Business Letters (Format)

Group 3
 A Requirement
In ENG 3 (Purposive Communication 2)
Presented to Prof. Mary Fel T. Tacapan
St. Therese MTC Colleges
 Members:
 EMBLAR, Johannes Ray M.

 DIAMANTE, Jhe R.

 DIMALALU-AN, Bryan D.

 DOLENDO, Dave J.

 GADIAN, Klent G.
 Format of Business Letters

Most business letters must include a return address (letterhead or your name and
address), date, an inside address (receiver's name and address), a salutation, body
paragraphs, and a closing.

 The Seven Major (Essential) Parts of a Business letter include:

Letterhead or Heading, Date, Inside Address, Greetings or Salutation, Body,

Complimentary Close,  Signature.

 Letterhead or Heading- A letterhead contains the company name, address and

contact information. An individual may also create a letterhead that contains his name
and personal contact information.
 Date- Date is the day the letter is sent. The most commonly used date format is:
August 6, 2018. Do not abbreviate the month and always include all four digits of the
year.

 Inside Address- This is the address of the recipient. If applicable, the first line in the
address block should include the recipient’s name and title, and the second line should
state the recipient’s company or business. The third and fourth lines are designated for
the actual address.

 Greetings or Salutation- Different circumstances determine which salutation or

greeting is most appropriate. Use “Dear” when the recipient’s name or title is known.
Examples include “Dear Mr. Doe” or “Dear Sales Director.” When the name or title is
unknown, use “To Whom It May Concern.” Always punctuate the salutation of a
business letter with a colon (:) instead of a comma.
 Tips for writing business letter salutations:

 Start with the word "Dear." Although in certain situations it is appropriate to use

"Greetings" or "Hello" prior to the name of the recipient, using the word "Dear" to
begin a business letter is a preferred and professional approach. When in doubt, use
"Dear."

 Consider your relationship with the intended recipient. How well do you know the
recipient? If it is a co-worker, you can address them by "Dear" followed by their first
name only. However, if you do not know the recipient well enough or at all, use "Dear"
followed by their full name.
 Address recipient by job title. If you are applying for a job and cannot find the name of
the hiring manager or individual in charge of the department within which you are
applying, you can start your salutation with 'Dear' followed by the senior job title most
closely associated with your potential position.

 Complete with comma or colon. There are two ways you can close your salutation: You
can either end it in a comma or you can end it in a colon. Colons can be a popular
choice in memo writing.

 When in doubt, substitute "Dear (recipient name)" with "To Whom It May Concern." If
you cannot find the name or appropriate job title to use in a business letter salutation,
you can use the phrase "To Whom It May Concern" as a last-resort option.
 Body- The body is the longest part of a letter and is usually divided into three
subcategories: introduction, main content and summary. The introductory paragraph
states the purpose of the letter. The main content conveys all necessary detailed
information and has no set length requirements. The last paragraph summarizes the
information provided, restates the letter intent and offers either instructions or an
inquiry regarding follow-up correspondence.

 Below is a sample format on what to include your body of the letter:

 The first paragraph of your letter should provide an introduction as to why you are

writing so that your reason for contacting the person is obvious from the beginning.

 Then, in the following paragraphs, provide specific details about your request or the
information you are providing.
 The last paragraph of your letter should reiterate the reason you are writing and thank
the reader for reviewing your request. If appropriate, it should also politely ask for a
written response or for the opportunity to arrange a meeting to further discuss your
request.

 Complimentary Close- The complimentary close is a word or short phrase that

basically means “goodbye.” “Sincerely” is the most common closing remark. Others
include “cordially,” “best wishes,” and “best regards.” The complimentary close can
vary in degrees of formality and is dependent upon the relationship between the
sender and recipient.
 Signature- In letters that are sent via email, the signature is simply the sender’s
name and title typed immediately below the complimentary close. When a letter is
mailed, faxed or hand-delivered, however, there should be a large enough space below
the closing and above the typed name and title for the sender to provide her written
signature.
 The Minor (Supplemental) Parts of a Business Letter are as follows:

Attention Line, Subject Line,  Identification Initials, Enclosure or Attachment

Notation, Copy Notation, Postscript.

 Attention Line- This part directs letter to a specific person or position who will read
and pay attention to the letter. It is often written using the format: Attention: <Name>
<Position>

 Subject Line- This part identifies main topic/business/purpose why the letter was
written. It is often written using the format: Subject: <Adjustment Letter> or with the
use of Re: <Letter of Inquiry>

 Identification Initials-  This part contains the initials of whoever typed the business
letter. For example, the initials, /SSA identifies that Salirick S. Andres typed the letter.
 Enclosure or Attachment Notation- This part contains any attached documents or
any additional material in the mail or envelope. For example, the enclosure
notation, Encl (5) identifies that there are five enclosed or attached documents in the
letter.

 Copy Notation- This part identifies other persons or parties receiving the letter
whether as a Carbon Copy (CC) where all recipients know who else received the
letter or a Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) where each recipient is unaware who else received
the letter.

 Postscript- This part, normally written as Post Script or PS adds personal comment or
emphasis or any additional message the writer wants to include but not able to include
it in the body of the letter.
 3 Formats of Different Business Letters

 There are three main styles of business letter: block, modified block, and semi-block

styles. Each is written in much the same way, including the same information, but the
layout varies slightly for each one. You should pay special attention to the font when
typing a business letter. Even if you do the entire form exactly right and choose the
wrong font, it can still make the document look very unprofessional and even hard to
read. Some companies have a preference they would like you to use.

 Most of the time, using Times New Roman or Ariel is recommended, with a font size of
12. It is important to keep in mind that if you are working for someone and writing
letters on the company letterhead, you are representing that company. Therefore, it is
best to keep personal innuendos, fluff, and cutesy stuff out of it.
 Sample Modified Block Style Letter
Sender's name
Sender's address

 (1 space)
Today's date

 (drop down four lines)

 Recipient's business name

 Attention: person it's going to

 Recipient's address

 (drop down two lines)

 Dear Name:

 In this type of modified block letter, all the paragraphs line up at the left margin. You
do not need to indent at all. The margins should be set to 1-1.5" all the way around
the page. If you are using company letterhead, you will need to account for that in
figuring the margin where the letterhead is placed on the page.

 You only need to single-space between sentences. Leave an extra open line between
paragraphs.

 Sincerely,

 (drop down four lines)

 Signature here
 Add name,
Add title

 [Identification initials]

 Enclosures:

 cc: Name

 Name
 Sample Modified Semi-Block Style Letter

 Today's date

 (drop down four lines)

 Recipient's business name

 Attention: person it's going to

 Recipient's address
(1 line space)
Dear Name:
(1 line space)
In this type of semi-modified block letter, all the paragraphs line up at the left margin.
However, the first word in each paragraph is indented. The margins should be set to 1-
1.5" all the way around the page. If you are using company letterhead, you will need
to account for that in figuring the margin where the letterhead is placed on the page.

 (1 line space)
You only need to single-space between sentences. Leave an extra open line between
paragraphs. Keep in mind that these sample letters are a guideline. People often
customize to meet their preferred style.
 Sincerely,

 (space down four lines)

 Signature here

 Add name,

 Add title

 [Identification initials]

 Enclosures:

 cc: Name

 Name
 Sample Block Style Letter

 Sender's address

 Sender's phone number

 Today's date
RE: what the letter is about
(drop down 4 lines)

 Recipient's name

 Recipient's company name

 Recipient's address
(1 space)
Attention: person it's going to

 (1 space)
 Dear Name:

 (1 space)

 In this type of block letter, all the paragraphs line up at the left margin. There is no
indenting of the paragraphs. The margins should be set to 1-1.5" all the way around
the page. If you are using company letterhead, you will need to account for that in
figuring the margin where the letterhead is placed on the page.
(1 line space)
You only need to single-space between sentences. Leave an extra open line between
paragraphs. Keep in mind that these sample letters are a guideline. People often
customize to meet their preferred style.
(1 line space)
 Some people choose to center the above sender information.
(1 line space)
Sincerely,

 (space down four lines)

 Signature here

 add name,

 add title

 [Identification initials]

 Enclosures:

 cc: Name

 Name
 OTHER OPTIONS 

 If you are using block format, you can place your address anywhere on the letter. You
can place it at the top of the page (top center or top right side), or you can put your
address at the end of the letter after your signature and name, regardless of which
format you use.

 If you are using block form, you can place the date on the left, in the center, or on the
right. However, if you are using the indented form, it is usually better to place the date
on the right or on the left. Do not put it in the center.
 With the indented form, you can put your signature on the right or left side of the
page.

 If you want to make your letter stand out, boldly type your name in a larger font at the
top of the letter and type your address just below it in a smaller font. Example:

 Missy Gold
1345 Main Street
Anytown, VA 22879
 The word processing program in your computer might have some standard letter
templates that can help you. These programs generally have many different style and
format options. Check your template feature or the help desk on your word processing
program to see your options. Some key words you can try are:

 Letters, create a letter, write a letter, resumes

FIN
 Thank You For Your Time Listening to Our Presentation,
Hope You Guys Learned Something.