lesson 2: business letters: parts and formats hr-tod: english business writing class
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Lesson 2: Business Letters: Parts and Formats HR-TOD: English Business Writing Class. What is a Business Letter?. Business letter refers to any written communication whose contents are professional in nature. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Lesson 2:Business Letters: Parts and Formats
HR-TOD: English Business Writing Class
What is a Business Letter?
• Business letter refers to any written communication whose contents are professional in nature.
• Business letters usually have the same layout styles but differ in their specific purpose and focus.
Categories of Business Letters• Informal business letter is a letter written to a
friend, a colleague, a member of the family, relatives, or acquaintances. It is meant to build bridges and grow relationship.
– It includes an informal and personal statement immediately following the opening salutation.
– It is less structured. It could be a congratulatory, complimentary, request for favor, thank you letter, or letter of encouragement.
Categories of Business Letters• Formal business letter is a form of formal
communication written generally for business or academic purposes.
• It uses a direct objective approach, targeting a specific individual or group.
• It is structured, clear and concise, convincing and ends with a specific objective.
Purposes of a Formal Business Letter
1. To update customers of company products.2. To appraise business associates of various
company reports and activities.3. To build rapport with customers, thanking them
for their patronage.4. To order a particular product.5. To provide sales incentive to customers in form of
rebates, coupons, discounts and other special deals
6. To acknowledge a complaint.
A. Basic Parts of a Business LetterParts common to a business letter:• a heading• a date line• an inside address• a salutation• a body• a complimentary close • a signature line
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• Some business letters may include any of
the following:– an attention line– a subject line– an end notation line– a reference initial line– an enclosure line– copy line
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• Heading is often composed of the
company logo, company name, address, phone number(s) or trunkline. Other information may include fax number, email address and website.
• The heading may be centered or left justified. Other companies may have their company name printed at the bottom of the stationery.
Basic Parts of a Business LetterCentered heading:
(single spaced)Firefly Electric & Lighting Corp.
7/F Zen Offices Bldg.1111 Natividad Lopez St.
Ermita, Manila Philippines 1000 T:(02) 789 1000Fax: 789 1010
www:fireflyelectric.com /[email protected]
Basic Parts of a Business LetterLeft justified heading:
(single spaced)Firefly Electric & Lighting Corp.7/F Zen Offices Bldg.1111 Natividad Lopez St. Ermita, Manila Philippines 1000 T:(02) 789 1000 Fax: 789 1010www:fireflyelectric.com/[email protected]
Basic Parts of a Business LetterUse a stationery with a letter head for the first page
and blank paper for the subsequent pages.
• Date line is located two lines below company heading. The date is written in this order:
month (fully spelled) day and year. Ex. August 22, 2014
Basic Parts of a Business Letter
• Inside address located two lines below date line, consists of the recipient’s name , using his/ her professional title such as Professor (Prof.) ,Attorney (Atty.) Dr. and etc. Otherwise, use plain Mr. or Ms. unless the recipient prefers Mrs.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter
•Beneath the recipient’s name, write his position, name of company or organization and business address.
•The position or title (e.g. Sales Supervisor/ Ph.D.) may be placed next to the name of the recipient, separated by a comma.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter
•The business address should include completemailing address: floor or unit of the building,name of the building, street number, streetname, city or province and zip code. The country is included in international mails.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• The attention line is optional. It is usually
included when the letter sender does not know the name of the person who holds the position in the company or organization. It is placed two lines below the inside address.
Ex. Firefly Electric & Lighting Corp. 7/F Zen Offices Bldg.
1111 Natividad Lopez St. Ermita, Manila 1000
2 linesAttention: The HR Manager
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• The subject line is optional. It is usually a
summary or a brief description of the main content or idea of the subject of the letter.
Ex. Firefly Electric & Lighting Corp. 7/F Zen Offices Bldg.
1111 Natividad Lopez St. Ermita, Manila 1000
2 linesAttention: The Logistics Manager 2 linesSubject: Impact of Projected Price Increase
Basic Parts of a Business Letter
• The salutation is the opening phrase of a letter that expresses a polite greeting, an expression of good will, or other sign of recognition used to address the recipient.
In the absence of attention and subject lines, the salutation is placed two lines below the inside address.
Basic Parts of a Business LetterSalutation tipsThe preferred options:• Dear Atty. Reyes: – if the name of the
recipient is known.• Dear HR Manager: – if only the position is
known. This can be avoided by placing a call to the company and asking for the name of the person occupying the position.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• To whom it may concern: appears
impersonal and use it only when absolutely necessary. The better option would be to use the attention line.
• Dear Ladies and Gentlemen: using this greeting should be avoided. It has better application as an opening of a speech.
• Dear Sir or Madam: should be avoided if possible. It sounds a bit old-fashioned.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• Body of the letter appears two lines below
the salutation. Contents:
first paragraph contains the introduction that identifies the writer, subject or the main point and the reason for writing. It is usually five lines or less.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter following paragraphs explain the reason for
writing, justifying the importance of the main point, providing details and other background information.
the last paragraph contains a summary of the reasons for writing, restating the purpose of the letter. In some cases, the author requests some type of action from the recipient.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• Complimentary Close is that part of a letter
that by tacit agreement and acceptance between groups becomes the standard of usage.
• The complimentary close precedes the signature of the writer. There are 3-4 lines that separates the two.
• It is the manifestation of the writer’s respect and appreciation for the person to whom the letter is sent.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• Two most popular and safest choices for
complimentary close are “Sincerely” and “Best regards”.
• For a business letter, the closing, “Sincerely” stays the same but each person has his/her own signature block.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• The signature blocks are either side by side
or one above the other. • Each person signs above his/her name using
first name only or full name depending on the formality of the letter and the degree of relationship between the sender and the recipient.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• The complimentary close is aligned at the same vertical point as the date. With block format, the closing is left justified. With the modified block, the closing is tabbed to the center in line with the date. • Complimentary close consisting of two or more words will only have the first word capitalized. The punctuation mark after the close is a comma.Ex. Sincerely yours,
Basic Parts of a Business LetterSample complimentary closes
With gratitude, Always,Warm regards, Respectfully yours,Sincerely, Truly yours,With sincere thanks, Faithfully yours,Many thanks, Best wishes,Best regards, With appreciation,
Type – Formal, ImpersonalBusiness Personal
Basic Parts of a Business LetterSample complimentary closes
Type - Middle of the Road
Business PersonalBest regards, Your friend,Truly yours, Affectionately,Cordially, Yours always,Yours respectfully, Fond regards,Wishing you well, Warm wishes,With sincere gratitude,
Have a nice day,
Basic Parts of a Business LetterSample complimentary closes
Type – Familiar, IntimateBusiness Personal
Thanks, With love,Regards, Hugs and kisses,Best wishes, Lovingly yours,Take care, With love and care,Until next time, All my love,See you soon, God bless,
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• Signature line is where the printed name of
the letter writer appears. It appears three to four lines from the complimentary close. The writer should sign his/her name on the space above the signature line.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter
• Women may indicate how they wish to be addressed by placing Miss, Mrs. , or Ms. or another title in parenthesis, before their printed name.
Ex. (Mrs.) Anthea E. DivinagraciaUse black ink to sign your name.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter• End notation line/s- may include one or all of
the following: a reference line – which identifies the author of
the letter by uppercase initials separated from the typist by a slash or colon. The typist’s initials are in lower case.Ex. MBA/acy or MBA:acy
Reference line is also used as a system for tracking letters by chronological numbers, employee’s initial or department codes
Basic Parts of a Business LetterReference line may also used to refer to an information that the recipient specifically requested, such as a job reference or an invoice number.
The enclosure line alerts the recipient that additional materials such as brochure, special or promotional offers, catalogues, advertisement of new products are included with the letter. Usually a mention of enclosure can be found in the letter.Ex. Enclosure: 2 or enc.2
Enc. 2 concert tickets
Basic Parts of a Business LetterCopy line indicates other possible recipients of
the letter. It can either be indicated as CC, (carbon copy or courtesy copy) or BCC (blind courtesy copy) The name of the person or persons receiving the CC occupies one line each.
Ex. CC: Ms. Cynthia Garcia Mr. Robert DewaraIn BCC the names of the third party can be found only in the letter for office files and in the letter for the third party.
Basic Parts of a Business Letter If all of the end notations ( reference line,
enclosure line, CC/BCC line appear in a letter, they are separated from each other by two lines.
B. Format of a Business Letter
A. Heading: Address of the sender and date, using a stationery with pre-printed letter head.
Example:Firefly Electric & Lighting Corp.
7/F Zen Offices Bldg.1111 Natividad Lopez St., Ermita
Manila, Philippines 1000(2 lines)
B. Date line – left justified in block formatAugust 23, 2014
Format of a Business Letter
C. Inside Address: Name and address of the recipient
Ex. Mr. Dario G. Mendoza General Manager Advance Technologies, Inc. 8/F Victoria Towers 1624 España St., Sampaloc Manila 1005
Format of a Business LetterAnother way of writing the inside address: Ex.
Mr. Dario G. Mendoza, General Manager Advance Technologies, Inc. 8/F Victoria Towers 1624 España St., Sampaloc Manila 1005
Format of a Business LetterD. Salutation – the greeting used in a letter or other written
communication.Examples: Dear Patrick: Dear Rudy and Ellen: Dear Dean Carpio and Prof. Jimenez: Dear Mr. and Atty Viñas: Dear Drs. Ben and Cynthia Barca: Dear J.M. Jalandoni: Dear Mrs. Lopez and Ms. Estrella: Dear Mmes. Go and Wong: Dear Messrs. De Guzman, Escaño, and Padilla: Dear The Habitat Volunteer Group:
Format of a Business LetterE. Body of the letter- The text is written single
space, left justified with a double space between paragraphs.
F. Concluding Remarks/ Complimentary Close/ Valediction - varies according to the degree of formality between the writer and recipient.
G. Signature line – where the printed name of the letter writer appears together with his/her position and other contact information. The writer signs above the printed name.
Format of a Business Letter• Three formats used:A. Block Format – the most common layout of a
business letter.Ex # 1. With pre-printed letter head stationery.
Firefly Electric & Lighting Corp.7/F Zen Offices Bldg.
1111 Natividad Lopez St. Ermita, Manila
Philippines 1000 (see other info in Basic parts)
(name of country not necessary for local companies)
Format of a Business Letter2 lines
Current date2 lines
Inside addressMr./Mrs./Ms. First Name / Last NameProfessional TitleCompany NameMailing address: Street # Name of StreetCity/ Province ZIP
Format of a Business Letter2 lines
Salutation:2 lines
Body of the letter2 lines
Complimentary close,4 lines
Writer’s First/Last Name (handwritten signature above the printed name)
Format of a Business LetterProfessional Title Ex. Sales Manager
2 linesReference initials Ex. ACA/mba. Author/ typistEnc. (#) if anyEx. #2 Without pre-printed company
letterheadFirefly Electric & Lighting Corp.7/F Zen Offices Bldg.1111 Natividad Lopez St. Ermita, Manila Philippines 1000
Format of a Business LetterBlock letter format: (Con’t)The rest are identical to the format of Ex.
# 1.
B. Modified block – the sender’s and recipient’s addresses and body of the letter are left justified and single spaced. The date and complimentary close are tabbed to the center.
Format of a Business LetterModified block (Con’t)Ex. # 1 With pre-printed letter head stationery.
Firefly Electric & Lighting Corp.7/F Zen Offices Bldg.
1111 Natividad Lopez St. Ermita, Manila
Philippines 1000 2 lines
Format of a Business Letter Current date
2 linesInside addressMr./Mrs./Ms. First Name / Last NameProfessional TitleCompany NameMailing address: Street # Name of StreetCity/ Province ZIP
Format of a Business Letter2 lines
Salutation:2 lines
Body of the letter2 lines
Complimentary close,4 lines
Writer’s First/Last Name (handwritten signature above the printed name.
Professional Title Ex. Sales Manager
Format of a Business LetterReference initials Ex. ACA/mba. Author/ typistEnc. (#) if any
Ex. #2 Without pre-printed company letterhead.
Firefly Electric & Lighting Corp.7/F Zen Offices Bldg.1111 Natividad Lopez St.Ermita, Manila Philippines 1000
2 lines
Format of a Business Letter Current date
2 linesInside addressMr./Mrs./Ms. First Name / Last NameProfessional TitleCompany NameMailing address: Street # Name of StreetCity/ Province ZIP
Format of a Business Letter2 lines
Salutation:2 lines
Body of the letter2 lines
Complimentary close,4 lines
Writer’s First/Last Name (handwritten signature
above the printed name. Professional Title Ex.
Sales Manager
Format of a Business Letter2 lines
Reference initials Ex. ACA/mba. Author/ typist
Enc. (#) if any
Format of a Business Letter
C. Semi-block is a layout format that is not as commonly used as the block and the modified block. The layout is modified block style but each paragraph is indented.
Format of a Business LetterSemi- blockEx. # 1 With pre-printed letter head stationery.
Firefly Electric & Lighting Corp.7/F Zen Offices Bldg.
1111 Natividad Lopez St. Ermita, Manila
Philippines 1000 2 lines
Format of a Business Letter Semi-block (Con’t)
Current date2 lines
Inside addressMr./Mrs./Ms. First Name / Last NameProfessional TitleCompany NameMailing address: Street # Name of StreetCity/ Province ZIP
2 lines
Format of a Business LetterSalutation:
2 linesBody of the letter (indented paragraphs)
For the first paragraph consider a friendly opening and then a statement of the main point.
The second and succeeding paragraphs should begin justifying the importance of the main point, providing background information and supporting details.
Format of a Business LetterThe last paragraph should restate the
purpose of the letter, and in some cases, request some type of action.
2 linesComplimentary close,4 lines Writer’s First/Last Name
(handwritten signature above the printed name.)
Professional Title Ex. Sales Manager
2 lines
Format of a Business Letter
Reference initials Ex. ACA/mba. Author/ typistEnc. (#) if any
Ex. #2 Without pre-printed company letterhead.
Firefly Electric & Lighting Corp.7/F Zen Offices Bldg.1111 Natividad Lopez St.Ermita, Manila Philippines 1000
Format of a Business Letter 2 lines
Current date2 lines
Inside addressMr./Mrs./Ms. First Name / Last NameProfessional TitleCompany NameMailing address: Street # Name of StreetCity/ Province ZIP
Format of a Business Letter2 lines
Salutation:2 lines
Body of the letter (indented paragraphs)For the first paragraph consider a
friendly opening and then a statement of the main point.
Format of a Business Letter
The second and succeeding paragraphs shouldbegin justifying the importance of the main point, providing background information and supporting details.
The last paragraph should restate the purpose ofthe letter, and in some cases, request some type ofaction.
2 linesComplimentary close,
Format of a Business Letter4 linesWriter’s First/Last Name
(handwritten signature above the printed
name.) Professional Title
Ex. Sales Manager 2 lines
Reference initials Ex. ACA/mba. Author/ typist
Enc. (#) if any
Format of a Business LetterG. Signature line is where the printed name of
the letter writer appears. It appears three to four spaces from the complimentary close. The writer should sign his/her name on the space above the signature line.
• Women may indicate how they wish to be addressed by placing Miss, Mrs. , or Ms. or another title in parenthesis, before their printed name.Use black ink to sign your name.
Business Letters: Its Parts and its Formats: Quizzes
1. Please proceed to www.quia.com2. Select “quia web”3. On the space provided, enter your log in
name, and your password.4. Under “Quiz”, please select “Lesson 2, Quiz
1”5. Follow the instructions on the quiz.6. Following the same instructions proceed to
quiz 2, 3, 4 and etc.
End of Lesson 2