Part of Business Letter

Writing a professional business letter is a vital part of business communication. Written communication to customers, vendors or other businesses is a developed skill which requires practice. Understanding the proper business letter format, the parts of a business letter and practicing writing is key to effective business correspondence.

The business letter is a little more formal that other written business communications such as email, memos or text messages. It is important to know the audience so the tone of the letter can be professional in nature but not overly formal.

When drafting a letter, the author should assume that the reader has limited time and that they are looking for the bottom line and how it relates to them. Make sure the substance is clear, specific and to the point so the reader can make a quick assessment of the letter.

In many cases, the business letter is the first impression so it is important to ensure the content is accurate and free from errors. This includes proofing the letter for content clarity and typos.

All business letters should be printed on business letterhead. If formal letterhead is not available, the name of the company with address, contact phone number and email should be printed on the top center of the paper.

A business letter is a formal letter with :

The Heading

The heading contains the return address with the date on the last line. Sometimes it is necessary to include a line before the date with a phone number, fax number, or e-mail address. Often there is a line skipped between the address and the date. It is not necessary to type a return address if you are using stationery with the return address already imprinted, but you should always use a date.  Make sure the heading is on the left margin.

Example:

Ms. Jane Doe

543 Washington St

Marquette, MI 49855

Tel:

Fax:

Email:

June 28, 2011 

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.

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.

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).

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."

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.

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)

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.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. 

Following is an example of a business letter.

Styles of Business Letters

The Styles of Business Letters (Layouts of Business Letters) have undergone changes over the period of time. In the old times, the style was followed strictly. But recently liberty has been given to the business people to follow their own styles. Although no room was allowed for deviation form the standard form an effective letter during old days, the letters written then was more effective. There are still many business houses which use the old layout. But things have become much easier and business people have taken liberty in their approach towards adopting the layout of their business letters.

Full Block Style

Full block format is considered the most formal of the three styles. In full block format or style, every line is left justified. The dateline is placed two to six line spaces below the last line of the heading or letterhead. The inside address placement varies depending upon the length of the letter. A common spacing is four line spaces below the date line. The salutation is placed two lines below the attention line (if an attention line is provided). The first line of the body is placed two lines below an attention line or two to four lines below the last inside address line. When using full block, paragraphs are single spaced, with a double space between paragraphs.

Block Style

Block style is a letter (usually business letter) format where all typed content is aligned with the left margin and no indentation. A block letter typically contains specific components. These include the sender's name, address, phone, the recipient's name and address, the current date, a reference statement (usually beginning with "Re:"), the subject, and the main body.

A block letter could be used as a template letter, one that is used for all correspondence of a specific nature or type. It could even be turned into a Microsoft Word template, where various components are fed into the document from another source (like an Excel spreadsheet) using macros. This customary when the same letter needs to be sent out to many people and personalized to each of them. In the picture below, is an example of how a block letter may look.

Semi Block Style

A semi-block style letter is a less formal version of a block or a full-block letter with the differences being the sender’s address, date, reference or attention line and complimentary closing. In addition, the signature lines are located direct center or slightly right of center, along with indented paragraphs. The semi-block style is also called modified semi-block because it is a modified version of the block or full block style.

Business letters generally contain the same elements, and these elements are expected in business correspondence. The semi-block style of business letter, with indented paragraphs and off center elements, appears less formal than the block and full block styles, where all elements of the letter are left margin aligned, and there are no indentations. The block and full block styles display a uniformity with the margin alignment, which gives a business letter a more formal appearance. Depending on the purpose and content of the letter, a semi-block format may be more desirable for less formal business correspondence, such as thank you messages or announcements of events. Letters to, and dealing with, smaller businesses with less corporate oversight and formality should use the semi-block style to create a more personalized correspondence than a standard corporate business letter.

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.

Simplified Style

Simplified format or style unlike full block and semi-block has fewer internal parts. This format is also the most widely used format in professional correspondence. Simplified format is focused and professional without unnecessary formality. Simplified format places all internal parts in left alignment; however, the traditional salutation is replaced with an all-caps subject line that is also placed flush with the left margin. Body paragraphs are left aligned and single spaced within and double spaced between. In simplified style, the writer’s name and title, if necessary, are aligned with the left margin and typed in all caps at least five spaces below the last line of the body or message of the letter.

Hanging Indention 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.

This very useful style places the first words of each paragraph prominently on the page. It is useful for letters that deal with a variety of different topics. However, for normal business communications, this style is very rarely used.

The first line of the paragraph begins at the left-hand margin. And the other lines of the same paragraph are indented three to four spaces. This is the reversal of semi-indented style discussed in other page.

Source:

-  www.studyenglishtoday.net/business-letter-parts.html

-  https://www.nmu.edu/writingcenter/parts-business-letter

-  http://thethrivingsmallbusiness.com/what-are-the-seven-parts-of-a-business-letter/

-  http://www.ask.com/education/full-block-style-format-252356b87a70cb84

-  http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/b/blocklet.htm

-  http://www.ask.com/education/semi-block-style-letter-618195736d5c2f16

-  http://smallbusiness.chron.com/simplified-style-business-letter-- 10318.html

-  http://www.effective-business-letters.com/Styles-of-Business-Letters.html

-  http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/tw/TechnicalWriting/corresp/letters/formatexamples/

-  https://okhtablog.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/styles-format-business-letter/

-  http://www.writing-lovers.com/formal-letter-styles.html

-  http://www.effective-business-letters.com/Hanging-Indented-Style.html