BUSINESS

LETTER
Miah Chinny Cuyacot
Love Joy Lawag
CONTENT
• Essential Parts of Business Letter
• Non-Essential Parts of Business Letter
• Format/Styles/Fonts/Indentions/Margini
ng
• Characteristics of a Business Letter
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WHAT IS A
BUSINESS LETTER?

Business Letter is a letter which is used by

organizations to communicate in a professional way
with customers, other companies, clients,
shareholders, investors, etc. Business letter uses
formal language and a specific format.
Companies use it to convey important information
and messages.
ESSENTIAL PARTS OF A
BUSINESS LETTER
the essential elements is the most important and necessary
piece of something that you absolutely need for it to work or
be complete.
in a business letter, essential elements include;
1. sender's information
2. date
3. recipient's
4. salutation
5. body
6. closing
7. signature
 NON-ESSENTIAL PARTS
OF BUSINESS LETTER

the non-essential elements is something that is nice to have but not

absolutely necessary. It's an extra or optional component that
doesn't affect the core function or purpose of something.

In a business letter, the non-essential elements include;

1. subject line
2. enclosures or attachments
3. formal introduction or acknowledgement
4. additional contact
LETTER
PARTS:
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SENDER’S INFORMATION
This includes the sender's name, title, company
name, and contact information.

The date when the letter is written.

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The recipient's name, title, company name, and

address.
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SUBJECT LINE
A brief, informative line summarizing the purpose of the
letter.

The greeting at the beginning of the letter, like "Dear

Mr./Ms. [Last Name].
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BODY
This is the main part of the letter. It contains the actual message of the
sender. The main body of the mail must be clear and simple to
understand. The body of the letter is basically divided into three main
categories.
OPENING PART: THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF
THE MAIL WRITING MUST STATE THE
INTRODUCTION OF THE WRITER. IT ALSO
CONTAINS THE PREVIOUS
CORRESPONDENCE IF ANY.

MAIN PART: THIS PARAGRAPH STATES

THE MAIN IDEA OR THE REASON FOR
WRITING. IT MUST BE CLEAR, CONCISE,
COMPLETE, AND TO THE POINT.
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Concluding Part: This is the section that comes right

before the complimentary close. It usually contains the
main message or purpose of the communication. In a
letter, it could include a summary of the main points, a
request, or a closing statement.
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CLOSING
Complimentary Close: This is the final part of a
letter or email that directly precedes the
signature. It is a polite way to end the
communication and may include phrases like
"Sincerely," "Kind regards," "Yours
faithfully," etc. It is typically more formal and
serves as a way to express respect and good will.
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SIGNATURE AND
WRITER'S
IDENTIFICATION
It includes the signature,name and
designation of the sender .
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ENCLOSURE
Any additional documents
included with the letter.
like; cheque, draft, bills, receipt,etc.
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REFERENCE LINE
This line is written to link the letter
with previously sent letters.

COPY CIRCULATION

It is needed when the copies of the letter are sent

to the other person's. It is denoted as C.C
Presentation title 18

POSTSCRIPT
The sender can mention it when he wants to
add something other than the message in the
body of the letter. It is written as P.s
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SUBJECT LINE
The purpose of the subject line is to let the reader know immediately what
the message is about. It also helps in filing. The subject line may include or
omit the word 'Subject'. It is usually placed on the second line below the
salutation and centred or placed with the left margin. Typing may be
capitals and lowercase and under-lined or bold or all capitals.
Examples:
Subject: Supply of Construction Materials
Subject: Supply of Construction Materials
Subject: SUPPLY OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
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FORMAT/STYLES/FONTS/INDENTIONS/
MARGINING
When creating business letters, use 8 ½" by 11" unlined paper. Although
24-pound paper with 100+ brightness is a little more expensive, it will
make a better impression than everyday copy paper. Use 1" margins on all
four sides. Use a serif font such as Times Roman (12 point) or Georgia (11
point). A business letter should be single-spaced and, if possible, typed on a
computer. Print the letter on only one side of the paper. Fold the letter
horizontally into thirds. Mail the letter in a No. 10 security envelope (4 1/8"
by 9 ½").There are several business letter formats, but all of them can be
subdivided into two basic groups: the block format and various indented
formats.
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CHARACTERISTICS 23

Simplicity:
A business letter should be simple. It should be written in a lucid (easy) language so that it is clear to the
receiver.

Conversational style:
An effective letter is one that gives an impression of face to face communication.

Clarity of goal
The writer should be clear about what he wishes to convey. He should keep all the facts and figures of the
information handy.

Public relation
Business letters reflect the image of the organisation. All business letters should therefore be drafted
keeping in mind the objective of enhancing the organisations goodwill, image and public relations.

The ‘You’ attitude:

The business letters should be written keeping in mind the reader’s point of view. It should be able to
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Courteous:
The business letter should be courteous. Courtesy implies that the letter seeks favour politely and expresses gratitude
profusely for the favours done.

When the ‘You’ attitude is adopted, automatically the letter becomes polite and appealing.

Persuading
The basic idea behind every business correspondence is to persuade the reader be it a sales letter, letter of enquiry or letter
of complaint.

Sincere
The business letters should be sincere. This means that the letter should be written in such a way that the readers believe
what the letter says.

Positive language
The words of the letter should be chosen with care. As far as possible the language of the piece of letter should be
positive.

Due emphasis
Proper emphasis should be put on the content of the piece of correspondence. This requires logical thinking on the part of
Due emphasis
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Proper emphasis should be put on the content of the piece of correspondence. This requires logical thinking on the part of the writer. The writer should himself
be clear in his mind what he wants to convey.

Coherence
The information present in the letter should be arranged in a logical way. This is done by using carefully the linking devices, pronouns, and reputing the key
words.

Care for culture

All business correspondence seeks to be written keeping in mind the reader’s point of view. As such no words should be used which offends the cultural
background of the reader? The best way is to avoid use of culturally derived words, slangs, colloquialisms etc.

Tactful approach
The writer should adopt a tactful approach while writing a business letter. It can be a direct approach letter, an indirect approach letter or a middle approach
letter depending on the message to be conveyed.

Ethical standard
A business letter reflects the image of an organisation. Therefore all business correspondence should maintain certain ethical standard.

Brief but complete

Brevity is the soul of correspondence. In short the receiver must know what the sender wants to transmit. But briefness does not mean incomplete. An
incomplete letter does not fulfill its objectives.