1. Word Processing Notes: Business Letter

2. 3.01 Understand business documents.2 A Business Letter is a form of communication used to convey a formal message to one or more parties. Business Letters may be sent by regular mail or as an attachment to an email. Example uses include: −Company’s communication to stockholders −Superintendent’s communication to parents −Bank’s communication to customers Business Letter Description and Example

3. 3.01 Understand business documents.3 Business Letter Formatting Margins – Leave at least.5 inches below the letterhead. Adjust the margins so that the letter has a uniform amount of white space at each margin and is slightly oriented to the top or centered. Format Styles − Block – All lines begin at the left margin. − Modified Block – The date and closure are keyed at center point. All other components are keyed at the left margin. Punctuation Styles − Mixed (standard) – A colon is keyed after the salutation (Dear Mrs. May:) and a comma is keyed after the complimentary close (Sincerely,). − Open – No punctuation after the salutation or the complimentary close.

4. 3.01 Understand business documents.4 Business Letter Heading Components Letterhead (optional) – Preprinted information that usually contains the company name, address, email address, logo, and other contact information. Traditionally in the header but can now be in the footer or even a sidebar. Dateline – The date the letter was written, spelled out, as in April 30, 2010. This is keyed 2 inches from the top edge of the page (not the header) leaving room for the letterhead in between. Quadruple space after to leave three blank lines. Attention Line (optional) – Keyed on the first line of the inside address and used to address a specific person or job (ATTN: Sales Manager) within an organization. Inside Address – The name of the addressee, name of the business, street address, city, state abbreviation, and zip code. Double space after to leave one blank line. −Mr. First Last −Company, Inc. −555 Main St. −City, ST 12345

5. 3.01 Understand business documents.5 Business Letter Body Components Salutation – The greeting (Dear Sir or Madam). Double space after to leave one blank line. Subject Line (optional) – Gives the reader a quick overview of the topic. Key the word SUBJECT in all caps, followed by a colon and the topic, also in all caps. Keyed below the salutation because it is considered part of the message. Message – The letter content. Key paragraphs in single space format. Double space after paragraphs to leave one blank line between paragraphs. Double space after the last paragraph of the message before the closing.

6. 3.01 Understand business documents.6 Business Letter Closing Components Complimentary Closing – The goodbye (Sincerely). If a signature is included, double space after to leave one blank line. Otherwise, quadruple space after to leave three blank lines. Company Signature (optional) – Keyed name of the company in all caps. If included, quadruple space after to leave three blank lines. Writer’s Signature Block – Author’s name and title, which may be keyed on one or two lines, depending on length. Use a double space to separate the writer’s signature block from any remaining parts of the letter. Reference Initials (optional) – Initials of the typist of the letter and sometimes the author. If included, key author initials first. No punctuation is used with the initials. (bc/mw, BC/MW, or MW) Reference initials are not required when the author is also the typist! Enclosure Notation (optional) – Indicates that another document is included with the letter. Sometimes the enclosures are identified. (Enclosure: Résumé) Separate multiple enclosures with commas. Copy Notation (optional) – Indicates the names of other parties who have received copies of the letter. (CC: Ms. Doris Mull) Separate multiple parties with commas.