Business
Correspondence
Elements of Business
Letters
What are Letters?
• Letters are brief messages sent to recipients that are often
outside the organization (Bovee & Thill, 2010).
• They are often printed on letterhead paper, and represent the
business or organization in one or two pages.
• While e-mail and text messages may be used more frequently
today, the effective business letter remains a common form
of written communication.
Business Letters External Written Business
communication
• From a business to another business or individual
• Usually have a formal tone
• Used when you want a permanent written record of communication
• Business letters are formal paper communications between, to or from
businesses
• Business letters are sometimes called "snail-mail" (in contrast to which is
faster).
Who writes Business Letters?
Letters are written from a person/group, known as the
sender to a person/group, known in business as the recipient.
Some examples of senders and recipients:
• business «» business
• business «» consumer
Who writes Business Letters?
• job applicant «» company
• citizen «» government official
• employee «» employee
• staff member «» staff member
Why write Business Letters?
• To persuade
• · To inform
• · To request
• · To express thanks
• · To remind
• · To recommend
Why write Business Letters?
• · To apologize
• · To congratulate
• · To reject a proposal or offer
• · To introduce a person or policy
• · To invite or welcome
• · To follow up
• · To formalize decisions
Sample
Elements/ Components of Letter
Letterhead
Business letters are normally keyed on
special stationery called letterhead.
Please review the special letterheads
identified on this website:
Dateline
• The dateline the is first part of the letter after the letter
head.
• It should be typed with the month spelled out and the full
year as noted in the sample.
• The dateline should reflect the date the letter is prepared
and signed.
Receiver’s/Inside Address
• The inside address is the second part of the business letter.
• The inside address is the address of the person receiving the
letter.
• The inside address should include the name, PO Box number,
street address and city, state and zip code of the recipient.
Salutation
• Also known as the greeting, the salutation is the hello part of the business
letter.
• Salutations should include a greeting word, recipients title and last name.
Subject Line (Re:)
Like a subject line in an e-mail, this is where you indicate
what the letter is in reference to, the subject or purpose of
the document.
Re: Application for employment as bank teller.
Body: The body of the letter is the message in
paragraph form.
Most letter bodies consist of three paragraphs:
1. statement of purpose,
2. information/facts, and
3. call for action.
Introduction
• This is your opening paragraph, and may include an attention statement, a reference
to the purpose of the document, or an introduction of the person or topic
depending on the type of letter.
• An emphatic opening involves using the most significant or important element of
the letter in the introduction.
• Readers tend to pay attention to openings, and it makes sense to outline the
expectations for the reader up front.
• Just as you would preview your topic in a speech, the clear opening in your
introductions establishes context and facilitates comprehension.
Main Body
• If you have a list of points, a series of facts, or a number of questions, they
belong in the body of your letter.
• You may choose organizational devices to draw attention, such as a bullet
list, or simply number them.
• Readers may skip over information in the body of your letter, so make sure
you emphasize the key points clearly.
Main Body
• This is your core content, where you can outline and support several key
points.
• Brevity is important, but so is clear support for main point(s).
• Specific, meaningful information needs to be clear, concise, and accurate.
Conclusion
• An emphatic closing mirrors your introduction with the added element of
tying the main points together, clearly demonstrating their relationship.
• The conclusion can serve to remind the reader, but should not introduce
new information.
• A clear summary sentence will strengthen your writing and enhance your
effectiveness.
Conclusion
• If your letter requests or implies action, the conclusion needs to make clear
what you expect to happen.
• It is usually courteous to conclude by thanking the recipient for his or her
attention, and to invite them to contact you if you can be of help or if they
have questions.
• This paragraph reiterates the main points and their relationship to each
other, reinforcing the main point or purpose.
Complimentary Close
• The complimentary close is the goodbye of the
business letter.
• Complimentary closes can vary and include words and
phrases such as Yours Sincerely, Yours Faithfully,
Signature Block
The signature block is the writers typed name and
title.
1. signature
2. name of sender
3. designation of sender
Optional Components of Letter
1. Reference Initials/ Identification Line
Reference initials represent the initials of the person who types a
business letter. You can use reference initials when a typist or assistant
types the letter for you.
Reference initials can help a recipient understand that another person
was involved in typing a business letter. This can help you credit the
typist or let a recipient know who to contact if they have questions or
concerns regarding the letter.
KK: pb
2. Enclosures
Just like an e-mail with an attachment, the letter sometimes
has additional documents that are delivered with it.
This line indicates what the reader can look for in terms of
documents included with the letter, such as brochures,
reports, CVs, copies of certificates or any other related
business documents.
3. Attention line
If the letter is going to a large company, an attention line can provide
the bit of necessary emphasis you need so that the letter goes where
it needs to go.
Write “Attention:” and then the name of the recipient (for example,
“Attention: Human Resources”).
The attention line should go two lines below the recipient address.
4. Courtesy Copies
The abbreviation “CC” once stood for carbon copies but now refers to
courtesy copies.
Just like a “CC” option in an e-mail, it indicates the relevant parties that will
also receive a copy of the document.
CC: Mr. Kalemba Kaoma
5. Blind Copy (bc)
The abbreviation “CC” refers to blind copy.
Just like a “CC” option in an e-mail, it indicates that a copy of a letter is
to be sent to someone without disclosing it to the addressee of the letter.
bc: Mr. Kalemba Kaoma
6. Postscript (P.S)
- It serves as a device for emphasis.
- The postscript should begin on the second line below CC
notation.
Format and Font
Many organizations have their own style for writing a business
letter, but here are some common examples.
1. Block
The most common layout for a business letter is called a block
format. In this format, the entire letter is justified to the left and
single spaced except for a double space between paragraphs.
2. Modified Block
Modified block is another popular type of business letter. The body of
the letter and the sender’s and recipient’s addresses are left justified and
single spaced. However, in this format, the date and closing are tabbed
to the centre point.
3. Semi-Block
The least used style is called a semi-block. In it each paragraph is
indented instead of left justified.
Font
The standard font for business letters is Times New Roman, size 12.
However, fonts that are clear to read such as Arial may be used.
Language
• Language does not only imply the dialect e.g. English, that a letter is written
in.
• It specifically means the way in which the language is articulated – Grammar,
vocabulary, sentence construction, punctuation, etc.
• The language used for a formal letter will be dependent on nature of letter
e.g. disciplinary, redundancy, requests for over payment, etc.
• Our aim should be to sound natural, friendly and fluent.
Style
• Style is the way you layout the formal letter. The style will to some extent
reflect our own personalities;
• The choice of vocabulary, sentence structure, etc. will primarily aim to be
understood; and
• Finally, the style must be suitable to the subject e.g. Sales letter, employment
letter, etc.
Checklist
• Does it look attractive?
• Does it cover all essential points?
• Is the information correct?
• Is it clear, concise and courteous?
• Does it sound natural and sincere?
• Will the tone create the right impression?
• Is this the kind of letter you would like to receive if you were in your
correspondent’s place?
