Easy Ways to Write a Business Letter
The two main types of business letters are external, referred to here as "letters," which go to those outside an organization and "memos," which are distributed internally. Emails may be distributed as memos or as official letters. Effective business letters state the writer's meaning clearly and completely. The information must be accurate and the text free of typos and spelling and grammar errors. The message should prompt the receiver to act upon the provided information, or otherwise save the reader's time. Finally, business letters should build goodwill, presenting information in a positive way so that the recipient feels good about the business the letter came from.
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Business Letter Elements
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Letters may include several elements besides the text paragraphs, including the date, a subject line, lists, autograph signatures and typed signatures. In almost all cases, paragraphs are single spaced with double spaces between. Some types of letters include salutations (Dear Henry,) and complimentary closes (Sincerely, Janet). When included in the letter, the level of formality of a salutation depends on how well the writer knows recipient. The recipients last name and "Mr." or "Ms." is appropriate in most formal letter circumstances, first name only is okay for well known acquaintances. Similarly, complimentary closes should be formal (sincerely, yours truly) unless the situation dictates otherwise. Memos omit salutations and complimentary closes.
Subject Line
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Subject lines are brief sentences, or even a few words, that describe the topic of the letter. Subject lines appear over the text in letters and memos and are generally part of an email prompt. Good subject lines are concise, specific and appropriate. Positive, neutral and informative letters should be reflected in the subject line. Negative letters often need an ambiguous subject line because the recipient might choose not to read a letter about a negative subject. Easy requests may also be addressed in the subject line.
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Block and Modified Block Formats
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Block format letters line the date and signature against the left margin of the page. Subject lines are optional. Lists (if included) are indented, but paragraphs are not indented. Both the writer's autograph signature and typed signature are included. In modified block format, the date and signature are indented 1/2 or 2/3 to the right. Paragraph indentations are optional and subject lines are rare. Lists and signatures are the same as in block format.
Administrative Management Society Simplified Format
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Administrative Management Society (AMS) simplified format omits many of the elements of block letters. Most internal memos are written in AMS simplified. The subject line and date line up at the left margin in this format. AMS omits paragraph indentation, salutations, complimentary closes and autograph signature. The writer's typed signature appears at the end of the text, typed in full capital letters.
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References
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