BUSINESS LETTERS MADE SIMPLE

PURPOSE What do I want the reader to know? What kind of business letter am I writing? ▫Letter of inquiry ▫Letter of application ▫Letter of complaint ▫Letter of regret ▫Thank you letter

AUDIENCE How well do I know them? How much do they know about my subject? How will they feel about my message? What vocabulary will set the tone?

FORM Choose a font that is easy to read. 1 to 1.5 inch left and right margins. 1 to 1.5 inch top and bottom margins. Present information ▫completely ▫concisely ▫professionally Be consistent – block or modified block. Most use 1.25

PARTS OF A PERSONAL-BUSINESS LETTER Heading ▫Writer’s complete address (Return Address) ▫Current date Inside Address ▫Receiver’s complete name, title, company and address (Letter Address) 1” - 1 1/2” QUAD

However… If you have a letterhead, you don’t need the Return Address… 123 Pine Street Oak Ridge, NJ 07438

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)… Salutation ▫Begin with Dear: ▫Use Mr. or Ms. before the receiver’s name ▫Use Dear or Attention followed by an appropriate title, such as Customer Service Department or Sales Manager. ▫Use Dear Sir or Madame or Ladies and Gentlemen. Include BOTH genders for a general audience.

RULES OF THUMB…  AVOID ABBREVIATIONS EXCEPT FOR STATES AND TITLES. (Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc. – FL, NJ, OH)  PLACE A SINGLE WORD TITLE AFTER THE NAME SEPARATED BY A COMMA. Mrs. G. DeGraw, President  PLACE A LONGER TITLE ON A SEPARATE LINE. Mrs. G. DeGraw Executive Director of Safety

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)… Body ▫Single-space paragraphs, double-space between paragraphs. ▫Two paragraphs. ▫Avoid long phrases. ▫Avoid making business letters longer than one page. ▫Heading on Page 2. Ms. Moss 2 or Ms. Moss Page 2 1” - 1 1/2” QUAD DS

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)… Complimentary closing ▫Use Sincerely, Sincerely yours, or Yours truly. Capitalize only the first word; end with a comma.

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)… Signature lines ▫Leave four lines (QS) for your handwritten signature ▫Type your name and title below the signature line. ▫Type the words Enclosure(s) two lines below the typed signature. ▫Sending a copy of the letter elsewhere? cc: PLUS the person or department name. This line goes beneath the enclosure line.

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER (continued)… Reference initials… ▫Tell who typed the letter ▫Double spaced after the typed signature line ▫Lowercase initials Examples: /ged HE:ged GED Sincerely, Mrs. G. DeGraw Mrs. G. DeGraw, President /ged

R E V I E W PARTS OF A PERSONAL-BUSINESS LETTER: Return Address (includes DATE) Inside Address Salutation Body Complimentary Close Reference Initials Enclosures (if any)

123 Pine Street Oak Ridge, NJ October 30, 2005 ABC Company 345 Spruce Street Whatever, IL Dear Mr. Brown: Insert the part of the body of the letter here. The body of the letter should tell something about what you hope to convey. It should also have a closing paragraph in it. There should be at least two sentences per paragraph. Sincerely, Mrs. DeGraw Mrs. DeGraw, Chairperson /ged Enclosure

BLOCK versus MODIFIED BLOCK BLOCK All parts of the letter begin at the left margin. Paragraphs are NOT indented. MODIFIED BLOCK The heading and complimentary close begin at the center of the page. Paragraphs ARE indented.