STIBA Bumi Beringin Manado

Subject: Business English Subject

Semester: 6
Lecturer: Jefry R. Rumate, S.S., M.Hum
Topic: The Business Letter

Experts generally agree that there are seven (7) basic parts in a business letter:
1. Sender’s address. Optimally, you want to have printed company letterhead. Letterhead, similar to
having a company website, conveys that your business is legit. But even if the address is simply
typed at the top, including your address plays a practical purpose, because you don’t want the
recipient to have to look up your address in order to send a response.
2. Date. Whoever receives the letter needs to know when the letter was written. It’s best to use a
standard U.S. format. (Here’s an example: September 20, 2018.)
3. Recipient’s address. Include the recipient’s address so that you have the information readily
available for printing out the envelope. A full recipient address also helps ensure the letter doesn’t
get lost in the office shuffle wherever you are sending it. The first line should be the name, including
any honorifics such as Mr., Ms., Dr., etc. The second line is the recipient’s job title. Their
company’s name goes on the third line. The remaining lines include street address, city, state, and
ZIP code.
4. Salutation. A “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam” is a good way to ensure that your
letter goes nowhere. Find out the name of the person who should receive the letter, even if you have
to do some searching on Google or LinkedIn, or call the company.
5. Body. Time is money in the business world, so get down to business and quickly make your case
or communicate your message. Stay professional, be clear and concise, and quickly convey the
point of the letter.
6. Closing/signature. Stick with a more formal closing such as “Sincerely” or “Thank you.” You
should only capitalize the first word of the closing. Remember to follow the closing with four lines
of space in order to make room for your signature, which demonstrates your personal stamp of
approval of the letter’s contents.
7. Enclosures. If there are additional items to enclose with the letter, it’s best to list them, so that the
recipient remembers what was included with the letter. Include enclosures three lines below your
signature or one line below the typist’s initials. Use this style if, for example, you want to indicate
that there are two enclosures: Enclosures (2). If you want to list each separate item, use this style:
Encl: product brochures (2), product photos (3).
 Out of all of the parts in a business letter, there are two things about how to write a business letter that
can make or break a letter’s effectiveness: It needs to have the name of a human being in the recipient
address and salutation, and the body of the letter needs to quickly get to the point and persuade the reader.

Use the first paragraph of the letter to quickly and clearly state the purpose of the letter. In the second
paragraph, provide the empirical evidence or persuasion to back up the point made in the first paragraph.
By the third or fourth paragraph, repeat the main point of the letter and then close with a call to action.

There are a number of optional parts in a business letter that you might find helpful. They include:

 Attention line. If the letter is going to a large company, an attention line can provide the bit of
necessary emphasis you need so that the letter goes where it needs to go. Write “Attention:” and
then the name of the recipient (for example, “Attention: Human Resources”). The attention line
should go two lines below the recipient address.
 Subject or reference line. This part can focus the recipient on the letter’s actual purpose. Start
with a “Subject:” or a “Re:” or write in all caps.

There are three main styles of business letter: block, modified block, and semi-block styles. Each is
written in much the same way, including the same information, but the layout varies slightly for each one.

Common types of business letters include:

 Cover letters. Sent with a package, report or other item, the purpose of a cover letter is to describe
what is enclosed and provide a description of what the receiver should do with it.
 Thank You letters. These can be great for networking and relationship building. Don’t just write
a, “Thanks for,” and leave it at that. Provide more details about what they did and how it helped
you, and then close with a second expression of thankfulness.
 Complaint letters. The key to these types of letters is to demonstrate that you are displeased
without being over-the-top angry. Suggest how the receiver of the letter might correct the
situation.
 Adjustment letters. This is a response to a complaint letter. The point is to be humble in the
response and to offer potential solutions. You want to avoid burning bridges and instead use your
response as a relationship-building tool.
 Bad news letters. The key with bad news letters is to soften the blow. Being direct is valued in
business writing. But when writing bad news letters, it’s best to remind the receiver about what
actually works in your business relationship before breaking the bad news to him or her.
  Acknowledgment letters. They are meant to acknowledge that you received an item from someone,
or that you are aware of a fact or error they pointed out. Let the receiver know when you received
the package or information, and then thank them for it.
 Memos Often used to spread important news and directives inside a company, the point
with memos is to be fast and to the point with your communications.
 Congratulatory letters. The point with these types of letters is to stay on point and avoid sounding
over-the-top or mocking. Describe what motivated you to send a congratulations and the positive
feedback that you have already heard. Keep the letter concise.
 Response letters. This is about explaining or listing off how a request was fulfilled.
 Letter of request. They key with these types of letters is to ask for help without groveling or being
overly emotional. Take a hard look at the adjectives you’re using in the letter.
 Sales letters. These letters require a strong call to action or hook at the beginning so that the
receiver continues to read and discovers the benefits of whatever you are selling. Make sure to
provide information so that they can easily respond.
 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.

Your Task

1. Find a sample of a business letter and identify the 7 basic parts of a business letter.
2. Create 1 business letter in block style, 1 business letter in modified block style, and 1 business
letter in semi-block style.
3. Choose 4 types of business letter and create your own. Use your imaginary corporation.

“Good Luck”

March, 2022