Business Letters

Business Letters When you write a letter to a friend, the letter can be relaxed and casual. However, when you type up a professional letter, called a business letter, there are certain guidelines that you need to follow. It is completely acceptable to type a warm, friendly correspondence to a business. The key is to do so following the proper letter format.

#1 Letterhead Usually Preprinted Displays Includes a Logo Official Business Name Street Address Web Address Email Address Telephone and Fax Numbers Includes a Logo

#2 Dateline Formatted with date written out Don’t use: Example: April 20, 2019 Don’t use: th, rd, or st after dates

#3 Inside Address A quadruple space after dateline (enter 4 times) Address of recipient (who you are writing the letter to) First and last name, title, Company, address, city, state and zip code Single spaced Include the courtesy title Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., or Professor

#4 Salutation A double space after inside address. (Enter 2 times) Greeting Type “Dear Mr. Smith”. Be sure to use the last name and courtesy title. Do not use the first name.

#5 Body of Letter A double space after the salutation. (Enter 2 times) The purpose of the letter. Should be clear and concise, with more than one paragraph. Single spaced with double spacing between paragraphs.

#6 Complimentary Close Typed a double space below the last line of the letter. (Enter 2 times) May be formal Very truly yours Best regards May be informal Sincerely Cordially

#7 Signature Line Typed a quadruple space below the complimentary close. (Enter 4 times) Name and title of person. Name, title Organization information a single space below the name and title.

Signature Block Signature of person letter is from Sincerely Suzette Timothy Business Instructor

#8 Reference Initials Typed a double space below the signature line. (Enter 2 times) The initials of the typist. Both upper case ST

#9 Enclosure Notation Typed a double space below reference initials. (Enter 2 times) Notation can be enclosure or attachment

Business Letters Block & Modified Block

Business Letters Block Style Business Letter Date, paragraphs, complimentary close, signature line and reference initials are lined up at the left margin.

Business Letters Modified Block Dateline, complimentary close and the signature line are moved over. (To do this tab over 6 times.)

Business Letters Open Punctuation Mixed Punctuation Example: Example Write this on the back of your Letters Notes paper. You need to know this information! Business Letters Open Punctuation Example: Dear Mr. Timothy Sincerely Mixed Punctuation Example Dear Mr. Timothy: Sincerely,

Business Letter vs. Memo Can you see the difference?

Memorandum The term "memorandum" can be used instead of "memo“. A memo is generally not as formal as a written letter. However, it is certainly not as informal as a personal letter.

Memorandum The tone of a memo is generally friendly as it is a communication between colleagues. Keep the memo concise and to the point. If necessary, introduce the reason for the memo with a short paragraph.

Memorandum Use bullet points to explain the most important steps in a process. Use a short thank you to finish the memo. This need not be as formal as in a written letter.

Memorandum/Memo Use a 2-inch top margin. Heading lines ALL CAPS Informational lines are aligned on the left (by using tabs.)

Memorandum/Memo Paragraphs are aligned at the left margin. Typist should key his/her initials at the left margin a double space below the body of the memo.

Letters/Memos

References How to Type a Professional Letter | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4795860_type-professional- letter.html#ixzz1FSumSWlw http://esl.about.com/od/businessenglishwriting/a/bizdocs_2.htm FBLA Format Guide 2010