Business LettersWhat They Are & How to Write Them

People Still Write Letters?• “Business letters” are really just

formal communications sent by snail mail.

Why Bother?• Everyday people write business letters to:

– share ideas– promote products or events– complain to / support a public official or business– ask for help– contact organizations– gain internships– help solve problems– express thanks– introduce oneself– recommend – formalize something– request

Organizing & WritingBusiness Letters

Looks Matter

And, while these people may have style or swag,

These folks look better. Their appearance meets the

accepted standard.

Business Letters In-style • Follow the age-old, established

format.• Use formal language.• Be short and precise. • Your purpose should be clear and to-

the-point.• Pay attention to punctuation,

spacing, spelling, etc.

Business Letters In-style Cont’d• Use plain, white, 8 ½ by 11 paper.• Arial and Times New Roman are

appropriate fonts to use.– No matter how nice you think Comic Sans

looks!• Use 10-12 point font.• When mailing, be sure to trifold your

letter before putting it in the envelope.

Anatomy of aBusiness Letter

Parts of a Business Letter(in order from top to bottom)

• Heading– Sender’s address– Date– Inside address/ Recipient’s address

• Salutation• Body• Closing• Signature• Initials, Enclosures, Copies

Everything is LEFT justified!

• Hint, you’re the sender.• If I’m sending it, what do I include

my address? • What should it look like?

123 Main St. <- but use your streetWest Seneca, NY 14224 <- but use your city

• Why is my name missing?

Sender’s Address

• Used to indicated the date the letter was written.

• What should it look like? September 10, 2014 <- but use

your date

Date

• This is the recipient’s address• Include a name• Include that individual’s title (Mr.,

Mrs., Ms., Dr., Honorable, Senator)• What should it look like?

Mrs. Skotnicki <- left-justify every line3330 Seneca St.West Seneca, NY 14057

Inside Address

• Use the same name as the inside address, including the title followed by a colon.

• Do not address the person by their first name (Dear Lucy).

• What does this look like? Dear Mrs. Skotnicki: <- notice the colon

• If you do not know the gender of the recipient, use their first and last names.Dear Pat Tronolone:

Salutation (the greeting)

• Single space your letter.• Left justify every paragraph. Do not

indent!• Separate paragraphs with a single

blank line.• What will this look like? – See the next slide.

The Body: Formatting

• The first paragraph– Be friendly. Introduce yourself.– Be concise and get right to your main point.– Clearly establish your purpose for writing.

• The second paragraph– Justify the importance of your main point.

• The third+ paragraph(s)– Continue justification of your main point with

background information and supporting details.• The closing paragraph

– Restate the purpose of the letter and (if necessary) request some kind of action.

The Body: Content

• Begin at the same vertical point as your date.• Separate from the last body paragraph with one

blank line.• Capitalize the first letter and leave four blank

lines between the closing and your name.• What does this look like?

Sincerely, <- 4 blank lines<- your signature here

Joe Student

Closing

Enclosures• If you’re sending something with your

letter (a resume, a brochure, etc.), be sure to point it out professionally.

• Skip a line after your name and type the word “Enclosure” or “Encl.” before the name of your attachment.

• What does this look like?Joe Student

Encl. Traffic Light Diagrams

Copies• If you’re sending your letter to more

than one person, you must make them aware. (Think “cc” on an e-mail.)

• What does this look like?Joe Student

Encl. Traffic Light Diagramscc: Mr. Brinker, Principal

The Business Letter: A Visual

What’s missing from this image?

• Sebranek, Patrick, Dave Kemper, and Verne Meyer. Writer’s Inc: A Student Handbook for Writing and Learning. Wilmington, Massachusetts: Write Source. 2001. Print.

• "Writing The Basic Business Letter." Purdue OWL: Basic Business Letters. Purdue University. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.

Sources