Business letters can be explored by analyzing the following topics: - What is business writing? Types of business letter formats. Organization of business writing. Common style considerations. Writing the basic business letter Parts of a business letter Format and font Revising Best practices Examples

1. BUSINESS LETTERS
Kumar Nalinaksh
75771
Master of Management (Business Management)
Wyzsza Szkola Menedzerska W Warszawie
kumarnalinaksh21@gmail.com

2. Index
Business letters can be explored by analyzing the following topics: -
1. What is business writing?
2. Types of business letter formats.
3. Organization of business writing.
4. Common style considerations.
5. Writing the basic business letter
a) Parts of a business letter
b) Format and font
6. Revising
7. Best practices
8. Examples
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3. BUSINESS WRITING
• Refers to professional communication.
• Includes genres such as application letters, emails, memos, policy recommendations,
advertisements and press releases.
• Purpose, audience, and relationship dynamics are considered for making effective
stylistic choices.
• Ensure that writing should communicates effectively, efficiently, and succinctly.
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4. BUSINESS WRITING
Who is your audience?
For effective communication we need to consider our audience, their needs and how we can address them. The following
questions help us understand the thought process: -
1. What are the priorities and expectations of the audience?
2. What does the audience need to learn from our document?
3. How will we grasp the attention of readers?
4. How will we help our reader move through our document efficiently (bulleted lists, visuals, boldface, and section
headers)?
5. What does our audience needs to know the most?
6. Do we satisfy their expectations, or do we surprise them with a new idea?
7. How will stakeholders, customers, or employees respond to bad news? Is there a need to spin bad information with a
positive outlook?
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5. BUSINESS WRITING
What is your purpose?
Purpose of writing impact the writing style as well. It can be ascertained by analyzing
the following questions before starting: -
1. What type of document is it?
2. What is the general length of the document?
3. How is the document organized?
4. How long are the paragraphs or sections?
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6. TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTERS
1. Cover letters : Describe what is enclosed and provide a description of what the receiver should do with it.
2. Thank you letters : These are used for networking and relationship building.
3. Complaint letters : Suggest how the receiver of the letter might correct the situation.
4. Adjustment letters : This is a response to a complaint letter, key is to be humble and to offer potential solutions.
5. Bad news letters : To remind the receiver about what actually works in your business relationship before breaking the bad news to him or her.
6. Acknowledgment letters : Acknowledging receipt of an item from someone, or that you are aware of a fact or error they pointed out.
7. Memos : Spread important news and directives inside a company.
8. Congratulatory letters : Describe what motivated you to send a congratulations and the positive feedback that you have already heard.
9. Response letters : This is about explaining or listing off how a request was fulfilled.
10. Letter of request : Asking for help without groveling or being overly emotional.
11. Sales letters : Receiver reads and discovers the benefits of whatever you are selling.
12. Resignation letters : This is about giving notice that you are leaving a position, providing a last day of employment, and explaining what is causing you to leave.
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7. HOW IS BUSINESS WRITING ORGANIZED?
A common organizational pattern used across genres in business writing is OABC: Opening,
Agenda, Body, and Closing: -
1. Opening: It lets the reader know why you are communicating with them and why is the
information important.
2. Agenda: It is like a roadmap for the document.
3. Body: This section is often the longest part as we make our main points and communicate
the overall message to the reader.
4. Closing: Reiterate the main points and include any follow-up actions.
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8. COMMON STYLE CONSIDERATIONS
Following style elements helps in prioritizing clear and concise communication: -
• Active voice. It refers to a sentence structure that places the actor of the sentence as its grammatical
subject. It comes across as clearer, more direct, and more concise than passive voice.
• Jargon. Readers prefer plain, straightforward language over jargon as it allows them to read your
writing quickly without misunderstandings.
• Tone. While business writing should be clear and concise, “concise” does not necessarily mean
“blunt.”
E.g.
“Nobody liked your project idea, so we are not going to give you any funding.”
“After carefully reviewing this proposal, we have decided to prioritize other projects this quarter.”
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9. WRITING THE BASIC BUSINESS LETTER
Parts Of A Business Letter
1. Sender's address
a) The sender's address usually is included in letterhead.
b) In absence of letterhead, include the sender's address at the top of the letter one line above the date.
c) Do not write the sender's name or title, as it is included in the letter's closing.
d) Include only the street address, city, and zip code.
2. Date
a) Use the date the letter was finished in the date line.
b) Write out the month, day and year two inches from the top of the page.
c) Depending on letter format, either left justify the date or tab to the center point and type the date.
d) In the latter case, include the sender's address in letterhead, rather than left-justified.
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10. WRITING THE BASIC BUSINESS LETTER
Parts Of A Business Letter
3. Inside address
a) The inside address is the recipient's address.
b) Include a personal title such as Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Dr.
c) If you are unsure of a woman's preference in being addressed, use Ms.
d) U.S. Post Office Format is to be used for writing the address.
e) The inside address begins one line below the date.
f) It should be left justified, no matter which format you are using.
4. Salutation
a) Use the same name as the inside address, including the personal title.
b) If you know the person use only the first name in the salutation else use the personal title and last/family name
followed by a colon.
c) It is also acceptable to use the full name in a salutation if you cannot determine gender.
d) Leave one line blank after the salutation.
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11. WRITING THE BASIC BUSINESS LETTER
Parts Of A Business Letter
5. Body
a) For block and modified block formats, single space and left justify each paragraph in the body of the letter.
b) Leave a blank line between each paragraph.
c) Consider a friendly opening and then a statement of the main point.
d) The next paragraph should begin justifying the importance of the main point.
e) In the next few paragraphs, continue justification with background information and supporting details.
f) The closing paragraph should restate the purpose of the letter and, in some cases, request some type of action.
6. Closing
a) The closing begins at the same vertical point as your date and one line after the last body paragraph.
b) Capitalize the first word only (for example: Thank you).
c) Leave four lines between the closing and the sender's name for a signature.
d) If a colon follows the salutation, a comma should follow the closing; otherwise, there is no punctuation after the
closing.
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12. WRITING THE BASIC BUSINESS LETTER
Parts Of A Business Letter
7. Enclosures
a) Indicate any enclosed documents along with the letter.
b) It is done by typing Enclosures below the closing.
8. Typist initials
a) Typist initials are used to indicate the person who typed the letter.
b) If you typed the letter yourself, omit the typist initials.
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13. WRITING THE BASIC BUSINESS LETTER
A Note About Format
1. Block format
a) The most common layout of a business letter.
b)The entire letter is left justified and single spaced except for a double space between paragraphs.
2. Modified block
a) The body of the letter and the sender's and recipient's addresses are left justified and single-spaced.
b) However, for the date and closing, tab to the center point and begin to type.
3. Semi-block
a) It is the least used style.
b) It is much like the modified block style except that each paragraph is indented instead of left justified.
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14. WRITING THE BASIC BUSINESS LETTER
A Note About Font
a) Important factor in the readability of a letter is the font.
b) The generally accepted font is Times New Roman, size 12.
c) Other fonts such as Arial may also be used.
d) If you are writing to a conservative company, you may want to use Times New Roman.
e) However, if you are writing to a more liberal company, you have a little more freedom when choosing fonts.
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15. REVISING
1. A useful strategy for revising a piece of business writing is to use the acronym CLOUD: Coherence, Length,
Organization, Unity, and Development. Going through the CLOUD acronym, you can ask yourself questions like:
a) How coherent is each individual component of your document?
b) Does each component follow length guidelines ?
c) Is the information clearly organized?
d) How unified is the message conveyed by all of the components taken together?
e) Are your ideas fully-developed, or might your reader find themselves with any important questions?
2. Solicitate feedback from another person to ensure your draft is clear and your ideas are fully-developed.
3. Proofread to identify errors and to assess the tone of your document.
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16. BEST PRACTICES
1. Focus on lucidity or clarity.
2. Short sentences are best
3. Avoid the latest jargon.
4. Use correct grammatical structure.
5. Insert a call for action
6. Focus on correct genders, names and titles.
7. Use courtesy.
8. Your signature should include your contact information
9. Proofread your work
10. Confirm whenever possible.
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17. EXAMPLE
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21. Sources
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• Purdue Writing Lab. (n.d.). The basic business letter. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/professional_technical_writing/basic_business_letters/index.html
• Business writing – The writing center. (2021, February 22). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved March 28,
2021, from https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/business-letters/
• Writing an effective business letter. (2018, July 30). Xerox. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.xerox.com/en-
us/small-business/tips/business-letter
• Business letter formats. (2020, January 17). Small Biz Ahead. Retrieved March 28, 2021,
from https://sba.thehartford.com/business-management/marketing/business-letter-formats/
• 25 best practices for better business writing. (2021, March 27). The Biz Coach. Retrieved March 28, 2021,
from https://bizcoachinfo.com/archives/6493

22. The End!
In case of any further queries or concerns feel free to reach out
at
kumarnalinaksh21@gmail.com
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