1. Definition of Business Letter
Business letters are formal letters used for business-to-business,
business-to-client, or client-to-business correspondence. There are a
number of elements to a business letter.
2. Types of Business Letter
a. Letter of Complaint
A letter of complaint will almost certainly result in an official
response if you approach it from a businesslike perspective. Make the
complaint brief, to the point and polite. Politeness pays off regardless
of the extent of anger you are actually feeling while composing this
type of business letter.
b. Resume Cover Letter
A cover letter that accompanies a resume should revel in its brevity.
You should take as little time and as few words as possible to
accomplish one task: persuading the reader to anticipate reading your
resume. Mention the title of the job for which you are applying, as well
or one or two of your strongest selling points.
c. Letter of Recommendation
A recommendation letter allows you to use a few well-chosen words to
the effect of letting someone else know how highly you value a third
party. Resist the temptation to go overboard; approach your
recommendation in a straightforward manner that still allows you to get
the point across.
d. Letter of Resignation
An official letter of resignation is a business letter that should be
fair and tactful. Be wary of burning any bridges that you may need to
cross again in the future. Offer a valid reason for your resignation and
avoid self-praise.
e. Job Applicant Not Hired
In some cases you may be required to write a business letter that
informs a job applicant that he was not chosen for an open position.
Offer an opening note of thanks for his time, compliment him on his
experience or education and explain that he was just not what the
company is looking for at the present time.
f. Declining Dinner Invitation
Declining a dinner invitation is a topic for a business letter that,
if not done tactfully, may result in a social disadvantage. Extend your
appreciation for the invitation and mention that you already have an
engagement for that date. Do not go into detail about what the
engagement is.
g. Reception of Gift
It is very polite to return a formal business response letting
someone know that you have received her gift. Extend a personalized
thanks to let her know that you are exactly aware of the contents of the
gift. If possible, it is a good idea to include a sentiment suggesting
that you have put the gift to use.
h. Notification of Error
When sending a business letter that lets the receiving party know
that an error has been corrected, it is good business sense to include a
copy of the error in question if there is paperwork evidence of it.
Make the offer of additional copies of material involved in the error if
necessary.
i. Thanks for Job Recommendation
A letter of thanks for a party that helped you get a job should be
professional and courteous. Above all else, avoid the temptation to go
overboard in offering your thanks. Be aware that your skills also helped
you land the job and it was likely not handed to you as a result of the
third party.
j. Information Request
A business letter that requests information should make the request
specific and perfectly understandable. It is also a good idea to state
the reason for the information request. Extend advance appreciation for
the expected cooperation of the recipient.
3. Parts of Business Letter
a. The Heading (The Retern Address) or Letterhead
Companies usually use printed paper where heading or letterhead is
specially designed at the top of the sheet. It bears all the necessary
information about the organisation’s identity.
b. Date
Date of writing. The month should be fully spelled out and the year written with all four digits October 12, 2005 (12 October 2005 – UK style). The date is aligned with the return
address. The number of the date is pronounced as an ordinal figure,
though the endings st, nd, rd, th, are often omitted in writing. The
article before the number of the day is pronounced but not written. In
the body of the letter, however, the article is written when the name of
the month is not mentioned with the day.
c. The Inside Address
In a business or formal letter you should give the address of the
recipient after your own address. Include the recipient’s name, company,
address and postal code. Add job title if appropriate. Separate the
recipient’s name and title with a comma. Double check that you have the
correct spelling of the recipient ‘s name.The Inside Address is always on the left margin. If an 8 1/2″ x 11″
paper is folded in thirds to fit in a standard 9″ business envelope, the
inside address can appear through the window in the envelope.
d. The Greeting
Also called the salutation. The type of salutation depends on your
relationship with the recipient. It normally begins with the word “Dear”
and always includes the person’s last name. Use every resource possible
to address your letter to an actual person. If you do not know the name
or the sex of of your reciever address it to Dear Madam/Sir (or Dear
Sales Manager or Dear Human Resources Director). As a general rule the
greeting in a business letter ends in a colon (US style). It is also
acceptable to use a comma (UK style).
e. The Subject Line (optional)
Its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing successfully with the
aims of your letter. Normally the subject sentence is preceded with the
word Subject: or Re: Subject line may be emphasized by
underlining, using bold font, or all captial letters. It is usually
placed one line below the greeting but alternatively can be located
directly after the “inside address,” before the “greeting.”
f. The Body Paragraphs
The body is where you explain why you’re writing. It’s the main part
of the business letter. Make sure the receiver knows who you are and why
you are writing but try to avoid starting with “I”. Use a new paragraph
when you wish to introduce a new idea or element into your letter.
Depending on the letter style you choose, paragraphs may be indented.
Regardless of format, skip a line between paragraphs.
g. The Complimentary Close
This short, polite closing ends always with a comma. It is either at
the left margin or its left edge is in the center, depending on the
Business Letter Style that you use. It begins at the same column the
heading does. The traditional rule of etiquette in Britain is that a
formal letter starting “Dear Sir or Madam” must end “Yours faithfully”,
while a letter starting “Dear ” must end “Yours sincerely”. (Note: the
second word of the closing is NOT capitalized)
h. Signature and Writer’s identification
The signature is the last part of the letter. You should sign your
first and last names. The signature line may include a second line for a
title, if appropriate. The signature should start directly above the
first letter of the signature line in the space between the close and
the signature line. Use blue or black ink.
i. Initials, Enclosures, Copies
Initials are to be included
if someone other than the writer types the letter. If you include other
material in the letter, put ‘Enclosure’, ‘Enc.’, or ‘ Encs. ‘, as
appropriate, two lines below the last entry. cc means a copy or copies
are sent to someone else.
4. Styles of Business Letter
a. Full block style
The full block style has all the letter elements flush with the left
margin; it is asymmetrical because there are wide white spaces on the
right.
b. Block style
In a Block format letter :
(1) all text is aligned to the left margin,
(2) paragraphs are not indented.
(3) paragraphs are separated by double
or triple spacing.
c. Semi block style
In a Semi-Block format letter :
(1) all text is aligned to the left margin,
(2) paragraphs are indented.
d. Indented style
Indented style is somewhat more complicated than other popular styles
of business writing. In indented style, new paragraphs in a piece of
writing are indented—that is, they begin about 1.5 centimeters to the
right of the left margin. Other parts of a business letter are moved
farther to the right half of the page. Indented style is one of the
older formats for business writing currently in use, though other
formats are becoming more popular. Indented style is a format that many
of today’s business people were trained to use.
e. Simplified style
It differs from the simplified style in the sense that the salutation and the complimentary close are absent in the latter.
f. Hanging indentation style
A hanging indented letter style is when a paragraph is indented so
that the first line hangs over the rest. Normally you would see a first
line indent. This is when the first line is moved to the right and the
rest of the paragraph starts at the margin. The most common place
hanging indents are used is on a bibliography reference page. When
typing you can change the indentation by either formatting the paragraph
or changing the page margins.
Reference :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_letter
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5024015_business-letters-definition.html
http://www.ehow.com/list_7535468_10-types-business-letters.html
http://www.icosmos.com.tw/templates/images/files/9789861845586.pdf
http://www.reference.com/motif/health/hanging-indented-letter-style
http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/business-letter-parts.html
