Business Writing

Parts of a business letter:

• letterhead (or senders address for plain paper),
• date,
• inside address,
• reference line (position or other that you are applying for)
• salutation,
• body,
• complimentary close
• signature
• name of sender printed or typed
• enclosures listed

LETTERHEAD

or Return Address

of Sender

Date

Name of person addressed

Name of Company or Organization

Address of Company or Organization

City, State, Zip (or equivalent depending on country)

Dear Name,

First paragraph: I am writing to request a salary allowance of (state specifics for the allowance you are requesting).

Second paragraph: Give the facts and information supporting your request. Facts only, don't use emotional language or go off the target of your request.

Third paragraph: Tell the addressee what you want them to do or what you want to happen. State any dates that may be deadlines or a time frame that the action is required by. Give your address and/or phone number at the end to be sure it's easy for the addressee to find it. Always end a business letter by thanking the recipient for their time and effort.

Sincerely,

Signature

Print or Type Your Name

The aims of a business letter are:

• to communicate information clearly and concisely.
• to inform what outcome (if any) you expect from the correspondence.
• to provide complete information for the recipient to follow through (if a next step is expected).

Date

Mr. or Ms. Letter Recipient

Company or Organization

123 Address

City, ST zip

RE: Subject your are writing about or account, invoice, or other related number

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to inquire about (what you wrote above) because (give the reason, if you need the information or thing by a certain date, state that here).

(If any additional information is needed by the recipient to find information or process your request, state that in a second paragraph)

If you have any questions that can expedite my request, you may contact me at (phone number) or (email address). Please send (the information, document, object) to me at (your address). I appreciate your prompt attention to my request.

Sincerely,

Signature

Your Name Typed

Parts of a business letter:

• letterhead (or senders address for plain paper),
• date,
• inside address,
• reference line (if applicable)
• salutation,
• body,
• complimentary close
• signature
• name of sender printed or typed
• enclosures listed (if applicable)

Parts of a business letter:

Letterhead or sender's address.

1. Date the letter is written or sent.
2. Inside address, the name (optional), title (optional), organization name and address.
3. Reference line (optional), preceded by 'RE:' state the subject of the letter, or the applicable account, invoice, document, case (etc.) number.
4. Salutation (greeting): Unless the person is a close associate, never use just the first name; use 'Dear Mr. Jones', 'Dear Sir/Madam' (if name/s unknown), or title of person if known, 'Dear Prof. Jones'. Always use a formal greeting for a business letter.
5. Body of letter:
   • first paragraph, state why you are writing the letter.
   • second paragraph, state the information supporting your inquiry, request, advisory, sales information, etc. Only use more than one paragraph if there is a lot of related information, or use bullets if possible.
   • third paragraph, tell the recipient what you want them to do, giving them any information necessary for them to follow through (phone number, email address, third party, etc.). Always thank them for their time and/or effort. If you're not asking for a response, just thank them.
6. Complimentary closing such as 'Sincerely' or 'Best Regards', etc.
7. Signature of sender.

Typed or printed name of sender, with title if applicable.

Enclosures, if applicable, list anything included with the letter.

Parts of a business letter:

• letterhead (or senders address for plain paper),
• date,
• inside address,
• reference line (if applicable)
• salutation,
• body,
• complimentary close
• signature
• name of sender printed or typed
• enclosures listed (if applicable)

Parts of a business letter:

• letterhead (or senders address for plain paper),
• date,
• inside address,
• reference line (if applicable)
• salutation,
• body,
• complimentary close
• signature
• name of sender printed or typed
• enclosures listed (if applicable)