Formatting A Business Letter #FamilyLife
A business letter is different compared to a normal informal letter. If you want to write one, it is important to know all the steps and procedures. This article will help you in writing one. There are people all over the world who do not know how to write a business letter, and end up making mistakes. With the help of these few tips and guidelines, you need not ever make the mistakes again.
Date
The date should be mentioned at least 2 or 3 lines, below the letterhead. And it should be given in full, i.e. date, month and year.
Address
The basics of writing a good business letter are easy to learn and very important. When it comes to formatting, you will be required to write the address of the person or the company at the top left of the paper. The address of your company should be at the right of the center of the page. In the inside address write the name and address of the person to whom the letter is addressed to. Remember to include everything in the to and from address, including the street address, city and zip code.
Salutation
The salutation should be typed in the left side, below the address. While typing the salutation you must write Dear Mr/Ms ABC followed by a colon.
Body
While writing a letter, it is very important to know the audience who is going to be reading the letter. You will need to introduce yourself in the beginning, before proceeding onto the contents of the letter. After introducing yourself, it is good to give an introduction about the subject matter as well. Remember to sound as professional as possible. There needs to be a balance between explaining the matter under discussion and doing into a deep explanation about the topic. You will need to give the information that is necessary, at the same time not make it boring. To make your letter professional you need to give all the facts, figures, reasons and even examples to help make the topic clear.
While finishing the letter it is also just as important to not only explain the problem or the situation in hand, but also to offer an appropriate solution or propose the next step. It is crucial for you to end the letter with a solution in hand, as without it your letter is incomplete. If needed you may also ask the reader of the letter for a solution or their opinions on the matter at hand. Also make sure you have given your contact address or phone number, if the reader of the letter wishes to contact you.
It is important to note that in case you are enclosing any letters or documents along with your business letter, please mention them in the letter as well. And if you are referring to any particular person in the letter, who maybe anyone except the intended reader, it is good to mention their details as well.
Closing of the letter
The closing of the letter is done by typing "Yours sincerely" or "Thank you", and on the next line the signature of the sender is affixed. Make sure the letter is signed in black or blue ink only.
The simple rules in writing an effective letter include using a standard business letter format and letter templates, using a professional tone, writing clearly, emphasizing some important words in the text using color, being persuasive, and lastly, proofreading your letter.
ReplyDeleteIn business letter writing, formats can vary from country to country but the basic pattern remains the same.
ReplyDeleteThanks Leslie for your comments.
ReplyDeleteNice post,very helpful for us.Thanks to admin.
ReplyDeleteI found the right site to know the righ kind of format to be use and learn some useful stuffs about business letter and I am very sure you will appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteProper letter writing these days just doesn't occur. Even applying this technique with emails, most covering letters I recieve are informal & sloppy & doesn't make me want to read on. Everyone should be learning the "old skool" approach
ReplyDeleteThis is very useful. I remember these rules very strict when we had typing lessons back in high school, but now not too strict anymore I think. What I learned here is that you leave 4 spaces for the signature.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. Business letter writing has been a lost skill due to emails and other means of communication.
ReplyDeleteFormal letters should be more thorough and straight forward. These are very good tips for writing a letter! It's very helpful!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very insightful article to empower people in writing a business letter in the right way. I believe it's proper to write your name out after the signature?
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely something everyone needs to know! Thanks for this :D
ReplyDeleteI think every student should already know these things. Writing a business letter is a basic skill that professionals must have.
ReplyDeleteI generally use some template from word while writing business letter. And yes, need to ensure that I don't add smileys!
ReplyDeleteA good post for beginners and studentz to understand what is its importance. Later on they can tweak it according ot their profession. Esp in art related professions it need not be so formal!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the guide and information. I use to email so kind of lost touch about the formal business letter format.
ReplyDeleteWow, It's been so long since I've seen a business letter... everyone is using email now... it's rare to see a business letter. I don't think many people will be using it.
ReplyDeleteNow this is really helpful. I remember the last time my cousin asked me how to create a business letter. I come up with a simpler version which I believe not the formal one. But anyway, it was still accepted.
ReplyDeleteIt's realy crucial to get it right when it comes to writing a business letter, it shows profesionalism.. Very good sharing indeed!
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