Lesson 8: BUSINESS LETTER

In the digital age, written communication remains a cornerstone of professional interaction, and
mastering this skill is vital for success in the business world.

Writing business letters helps students develop effective communication skills.

It teaches them how to convey their thoughts and ideas clearly and professionally, which is a valuable
skill in any field.

Business letters can serve as legal documents in some cases, such as contracts, agreements, or formal
notices.

When properly drafted, they can be used as evidence in legal disputes, providing a written record of
important business transactions or communications.

Business letters helps maintain a professional image for individuals and organizations.

Business letters are a formal means of communication, which helps maintain a professional image for
individuals and organizations.

They convey a sense of seriousness and professionalism, making them suitable for various business
situations.

What is Business Letter?

Business letters are formal paper communications between, to or from businesses and usually sent
through the Post Office or sometimes by courier.

Business letters are sometimes jokingly called snailmail (in contrast to email which is faster).

A business letter is a professional, formal letter that is sent by one company to another.

These letters can be used for professional correspondence between business clients, employees,
stakeholders as well as individuals.

Who writes Business Letter?

Most people who have an occupation have to write business letters.

Some write many letters each day and others only write a few letters over the course of a career.

Businesspeople also read letters on a daily basis

Why write Business Letters?

There are many reasons why you may need to write business letters or other correspondence:

● To persuade
 ● To inform
● To request
● To express thanks
● To remind
● To recommend
● To congratulate
● To reject a proposal or oofer
● To introduce a person or policy
● To invite or welcome
● To follow up
● To formalize decisions

Business Letters

Letters may vary in length depending on the writer’s objective, purpose, and message of the letter.

It is important to remember that any business letter is a legal document between the interested parties.

so, it is important that all information is honest and legitimate.

7 basic elements of a business letter

1. Sender’s address. Optimally, you’ll want to have a 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 4 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).

Format and Tone

- Margin – 2 inches above and 1 inch on others

- Professional Tone – Be clear and concise as possible, use formal language, avoid the use of
contractions, and double-check for errors in grammar and spelling.

Essential Part of a Business Letter

- 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.

Types of Format

1. Block Format - most common layout of a business letter is known as block format. the entire
letter is left justified and single spaced except for a double space between paragraphs.
2. Modified Block - the entire letter is left justified and single spaced except for a double space
between paragraphs.
3. Semi-Block - least used, style is semi-block. It is much like the modified block style except that
each paragraph is indented instead of left justified.

Font

The generally accepted font is Times New Roman, size 12, although other fonts such as Arial may be
used.

if you are writing to a more liberal company, you have a little more freedom when choosing fonts.

Punctuation - use a colon (:) after the salutation (never a comma) and a comma (,) after the closing.
Characteristics of Business Letter

❖ Inner Quality
o Clear - It helps the receiver to understand the message immediately, easily, and clearly.
o Simple - It helps the receiver to understand the message immediately, easily, and clearly.
o Concise - must be concise and to the point.
o Concrete - The message is written must be concrete and specific. By using concrete
language, a reader will have a clear picture of the message.
o Accuracy - no error in grammar, spelling, punctuations etc. Correct personnel should be
targeted for communication.
o Coherent - The message must be in a logical way for the clear understanding of the
message. The flow of the message must be consistent.
o Complete - The message must be in a logical way for the clear understanding of the
message. The flow of the message must be consistent.
o Relevance - should only contain important information.
o Courteous – A writer must always use open, friendly, and honest wording in his letter. It
does not mean that one must use slang and abusive words. One must always add the
words like please, thank you etc.
o Neatness - must be neatly typed or handwritten. Proper spacing, indention, and use of
paragraph should be used.
❖ Outer Quality
o Size of the Paper - A4 paper is the most used paper for writing a business letter.
o Quality of the Paper – One must use good quality paper for original copy and ordinary
copy for the duplicate copy.
o Color of the Paper - Sometimes it is very useful to use the different color of paper for
different types of letter. The receiver can clearly understand the intention and the
purpose of the letter by its color.
o Folding of letter - Sometimes it is very useful to use the different color of paper for
different types of letter. The receiver can clearly understand the intention and the
purpose of the letter by its color.
o Envelope - The envelope used must be of good quality. Special attention must be given
to the size of the envelope for fitting the letter.