Business Communication

Unit – 3
P- 2
Bob Nathanael
Assistant Professor in English

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 Business Letters Format

Parts of a Business Letter:

Most experts agree that a

business letter should have at
least the following seven parts in a
business letter:

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1. Sender’s address. 

 You don’t want the recipient to have to look up your address in order
to write a response.

 A phone number and email address can be included as well.

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2. Date. 

 It should be immediately apparent when the letter was written.

 The recipient can more easily be reminded of when and why the
letter was written.

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3. Recipient’s address. 

 You don’t want your assistant to have to look up the address to send
the letter (or you don’t want to have to look up the address again
yourself).

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4. Salutation. 

 A “To whom it may concern” is a surefire way to get your letter lining
a wastepaper basket.

 It’s important to have a name in the recipient’s address and

salutation.

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5. Body. 

 It’s generally wise to stay professional and get to the point.

 As with any communications, being clear and concise tends to reflect

best on the writer.

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6. Closing/signature. 

 The signature gives a personal touch to the letter, shows exactly who
it’s from and that you approve the contents of the letter.

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7. Enclosures. 

 It’s important to have a list of any additional items enclosed with the

business letter, in case the recipient misplaces them.

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Spacing and Font Formats
 Presentation is also important when it comes to conveying
professionalism in a business letter.

 The rule of thumb here is that utility and readability trump

individuality.

 You’re not sending a letter to an old college friend—you’re doing

business. 

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Here are the spacing and font rules that one generally sees
in a business letter:
Alignment. 

• All proper business letters should be left-aligned.

• The common wisdom over the decades is that such alignment is best
for readability.

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Spacing. 

• Letters should be single-spaced between sentences in order to

maximize space on the page.

• Include four line breaks between the letter’s closing sentence or

paragraph and your printed name to leave space for your
signature.

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Font. 
• The standard font style is Times New Roman, size 12, though
other commonly used fonts such as Arial and Helvetica are
acceptable.

• Readability is crucial when it comes to fonts, so avoid getting

creative and using hard-to-read gothic or cursive fonts.

• If your letter’s body is running out of space on a single page, it’s

better to cut it down than reduce font size.

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Margins. 

• Most experts agree that 1″ margins are the best because they
maximize space, though you may have to make room for
letterhead if you’re using it. 

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 Forms of Business Letters

 To indent or not to indent? That is the question.

 This is really a matter of how formal you want the letter to look.

 For example, you might want a block format to convey formality if

you’re complaining about something, but a semi-block might
communicate a nice, “formal light” look in a thank you letter,
especially if it’s someone you already know.

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The three styles generally used are block, modified block
and semi-block. 

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Block Formatting
Ms. Tanya Smith, CEO
Acme Corp.
12345 Acme Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55410
(612) 555-2368

October 13, 2020

Mr. Oscar Wilde, VP of Sales

NewTech
9876 NewTech Way
San Jose, CA 95113
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Dear Mr. Wilde:

I would like a free consultation about NewTech’s cloud-based sales

management software. Acme Corp. is a fast-growing manufacturer
(20% annual revenue growth over the past five years). We want to
continue to grow, and NewTech’s software seems like a product that
might take our sales team to the next level. I want to explore with you
whether NewTech software is a good fit for Acme.

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I look forward to speaking with you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Tanya Smith, CEO

Enclosures: Acme Corp. brochure

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Modified Block Formatting

© 2016 IFIM Law School | www.IfimlawSchool.com | Confidential

Modified Block Formatting

Ms. Tanya Smith, CEO

Acme Corp.
12345 Acme Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55410
(612) 555-2368

October 13, 2020

Mr. Oscar Wilde, VP of Sales

NewTech
9876 NewTech Way
San Jose, CA 95113
© 2016 IFIM Law School | www.IfimlawSchool.com | Confidential
Modified Block Formatting

Dear Mr. Wilde:

I would like a free consultation about NewTech’s cloud-based sales

management software. Acme Corp. is a fast-growing manufacturer (20%
annual revenue growth over the past five years). We want to continue to
grow, and NewTech’s software seems like a product that might take our
sales team to the next level. I want to explore with you whether
NewTech software is a good fit for Acme.

© 2016 IFIM Law School | www.IfimlawSchool.com | Confidential

Modified Block Formatting

I look forward to speaking with you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Tanya Smith, CEO

Enclosures: Acme Corp. brochure

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Semi-block Formatting

© 2016 IFIM Law School | www.IfimlawSchool.com | Confidential

Semi-block Formatting
Ms. Tanya Smith, CEO
Acme Corp.
12345 Acme Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55410
(612) 555-2368

October 13, 2020

Mr. Oscar Wilde, VP of Sales

NewTech
9876 NewTech Way
San Jose, CA 95113
© 2016 IFIM Law School | www.IfimlawSchool.com | Confidential
Semi-block Formatting
Dear Mr. Wilde:

I would like a free consultation about NewTech’s cloud-based

sales management software. Acme Corp. is a fast-growing
manufacturer (20% annual revenue growth over the past five
years). We want to continue to grow, and NewTech’s software
seems like a product that might take our sales team to the next
level. I want to explore with you whether NewTech software is a
good fit for Acme.

© 2016 IFIM Law School | www.IfimlawSchool.com | Confidential

Semi-block Formatting

I look forward to speaking with you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Tanya Smith, CEO

Enclosures: Acme Corp. brochure

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Thank You

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