The document discusses standard formats for business letters and memos, including the typical elements and parts of each. It covers letter components like the heading, inside address, salutation, body, complimentary close, and signature block. The document also examines memo format and considerations for international business correspondence.

1. Message Formats
Communications in Business
Williams, Krizan, Logan, & Merrier
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to
a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Ch 6 - 1

2. Message Formats
Formatting letters
Formatting memos

3. A. Letters
Used for external communication
Usedfor formal internal
messages to employees

4. Standard Parts of a Letter
 Heading
 Insideaddress
 Salutation
 Body
 Complimentary close
 Signature block
 Reference initials

5. Standard Parts of a Letter

6. Heading
Letterhead or keyed return
address
Date
 Spell out the month

7. Inside Address
 Receiver’s name and professional
title
 Department name
 Company name
 Street address
 City, State, and ZIP code

8. Salutation
 Begins one blank line below the
inside address
 Dear ________:
 Should match the first line of the
inside address

9. Body
Begins one blank line below the
salutation
No blank lines within paragraphs
and one blank line between
paragraphs

10. Complimentary Close
 Examples:
 Sincerely,
 Sincerely yours,
 Respectfully,
 Placed one blank line below the last
line of the body

11. Signature Block
Writer’s signed name
Writer’s keyed name
Writer’s title

12. Reference Initials
Show who keyed the letter
May also show who wrote the
letter if different than the person
who signed it

13. Supplementary Parts of a Letter
 Attention line
 Subject line
 Company name in signature block
 Enclosure or attachment notation
 Copy notation
 Postscript

14. Punctuation Styles
 Mixed punctuation
 colon after the salutation
 comma after the complimentary close
 Open punctuation
 no punctuation after the salutation
 no punctuation after the complimentary
close

15. Letter Formats
 Full Block
 Modified Block
 Simplified

16. Personal Business Letters
Writtenby an individual
conducting business of a personal
nature
Contain the same elements as a
business letter

17. International Business
Correspondence
Each country and culture may
have a unique business letter
format.

18. Envelopes

19. Memos and E-Mail
 Memos and E-mail
 Internal business communication
 Less formal and shorter than letters
 E-mail
 When used for external communication
should be informal, not casual

20. Memo Format
To
From
Date
Subject

21. Memo Format

22. Stationery
 Size
 Weight
 Color
 Quality
 Envelope Paper