We live in a world of technology backed

communication. E-mails, texts, etc are most of

our preferred modes of communication.
However, letters still have a major use and
importance in our society. Especially formal
letters written to authorities or professional
contacts, because they generally stay on record.
Let us learn the correct format and language of
formal letters.
A formal letter is one written in a formal and
ceremonious language and follows a certain
stipulated format. Such letters are written for
official purposes to authorities, dignitaries,
colleagues, seniors, etc and not to personal
contacts, friends or family. A number
of conventions must be adhered to
while drafting formal letters. So let us take a
look at a sample format of a formal letter.
All business letters should include
 Heading

 Subject line

 Date

 Inside address

 Body

 Closing and signature

 A formal letter must follow certain rules and
conventions.
 Format helps in relaying the information in a
professional way.
 It must be remembered that there are various
formats for formal letters that people follow.
 The sender’s address is usually put on the top
right-hand corner of the page. The address
should be complete and accurate in case the
recipient of the letter wishes to get in touch
with the sender for further communication.
 The sender’s address is followed by the date
just below it, i.e. on the right side of the page.
This is the date on which the letter is being
written. It is important in formal letters as they
are often kept on record.
 After leaving some space we print the
receiver’s address on the left side of the page.
Whether to write “To” above the address
depends on the writer’s preference. Make sure
you write the official title/name/position etc of
the receiver, as the first line of the address.
 This is where you greet the person you are
addressing the letter to. Bear in mind that it is a
formal letter, so the greeting must be respectful
and not too personal. The general greetings
used in formal letters are “Sir” or “Madam”. If
you know the name of the person
the salutation may also be “Mr. XYZ” or “Ms.
ABC”. But remember you cannot address them
only by their first name. It must be the full
name or only their last name.
 After the salutation/greeting comes the subject
of the letter. In the centre of the line write
‘Subject” followed by a colon. Then we sum up
the purpose of writing the letter in one line.
This helps the receiver focus on the subject of
the letter in one glance.
 This is the main content of the letter. It is either
divided into three paragraphs or two
paragraphs if the letter is briefer. The purpose
of the letter should be made clear in the
first paragraph itself. The tone of the content
should be formal. Do not use any flowery
language. Another point to keep in mind is that
the letter should be concise and to the point.
And always be respectful and considerate in
your language, no matter the subject of your
letter.
 At the end of your letter, we write a
complimentary losing. The words “Yours
Faithfully” or “Yours Sincerely” are printed on
the right side of the paper. Generally, we use
the later if the writer knows the name of the
person.
 Here finally you sign your name. And then
write your name in block letters beneath
the signature. This is how the recipient will
know who is sending the letter.
 Write a letter to the editor of a daily newspaper
complaining about the construction work on your road
in the middle of monsoon season causing
inconveniences to the people of your locality.
 E-mails
 Letters and Memos
 Agendas
 Reports
 Promotional Material
 Academic Documents
 Research (scientific) manuscripts
 E-mail is fast and convenient and easy
 E-mail is now the dominant method of
communicating in business and offices
 Excellent mechanism for follow-up or action
item after a meeting
 Message can be saved and retrieved easily
 Always add subject or e-mail title
 Avoid the “ ready, aim, fire, a” approach
 Don’t be too casual
 Make one point per e-mail
 Make the font user-friendly
 Don’t use all capital or lower case letters
 Letters and Memos are the basic vehicle of
business communication
 They should be brief and make a single point
( not more than two pages)
 Letters are for external communication
 Memos are for internal communication
 All memos should include
 To: ( To whom is the memo directed)
 From ( Who is wrote the memo)
 Date
 Subject: or RE:
 Letters of requests
 Sales letter
 Response letter
 Cover letters
 Letters to vendors and supplies
 Memos that deal with employ issues
 Memos that make announcements
 Memos for policies and procedures
 Define the main point
 Define the goal and objectives
 Collect the evidence needed to support the
main point
 Organize the report
 State the conclusion and recommendations
 Title
 Executive summary
 Introduction
 Materials and methods
 Results and discussions
 Conclusions
 Recommendations
 Company name usage
 Shortened words (tht, thru,mgmt, ref, lib)
 Repetition of words (file the file in the file
folder )
 Use of apprehend (&)
 Use of bold
 Upper case
Punctuation
 Use commas to separate elements in a series,
and to separate ideas or clauses
 Use correct punctuation in abbreviations; e.g.,
for example i.e., that is etc., et cetera
 Do not use multiple punctuation marks, for
example:!!!!!, ????, …., etc.
 Hyphen and dash usage
 Confusion between its and it’s
 Use of apostrophe
 Use active voice
 Do not switch tenses very often
 Proofread for accuracy
 Know what you want to say before you say it.
 Keep it simple
 Use bullet points
 WIIFM (What's in it For Me?)
 Call to action
 Edit
 Spell check
 Take 5 before hitting send
 Follow up
 Utilize full potential of written communication
 Use frequent e-mails as per your requirement
 What you write will ultimately define you as a
professional to your colleagues and superiors
 Match the appropriate communication method
to the recipient
 Eliminating excessive or unnecessary
communication will improve your workflow
 Mastering these skills will improve your ability
and enhance your career
 Please write one letter for each type of letter.