This document provides guidance on writing effective business letters. It discusses the purpose of business letters as a formal way to communicate between parties. It also outlines the different styles (formal, semi-formal, informal) and key elements of a good business letter such as the letterhead, date, salutation, body, closing, and signature. Finally, it provides important points about addressing the recipient properly based on their title, keeping the tone professional, being concise, and aligning the text to the left.

1. TECHNICAL WRITING &
PRESENTATION SKILLS
(English-III)
Effective Business Letters
Lecture - I
Akhtar Ali

2. Purpose of Business Letter
• A formal way of communicating between two or more parties
• Business letters can be informational, persuasive, motivational, or promotional.
There are many reasons for writing business letters.
• Maybe you would like to write to your local council asking them to provide a family
park, or you might be applying for a job to earn some money during the school
holidays. It is also used for correspondence between organizations, firms and
companies, institutions and various boards and committees. They are documents
frequently used in all levels of government.

3. Purpose of Business Letter
• Students planning to correspond formally in any walk of life need to learn how to write
a business letter. Perhaps you could write a letter to the Editor of your local paper.
• Whatever the reason, your message should be clear, to the point and courteous. Keep in
mind that an effective business letter always communicates with a person first and a
business second. If your letter is a first-time correspondence and you do not know, or
are unsure of whom to address, do your best to find out. Addressing your letter to a
person improves the likelihood of receiving a reply. It is perfectly acceptable to make a
phone call asking for the name of a contact person.

4. Difference in writing style: Formal, Semiformal and
Informal Business letters
• If you're writing to a government official, prospective employer, dignitary, academic
official or anyone else with whom you hope to have a professional relationship, the
letter should be formal.
• If you're writing to your current employer, a co-worker you don't see socially, a distant
or elderly relative, or someone you don't know very well, the letter should probably be
semiformal.
• If you're writing to a close friend, a close family member, or someone you know
socially, the letter can be informal.

5. Business Letters
Letter should be planned and contain a beginning, middle and an end.
We need to be clear on:
• Who you are targeting.
• The purpose of the letter.
• What you want the reader to do

6. Handwritten letter or an email.
• Most formal letters should be handwritten and sent through the post. The
exception is if your letter is extremely time-sensitive, or if you know the
recipient prefers email.
• For informal letters, an email or handwritten letter is acceptable.
• For a semiformal letter, you'll have to make the decision. If the other person has
chosen to communicate with you primarily through email, then email is
probably a safe bet. If you're not sure, go with the handwritten letter.

7. Elements of a Good Letter
Step 1: Letterhead, or write your address at the top of the letter (formal only).
The return address of the sender so the recipient can easily find out where to send a reply
to. Skip a line between your address and the date. (Not needed if the letter is printed on
paper with the company letterhead already on it.)
Step 2: Write the date (all letters).
Put the date on which the letter was written in the format Month Day Year i.e August 30,
2003. Skip a line between the date and the inside address (some people skip 3 or 4 lines
after the date).

8. Elements of a Good Letter
Step 3: Inside Address (Recipient's Address in a Business Letter).
The address of the person you are writing to along with the name of the recipient, their title and
company name, if you are not sure who the letter should be addressed to either leave it blank, but try
to put in a title, i.e. "Director of Human Resources". Skip a line between the date and the salutation.
Step 4: Salutation in a Business Letter
Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. Last Name:, Dear Director of Department Name: or To Whom It May Concern:
if recipient's name is unknown. Note that there is a colon after the salutation. Skip a line between
the salutation and the subject line or body.

9. Elements of a Good Letter
Step 5: Subject Line (optional)
Makes it easier for the recipient to find out what the letter is about. Skip a line between the
subject line and the body.
Step 6: Body of the business letter
The body is where you write the content of the letter; the paragraphs should be single
spaced with a skipped line between each paragraph. Skip a line between the end of the
body and the closing.

10. Elements of a Good Letter
Step 7: Closing of the business letter
Let's the reader know that you are finished with your letter; usually ends with Sincerely,
Sincerely yours, Thank you, and so on. Note that there is a comma after the end of the
closing and only the first word in the closing is capitalized. Skip 3-4 lines between the
closing and the printed name, so that there is room for the signature.
Step 8: Signature
Your signature will go in this section, usually signed in black or blue ink with a pen.

11. Very Important Points to Remember
• An individual's name is always preceded by a title — for example, Mr., Ms.,
Mrs., Miss, Dr., or Col. It's permissible to place honorary initials after the name
of an addressee; in that case, always omit the beginning title.
• Reverend and Honorable, are titles of respect and are preceded by the word
“The”. When using “The”, Mr. is omitted.

12. Very Important Points to Remember
• Business titles are never abbreviated
• When you are writing to a person holding more than one office within a
company, use the highest title unless you are replying to a specific letter signed
by him or her under another title as applying to the subject covered.

13. Very Important Points to Remember
• When you are writing to a department of a company, rather than to a person
within the company, place the company name on the first line and the
department on the second line:
A. Datum Corporation
Electronics Department
120 Irving Mall
Irving, Texas 10022

14. Very Important Points to Remember
• Letters are usually formatted in block style, with no indents, and all lines aligned to the left.
Writing that is aligned left is always more legible than justified paragraphs..
• The correct tone of a business letter is unassuming but confident. It is unprofessional to write
long sentences, or to take a long time to get to the point.
• Personal items, such as family news or casual felicitations, should be kept out of business letters.
• It is not wise to use contractions, slang, jargon, or to use a conversational tone. Business letters
are serious documents often used as evidence or commercial certification.
• Lengthy descriptions have no place in a business letter. Sentences must be brief and to the point,
without embellishment, flattery or extra phrasing

15. Continued in Lecture – 2