Professional Documents
Culture Documents
LETTERS
AIDA Formula:
First paragraph Attention
Second paragraph Interest
Third paragraph Desire
Fourth paragraph Action
Parts of a Business Letter
Date Line: current date formally written out as month, day, and
complete year such as May 3, 2016
Inside Address: name and address of the business and person (if you
know the person to whom you are writing)
Salutation: letter’s greeting – use the same name you used in the
Inside Address – using Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss
Body: message or ‘meat’ of the letter
Complimentary Closing: letter’s goodbye – using phrases such as
Yours truly or Sincerely yours
Signature: writer's handwritten signature
Writer’s Identification: writer’s typed name and address
Block Style
Personal Business Letter Styles
Mixed punctuation – there will be a colon (:) after the salutation and a
comma (,) after the complimentary closing
1. Clear
2. Concise
3. Correct
4. Courteous
5. Conversational
6. Convincing
7. Complete
Business Letter Writing Checklist
Keep it Short
Cut needless words and needless information
Cut stale phrases and redundant statements
Keep it Simple
Use familiar words, short sentences and short paragraphs
Keep your subject matter as simple as possible
Use a conversational style
Business Letter Writing Checklist
Keep it Strong
Use concrete words and examples
Keep to the subject
Keep it Sincere
Be human and as friendly as possible
Write as if you were talking to your reader
Do’s of Letter Writing
Use plain English
Write in active voice when possible
Use short sentences when possible
Use everyday words and avoid technical jargon
Use lists to present complex materials
Select the words you use very carefully
Use a strong organizational strategy
Use a reader centered tone
Use a business like, conversational tone
Don’ts of Letter Writing