THE BUSINESS

CORRESPONDENCE
AND BUSINESS
LETTER WRITING
SMP3: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
WEEK 13
CORRESPONDENCE AND BUSINESS LETTER WRITING

● Writing for a business audience is usually quite different than writing in the humanities, social sciences, or
other academic disciplines. Business writing strives to be crisp and succinct rather than evocative or creative;
it stresses specificity and accuracy. This distinction does not make business writing superior or inferior to
other styles. Rather, it reflects the unique purpose and considerations involved when writing in a business
context.

● When you write a business document, you must assume that your audience has limited time in which to read
it and is likely to skim. Your readers have an interest in what you say insofar as it affects their working world.
They want to know the “bottom line”: the point you are making about a situation or problem and how they
should respond.

● Business writing varies from the conversational style often found in email messages to the more formal,
legalistic style found in contracts. A style between these two extremes is appropriate for the majority of
memos, emails, and letters. Writing that is too formal can alienate readers, and an attempt to be overly casual
may come across as insincere or unprofessional. In business writing, as in all writing, you must know your
audience.

● In most cases, the business letter will be the first impression that you make on someone. Though business
writing has become less formal over time, you should still take great care that your letter’s content is clear and
that you have proofread it carefully.
HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS LETTER: 6 TIPS

1. What’s your point? State it clearly and concisely.

A good business letter does not ramble on; it supplies all pertinent information in a
clear and concise manner. Your sentences should be no longer than 2 ½ lines.
The complete letter should still fit easily on one side of an 8 1/2” x 11 sheet of
paper.

2. State your purpose in the opening sentence.

Many professionals skim their mail quickly. They rarely read each letter
slowly. Therefore, it is necessary to state your purpose in the opening sentence of
the letter. It is also best to use active voice instead of passive voice.
HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS LETTER: 6 TIPS

3. Use a formal tone.

Remember that the tone of a business letter should be formal, not conversational
English. Do not crowd too many ideas into one sentence or the reader will
become lost in the tangle of words. After skimming the first few sentences, an
interested reader will slow down and read a well-written letter more closely.

4. Correct spelling and grammatical errors.

Readers and skimmers notice spelling and grammatical mistakes, so spell- and
grammar-check your document. Remember, however, that a spell check will not
help if you spell the word correctly but use it incorrectly. For example, the words
“affect” and “effect” are often mistakenly interchanged. Consult a dictionary if you
are unsure of your word usage.
HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS LETTER: 6 TIPS

5. Reread your letter.

Many people write an important letter, print it out and mail it without further
consideration. If possible, let your finished letter sit on the computer for an hour or
two, and then reread closely. You may be surprised at the number of simple
mistakes you will find.

6. Get a second opinion.

If you have a competent friend who is willing to help you, have him or her read the
letter silently, or you can read the letter out loud and ask for his or her comments.
Even if you are alone, reading the letter out loud will prove useful as you process
the information in a different way.
 PARTS OF A
FORMAL LETTER
01 HEADING – the heading gives
your correct address but not
your name. The date is part of
the heading. When giving the
address, write out words like
“street”. “avenue”, “road”,
“circle”, “east”, “west”. Be
complete if the address includes
a specific department, postal
drop, or building’s name, state it.
 02
LETTERHEAD – most
organizations have letterhead
stationery printed for use by their
employees. If none is available
and you expect to write many
letters, try to get some printed. A
good letterhead contains the
company name, mailing address,
and telephone number. It may
also include logo or symbol of the
organization. If you have to write
letters without a letterhead, give
only your mailing address.
03
DATELINE – two spaces
below the letterhead, type
the dateline. You may either
type it to the end at the right
margin or center it below the
letterhead. Give the current
date.
INSIDE ADDRESS – four to eight
04
spaces below the dateline put the
name and mailing address of your
reader. In long letters use four spaces;
in shorter letters use eight or even ten.
The inside address consists of three,
four or five lines, each beginning at the
left margin. On the first line goes the
name of the reader’s department or
division, if you have this information.
The third line contains the name of the
organization, followed by the street
address on the fourth; and the city,
state and zip code on the fifth. Double
check the inside address for accuracy.
 SUBJECT LINE – modern usage often
05 refers a subject line, but it is not
required. The main benefit of the line is
to allow people to file or locate letters
easily. It also eliminates the awkward
beginning, “With reference to your
phone call of Tuesday, February 25,
20XX,…”
Begin subject line with either “Subject”
or “Re:” and be specific in reference.

Re: Order Problems (The reference is

too broad and not useful)
Re: Gear breakage #879; Shipped
3/18/XX (The reference is specific and
useful)
 06

SALUTATION – Flush to the

left margin, two lines below
the inside address, write the
salutation. If the letter is
addressed to an individual,
“Dear M.X” “Dear Miss X” or
“Dear Mrs. X”, will do.
07
BODY – two lines below the
salutation, begin the body.
You may start each new
paragraph on the left margin
or after indenting five spaces.
If you indent, you must also
indent the first line of every
other paragraph.
 08

COMPLEMENTARY CLOSE
– two lines below the end of
the body and five spaces to
the right of the center of the
page, put the complementary
close.
 SIGNATURE – Skip four spaces
09 directly below the complementary
close and type your name. Use
your business name, which may
or may not include your middle
name. Type your name four lines
beneath the complementary
close. Do not precede the name
with a title such as M.D or Ph. D.
If you wish to include a title, type
it beneath your name. a married
woman should use her own last
name, not her husband’s.
09
Sign above your typed name.
Write naturally and clearly. Avoid
colored ink, flair pens, and fancy
handwriting. Read the letter
before you sign it. Your signature
indicates approval. Do not sign
letters that have errors or look
messy. The letter you send
reflects the care you take in your
work.
 10

IDENTIFICATION – When
someone other than you
prepares the letter, n
identification line is used. The
writer’s initials appear first in
capitals; the typist’s flow in
small case (WAS;jmc)
11
ENCLOSURE – In technical
correspondence, people like to
know they received all that was
sent. If you enclose two pieces of
separate information along with
the letter, you may want to use an
enclosure line. Formats vary for
identifying enclosures. Some
possibilities follow:
ENCLOSURE

Enclosure: (The number and subject and the enclosure are not identified)
Enclosures 2: (The reader knows to expect two enclosures)

Enclosures: Woolrey Abstract

Drilling Permit #19876
(The reader expects two enclosures and
knows specifically what they are.)
 12

COPY LINE – No one wants

to be surprised to learn that
someone else received a
copy of a letter to him or her.
Always list those people to
whom you sent copies of the
letter.
 COMMON
STYLES/LAYOUT
OF LETTERS
BLOCK
 SEMI-
BLOCK
 FULL -
BLOCKED
INQUIRIES AND REQUEST LETTERS

Inquiries from prospects usually seek information regarding

the product manufactured, service rendered, prices or quotations,
terms, catalogs, and the like. Inquiries from those who cannot be
regarded as immediate prospects usually seek information
regarding the firm’s policies (sales, credit, collection, personnel
and accounting methods).
In writing this letter, the following will be your guide:

1. State the reason of inquiry.

2. Explain the details of the specific information needed
and their possible uses.
3. State the specific course of action you may expect
from the reader. Close courteously.
POINTS TO CONSIDER

• Inquiries may be sales possibilities or without sale possibilities.

• Inquiries with sales possibilities are usually based on
advertisements and sales promotions. They are inquiries
about prices, catalogs, samples and pamphlets, or terms of
payment. On the other hand, inquiries without sales
possibilities are usually about policies, methods or practices of
a particular line of business.
EXAMPLE OF A
LETTER OF
INQUIRY
 EXAMPLE OF A
REQUEST LETTER
 Thanks!
END OF PRESENTATION
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
Feel free to message me at:
Facebook.com/maameliza
Eliza.deramos@lspu.edu.ph

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