Effective Business Letters
Writing effective business letters requires expertise in two areas: knowledge of business letter formats and good communication skills. When writing a business letter, you have four basic formats to choose from: the block format, semi-block format, modified block format and modified semi-block format. Solid communication skills should be represented with proper grammar, correct spelling, clarity, directness and courtesy.
Other People Are Reading
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Significance
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Writing professional and effective business letters is critical for success in many facets of the business world, including delegating and managing employees, applying for jobs, making formal business requests and communicating with suppliers and buyers.
Requirements
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The required parts of an effective business letter include return address, date, receiver's address, salutation, introduction, body, closing and signature line. Including both addresses and the date is useful information for any future interactions or contacts. The salutation, also called an attention line, should address the intended recipient followed by a colon. The introduction should state the subject and purpose of the letter. The body needs to be clear, informative and accurate; it should be followed by a quick closing, usually accompanied with a thank you. The signature line should include a complimentary close, something along the lines of "Sincerely" or "Best regards," followed by a comma, a handwritten signature and a typed signature.
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Formats
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The four formats only differ in layout and spacing, but it is important to pick one and follow its specific rules to ensure the business letter looks professional and has the intended effect on the audience.
The block format is the most basic and widely used format. The paragraphs, date and signature in a block format are single spaced and left justified, with two spaces between paragraphs.
Each of the three following formats are just variations of the block format: semi-block means the first line of each paragraph is indented; modified-block indents the writer's address, date and signature line 3 inches or more; and modified semi-block indents the first line of paragraphs one tab and the sender's address, date, and signature line 3 or more inches.
Communication Skills
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To truly be an effective business letter, the introduction, body and conclusion needs to be written in an error-free, easily readable, direct and action-orientated style. The letter must have structure and orderly paragraphs detailing the main points laid out in the introduction. The most effective business letters use personal pronouns, simple action verbs, short sentences and active voice when explaining the purpose of the letter. Using personal pronouns and active voice can give business letter writers a style that is almost impossible to misunderstand.
As is the case with any writing objective, the writer must know and understand her audience. Try to use an appropriate business-casual writing style with the correct terminology; there is no need to bore audiences with commonly known facts or alienate the audience with terms they are unfamiliar with.
Considerations
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Business writing is much different from most other types of writing. While other forms of writing are more creative, eloquent and entertaining, business writing stresses accuracy, specificity and informativeness. Business writing should always reflect a unique purpose because businesspeople are mostly concerned with a specific, informative bottom line that saves them time.
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