Chapter 1 Business Letters 1.1 Introduction Business letter is the most frequently used form of communication. It is very important in the business world. Business executives are supposed to write good business letters as to carry out business routine efficiently. If a businessman is unable to write an effective business letter, it is very difficult to represent himself positively, which may cause some problems in doing business.
All business letters have two main functions. One is to ask for and give a reply to an enquiry, an offer, an order or a complaint. The other one is to keep a record of all the important facts for ready reference. An effective business letter will say what the writer wants clearly and simply. It should be precise, straightforward, relevant and action-centered. It should also be written in a friendly and formal style using plain language. Thus, in order to communicate effectively, you should ensure that the letters portray you as approachable, caring, effective and professional. In addition, you should be very familiar with the established layout and practice of business letters. There are three styles of business communication： the full blocked style, the indented style and the semi-blocked style. The fully-blocked style with open punctuation is the most popular method of display for business letters, because it is considered to be businesslike, simple and professional.
The business letter can tell readers a lot about the writer and the writers company. A business letter that is neat, easy to read, and presents a professional image will leave a good impression on the reader. Such a letter helps the writer as much as the reader, and will probably mean an earlier reply. In todays global market place, the readers first impression often comes from the appearance of the documents and the quality of the paper. So you should pay some attention to the paper quality, the paper color, the paper size and margins. Firstly, never use paper that is too flimsy. Secondly, white is the standard color for business purposes, although light colors such as gray and ivory are sometimes used. Thirdly, the size of papers varies slightly from country to country. In the United States, the standard paper size for business documents is 8.5 by 11 inches. The last but not the least, the document is to be centered in the page, leaving at least one-inch margins all around. We can use word-processing software to achieve the balance by defining the format.
This chapter is intended to develop skills in writing good business letters. It contains guidelines on developing personal writing style, using appropriate tone and composing effective communications in modern business language.
1.2 Writing Guide 1.2.1 The Essentials of Business Letter Writing Since the main purpose of business correspondence is to convey a message, the letter should be written in language that is easily understood. The writer must make sure that it should be free from grammatical blemishes, and also free from the slightest possibility of being misunderstood. There are certain essential qualities of business letters, which can be summed up in the following 7 Cs principles.
1. Clarity You must try to express yourself clearly, so that the reader will understand. To achieve this, you should keep in mind the purpose of the letter and use appropriate words in correct sentence structures to convey your meaning. We should also avoid ambiguous sentences. Otherwise, the business letter will cause trouble to both sides. All in all, good, straightforward and simple language are what are needed for business letters.
2. Conciseness Conciseness means saying things in the fewest possible words. The elimination of wordy business jargon can help to make a letter clearer and at the same time more concise. If conciseness conflicts with courtesy, then make a little sacrifice of conciseness. Generally speaking, to achieve conciseness, one should try to avoid wordiness or redundancy.
3. Courtesy Courtesy is not mere politeness. It should hardly be necessary to stress the importance of courtesy in your letters. One of the most important things is promptness. Punctuality will please your customer who dislikes waiting for days before he gets a reply to his letter. Differences are bound to occur in business, but with diplomacy and tact they can be overcome and settled without offence on either side. Remember that its nearly always wrong to doubt a statement made in good faith by the other side and even worse to contradict it. In letters we should always keep in mind the person we are writing to, see things from his point of view, visualize him in his surroundings, see his problems and difficulties and express our ideas in terms of his experience.
4. Consideration Consideration emphasizes You-attitude rather than We-attitude. When writing a letter, keep the readers request, needs, desires, as well as his feelings in mind. Plan the best way to present the message for the reader to receive.
5. Correctness Correctness here refers to appropriate and grammatically correct language, factual information and accurate reliable figures, as well as the right forms and conventions. All facts should be checked and double checked. Special attention should also be paid to names of goods, specification, quantity, figures, units, etc.
6. Concreteness To make the message specific, definite and vivid is the key point of concreteness. The writer must ensure that the letter contains all the information the recipient needs to act upon. Put yourself in readers place. It is necessary to check the message carefully before it is sent out.
7. Completeness Like any other letter, a good business letter should be complete, providing all the information and data necessary for a specific issue. If any necessary piece of information is lacking, the reader will have to ask for clarification, which means that you will have to write another letter. It will not only waste time, energy and money, but also damage the image of your company.
1.2.2 The Structure of Business Letters Business letter has its special formats. In the formal business letters，we usually use 12 factors. They are letterhead, reference number, date, inside address, attention line, salutation, subject line, body, complimentary close, signature, IEC block and postscript. Among them，the return address, date, inside address, salutation, body, complimentary close and signature belong to the standard factors and must be contained in the formal business letters. Whether to use other factors depends on the specific situation. The approximate locations of these factors in a business letter are as follows.
Letterhead
Reference number
Date
Inside address
_________________
_________________
Attention line
Salutation
Subject line
Body
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
____________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
___________________________
Complimentary close
Signature
IEC block
Postscript
While the horizontal placement of letter parts may vary, the vertical order of these parts is standard. The followings are the most common components and formats.
1.The Basic Components of Business Letters 1 Letterhead
For letters to outsiders, many companies use letterhead stationery which is professionally printed at the top of the page, though some are printed at the bottom or even at the upper-left corner of the page. The letterhead indicates the name, address, telephone, fax number and E-mail address of the company sending the letter. It helps the recipient identify the company from which the sender comes just at a glance. If letterhead stationery is not available, you can type the heading, which includes a return address, and leaves about a two-inch top margin.
2 Date
Writing date in English goes in two styles： one is American style, and the other is British style. The standard order of typing the date in the U.S. is month, day, year. For example： September 12, 2013. While in Britain, the standard order is day, month, year. For example： 12 September, 2013. The day can be written or typed in either cardinal numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. or in ordinal numbers 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.. The month and the year had better not be written in their abbreviation forms, otherwise, it may easily cause confusion. For example, 12092013 in the U.S. would mean December 9, 2013, while in Britain it means 12 September, 2013. There is no rule for the date placement. If you use letterhead stationery, place the date one to three blank lines beneath the letterhead. If without letterhead, place the date immediately below the return address.
3 Inside Name and Address
Generally, the inside name and address should include some or all parts of the following： the name of the recipient, the department name, company name, suite or room number, street address, city, postcode, stateprovince and country. Of all these parts, postcode is very important, it helps to facilitate mechanical mail-sorting. The inside name and address appear on the left margin and usually start two to four lines below the date. They appear exactly the same way as on the envelope.
If the receiver of the letter is in the U.S., the address also includes the name of the state which must be typed in capitalized two letter abbreviation followed by ZIP code. The same way is also used for the provinces and territories in Canadian address.
Precede the addressees name with a courtesy title such as Mr., Ms. or Dr.. If you do not know whether a person is a man or a woman, and you have no way to find out, omit the courtesy title and give the full name.
The persons job title can be placed on the same line of the persons name, or on the line below. Try to square the address as much as possible. If the title appears on the same line, place a comma between the name and the title. If it appears on the next line dispense with the comma. e.g.：
① Mr. Dick Eaton, President
② Ms. Patricia T. Higgins
Assistant Vice President
If the name of a specific person is unavailable, you may address the letter to the department, followed by the name of the company. e.g.：
① Customer Service Department
Acme Construction Company
② Director of Personnel
International Trading Co. Ltd.
In order to avoid ambiguity, when you write letters to other countries, always include the name of country, even if the city mentioned is the countrys capital.
The following examples show all the information that may be included in the inside address.
Dr. H. C. Armstrong
Research and Development
Commonwealth Mining Consortium
The Shelton Building, Suite 391
353 Second St. SW
Calgary, AB T2P
Canada
Mr. Thom Collins, President
164 Bay Road
Liquorland
Oklahoma City, OK 73125
U.S.A
4 Salutation
The salutation is the polite greeting with which a letter begins. Place it two lines below the inside address. The salutation should correspond to the first line of the inside address, that is, if the first line of your inside address is a name of a person, the salutation is Dear the name. Its form depends upon your relationship with the receiver. The customary formal greeting in a business letter is Dear Sir or Dear Madam used for addressing one person; and Dear Sirs, Dear Mesdames or Gentlemen for addressing two or more people. If the addressee is known to you personally, a warmer greeting such as Dear Mr. Smith is preferred. Quite often now companies are owned andor managed by women, and it is more and more customary to use the greeting： Dear Madam or Sir, if you are not sure whether the letter will be read by a man or a woman. If the addressee is a group, use Ladies and Gentlemen. Or you may use a polite description, such as Dear Friends, Dear SPA supporters. End the salutation with a colon, or a comma.
5 Body
This is the most important part of a letter. It expresses your idea, opinion, purpose and wishes, etc. It usually begins one or two lines below the salutation. Lines within a paragraph should be single-spaced and double-spaced between paragraphs. There is no strict rule regarding the content of the letter, but it usually includes three parts： the opening paragraph, the middle paragraph and the closing paragraph. The opening paragraph refers to any previous correspondence or introduces the purpose of the letter. The middle paragraphs supports the opening andor provides additional information. The closing paragraph is short and serves as a request, suggestion, or look to the future. When writing, pay attention to clarity, conciseness, courtesy, consideration, correctness, concreteness and completeness.
6 Complimentary Close
The complimentary close, like the salutation, is purely a matter of custom and a polite way of bringing a letter to a close. It appears one or two lines below the last line of the body. Capitalize the first word and end with a comma. The expression must match the salutation reflecting the relationship between the sender and the receiver of the letter. The main words in complimentary closure are as follows： sincerely, faithfully, cordially, respectfully and truly. These words may appear in any of these combinations： Your sincerely, Sincerely yours. The expression used must suit the occasion.
7 Signature
The writers signature consists of a handwritten signature and a typewritten signature. Type the name under the complimentary closing, leaving enough blank lines usually leave three blank lines to sign your name. Never sign with a seal or stamp. Then type the signature identification and title. The writers signature should be placed between the complimentary closure and the typed signature.
Sincely yours,
Signature
Harry Smith
The letterhead indicates that you are representing your company. However, if your letter is on plain paper and you want to emphasize that you are speaking legally for the company, you may type the companys name in capital letters below the complementary closing and place the title of the message sender on the same line with or below the typed name.
Very truly yours,
ALVERS, INC
Signature
Harry Smith, Project Manager
2. Additional Components of Business Letters 1 Mailing or In-house Notation
Mailing notation shows the specific means of delivery for the convenience of verification. Besides there are two other commonly used forms of mailing notation, e.g. by courier and by EMS. Type them two lines below the date and in all capital letters.
Mailing notations： e.g. special delivery, airmail, registered mail, certified mail.
In-house notations： e.g. personal, confidential.
CONFIDENTIAL
2 Reference
The reference may include a file number, department code or the initials of the signer followed by that of the typist of the letter. Type the reference number below the letterhead in short form as Our ref.： for the senders reference number, and Your ref.： for the recipients. The purpose of this is to facilitate filing of the letter, link it with previous correspondence.
3 Attention Line
The attention line is used to name the specific individual the letter is addressed to. It is usually placed between the inside address and the salutation or within the inside address and centered over the body of a letter in the indented style. Its abbreviation is Attn.. It suggests that the sender hopes the letter receives the immediate attention of a certain person or a specific department.
4 Subject LineCaption
The subject line is the general idea of a letter. It calls recipients attention to the topic of the letter. It is often inserted between the salutation and the body of a letter, usually two lines below the salutation. It is also useful as a guide for filing. Some companies omit the word Subject：, some replace it with Re： or re： meaning regarding, and some underline the subject line. The following forms are commonly used：
SUBJECT： SALES CONFIRMATION NO. 5678 FOR 300MT OF SOYBEAN OIL
Subject： Sales Confirmation NO. 5678 for 300 Metric Tons of Soybean Oil
5 Multiple-Page Letter Heading
When typing a multiple-page letter, use letterhead for the first page. The following page or pages should have the same quality, size and color as the first page. The multiple-page heading bears the name of the recipient or hisher organization, the page number, and the date. The following styles are often used for multiple-page letters：
Ms. Katherine BlackPage 2October 9, 2013
Ms. Katherine Black-2-October 9, 2013
Ms. Katherine Black
Page 2
October 6, 2013
6Reference Initials
Consisting of the signers initials in capitals followed by a slash or colon followed by the lowercase initials of the person preparing the letter, this item serves as reminder of who prepared the letter. It should be placed at the left margin, two or three lines below the signature. When you type your own letter, dont use initials. When the signature block includes the writers name, use only the typists initials. Reference initials are usually given in the form of authors initialstypist initials, or authors initials： typist initials.
RSsm
RS：sm
RS：SM
7 Enclosure Notation
When there is something enclosed with the letter, type the word Enclosure, or an abbreviation of it Encl. in the bottom left-hand, a double spaces under the reference initials, with a figure indicating the number of enclosures, if there are more than one. You can use any of the following styles：
Enclosure
Enc.
Enclosure：
1. Purchase Order No. 1234
2. Check No. 123
8 Carbon Copy Notation
When you send a copy of the letter to a third person, place a notation directly below the enclosure notation or reference initials. The copy notation is indicated with CC or cc which is a holdover from the days of carbon copies. Many companies are now using PC for photocopy. e.g.：
PC： Margaret Ruth
CC： Margaret Ruth
cc： Margaret Ruth
9 PostscriptP.S.
If you wish to add something you forget or for emphasis, you may usually add the postscript two lines below the carbon copy notation. Postscript may be preceded by P. S., but this is not strictly necessary. In business letters, postscript is not commonly used, while in personal letters, it frequently appears. This item is usually used in the informal styles of letters. The adding of a P.S. should, however, be avoided as far as possible, since it can appear as afterthoughts, indicating a lack of planning. But studies show that postscripts are one of the first things people read and remember, especially when it is handwritten. It sometimes serves the purposes as a message that requires emphasis, or as a personal note. Look at the following example to see where the different parts go in a business letter.
P.S.： You get 5% discount if you book the space by the end of this month.
1.2.3 The Formats of a Business Letter There are various ways in which the component parts of a business letter can be laid out on the page. Choice of letter format is a matter of individual taste, but it is better to follow established practice, to which the business world has become accustomed. A good plan to make correct practice habit is to adopt one form of letter format and stick to it. The three main formats are as follows.
1. Blocked Format With this letter style, all letter parts begin at the left margin. Because this style can save the typists time, so it has come to be much widely used and preferred now. The loss of clarity occasioned by the absence of indentations may be made good by increasing the number of separating line-spacing between paragraphs. The specific layout of letter components in this format are as follows.
LETTERHEAD
Date
Addressee
Inside Address
Salutation：
Re： Blocked Format
This easy-to-type letter is becoming more and more popular and is widely used in many of todays modern offices.
It is a very efficient style because everything begins at the left margins, thereby eliminating the need for tabs.
But critics say it looks somewhat crowded and imbalanced.
Very truly yours,
Signature
Typed name
2. Semi-blocked Format Like blocked format, all letter parts begin at the left margin, except the dateline, complimentary closing, company signature and writers identification, which are set against the right-hand margin. They are placed in this position for filing and reference purposes. It is also named as a modified blocked format. The specific layout of letter components in this style are as follows.
LETTERHEAD
Date
Addressee
Inside Address
Salutation：
Re： Semi-blocked Format
Modified block style has traditionally been the most commonly used of all letter styles.
The most notable difference between this style and the full block is that the date and complimentary closing start at the center, or slightly to the right of center.
This letter style is appealing to the eye and is very popular.
Very truly yours,
Signature
Typed name
3. Indented Format The indented format may follow the same layout as either the blocked or semi-blocked formats, but will differ in that the paragraphs will each be indented by four or five spaces. It is a traditional format, especially in Britain. The specific layout of letter components in this format are as follows.
LETTERHEAD
Date
Addressee
Inside Address
Salutation：
Re： Indented Format
The distinguishing features of this letter format are that the subject line is indented and all paragraphs are indented too.
It is important to remember that two tabs must be set： one for the date and complimentary close and one for the indentation of the subject line and paragraphs.
This letter style may use more time to type than the previous two.
Very truly yours,
Signature
Typed name
1.2.4 The Format of Envelopes The envelope should match the stationery in color and style. Most companies have the return address in the upper-left corner of the envelope, giving the same information as the letterhead. Otherwise you must type or write your return address the same way as you do for the inside address, usually in smaller typeface than the name and address of the receiver. Name and address of the receiver is always single-spaced with all lines aligned on the left, and they should be in all capital letter, with no punctuation at the end of each line. The order in writing the address is from the smallest division to the largest, just opposite to the Chinese custom in writing addresses.
The in-house notation is placed three lines down the return address and is in all capital letters. The stamp is put at the upper right corner of the envelope with mailing notation, if there are any, given in all capital letters below the stamp.
The format of the address on the envelope can be in blocked or indented style, but it is better to keep the same format with the inside address of the letter.
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