you must follow in order to communicate effectively,
Pay careful attention to spacing between document parts (that includes any margin changes)

3. What is a Personal Business Letter?
A letter written from a person to a company
Can be used for any purpose that requires written communication from an individual to a company
Such as:
To accompany returned goods
Complaint letter
Thank you letter
Résumé cover letter

4. Personal Business Letter Styles and Punctuation
There are 2 acceptable letter styles in business:
Block style – all lines in the letter begin at the left margin (no tabbing or indenting)
Modified block style – date line, complimentary closing and writer’s identification begin at midpoint
Semi-modified block style - date line, complimentary closing and writer’s identification begin at midpoint and all body paragraphs are indented (or tabbed over) ½”

5. Letter Punctuation Mixed punctuation Open punctuation
there will be a colon (:) after the salutation and a comma (,) after the complimentary closing
The color formatting guide is an example of Mixed Punctuation.
there will be NO punctuation after the salutation or complimentary closing
The “Parts of a Letter” worksheet is an example of this style.

6. What is a Business Letter?
Represents a company not an individual
Usually prepared on company letterhead
Company letterhead is official company stationery that often contains a logo along with the name, address, phone and fax number

7. What are the differences between a Personal Business and Business Letter?
Writer’s company name and address should appear in the letterhead, so there is no need to type it again at the bottom of the letter
Writer’s business title is usually keyed under the name
Reference initials are added a DS (press Enter 2 times) after the Writer’s ID –
These initials are of the person who types the letter
Used to easily locate who typed the letter
Enclosure or Attachment notations are added a DS below the Reference Initials
This is a special section that is only added if something else is either physically attached to the letter or accompanying the letter in the same envelope

8. Differences between a Personal Business and Business Letter
Personal Business Letter
From a Company
Written on Letterhead
Writer’s business title (identification) is usually keyed under the name
Has Reference Initials
To a Company
Has a Return Address (sender’s mailing address)

9. What are the similarities?
Both are Formal Business Documents
Margins (All top margins are 2”, Side – 1” or default)
Parts of the Letter - Dateline, Salutation, Body, Complimentary Closing, Signature, Typed Name.
Internal spacing (after date & closing – press “Enter” 4 times, Paragraphs – SS with DS between.)

10. What is a Memo?
Used to communicate information quickly throughout a business or organization
Memo parts:
TO: - to whom the memo is written
FROM: - who the memo is from
DATE: - current date of memo
SUBJECT: - precise, short point of memo

11. Memo Spacing 2” top margin
Each of the four headings are DS (double spaced) and keyed in all caps followed by a colon (:)
After the colon, the Tab key is pressed to line up the text that follows
Be sure to check under Document Examples in Unit 7

12. Report There are many different acceptable ways to format a report
Formatting depends upon the type and reason for report
Examples are:
Academic report
Technical report

13. Academic Report Formatting
Use default margins (don’t change margins)
Change line spacing to double (entire document DS)
Four headings at the top left margin
Student’s name
Teacher’s name
Class or Subject
Date
After the Date heading, key the title of the report using initial caps (capitalizing the first letter of important words) then press Enter to begin keying report
Indent the first sentence in each paragraph by pressing the Tab key

14. Summary In this Unit, you have learned how to format:
Personal Business Letters
Business Letters
Memos
Academic Report

15. The End