BUSINESS LETTER
An effective business letter elicits the
expected response form the readers. This can be
achieved through a concise, tactful, and accurate
writing style. A business letter serves several
purposes: for sales efforts, for complaints, for
information dissemination, for relationship
building, for problem-solving, and many others.
Parts of a Business Letter:
Less Formal
Sincerely yours,
Yours, Cordially yours
Informal and
As ever, Best regards,
Friendly
Kindest regards,
Regards
8. Signature Block – includes the signature
and the typed name of the sender. The typed
name can be in all caps (HARRY DAMUS) or
CLC format (Harry Damus).
9. Identification Initials – indicated the typist’s
initials if the sender is not the one who
personally typed the document.
10. Enclosure Notation – are the attachments to
the letter.
Three formats: Enclosures (2)
Enclosure
enc. / encl.
11. Copy Notation – indicates the name of the
secondary recipients of the letter. It is
indicated by cc: which means carbon copy or
courtesy copies.
Three Formats of a Business Letter:
Full Block – most commonly-used format
Modified Block – another widely-used format
Semiblock – least-used style
1. Letterhead – identifies the writer, her/his
address, and contact numbers.
2. Date – is placed between the letterhead and
the inside address
3. Inside Address – identifies the reader’s
name, position and company, and address; it
is placed immediately below the date.
4. Attention Line – is used when the writer
wishes to address the whole company but
wants to bring it to the attention of a particular
person in the company.
Two formats:
Attention Dr. Gilda Cores
Attention: Dr. Gilda Cores
5. Salutation – refers to the writer’s greeting to
the reader.
Three formats: Dear Sir:
Sir:
Dear Mr. Garcia:
6. Body – contains the message of the letter.
Paragraphs are single-spaced internally but
double-spaced to separate paragraphs. If the
letter is too short, the body can be doublespaced and triple-spaced from separate
paragraphs.
7. Complimentary Close – refers to the
expression used to end a letter.
Below is the level of formality of the
complimentary close:
Highly Formal
Respectfully yours,
Respectfully, Very
respectfully
Polite and Formal
Vert truly yours, Yours
very truly, Yours truly
Guidelines in Writing a Letter:
1. As with other texts, use correct format,
punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
2. Present your ideas clearly by using language
appropriate for the target readers.
3. Arrange your ideas logically.
4. Use an active voice as much as possible.
Apply a direct but tactful tone.
5. Focus on the readers by using the “you”
approach; this means writing in such a way
that you are talking directly to the reader.
6. Specify the name of the receiver of the letter.
However, if it is impossible to get the name of
the receiver, use a generic title (e.g., Dear
Sales Director).
7. Leave three to five blank lines for a signature
before typing your name.
8. Never use plain numerals for dates as it may
create confusion. Instead of using 01/02/16,
use January 2, 2016 or 2 January 2016.
MEMORANDUM or MEMO
Memorandum come form the Latin term
memorare which means “to remember.” A
memorandum, which is commonly shortened to
“memo,” is meant to inform as well as to
persuade people within an organization. It follows
an inverted pyramid structure which means that
the most important information comes first.
Advantages of Using a Memo:
1. It reaches a large number of readers at the
same time.
2. It serves as a written record that can be
accessed any time.
3. It allows a detailed and accurate delivery of
the message.
Parts of a Memo:
1. LETTERHEAD – identifies the company,
address, and contact numbers.
2. DATELINE – serves as a chronological
record for reference purposes.
3. TO LINE – indicates the name and title of the
receiver.
4. ATTENTION LINE – is used when the writer
wishes to address the whole company but
wants to bring it to the attention of a particular
person in the company.
Two formats:
Attention Dr. Gilda Cores
Attention: Dr. Gilda Cores
5. FROM LINE – indicates the name of the
sender. The sender should affix his initials on
the right side of his/her name for verification
purposes.
6. SUBJECT LINE – announces the main
content or topic of the memo. Subject is more
preferred than the old term Re.
7. BODY – contains the message of the memo.
 Paragraphs are single-spaced internally but
double-spaced to separate paragraphs. If the
memo is very short, the body can be doublespaced and triple spaced to separate
paragraphs.
 Paragraphs in the memo are not intended.
 When discussing a number of subtopics, a
topic heading may be used so that the
readers can quickly locate information. Never
indent the first line of each paragraph.
 If the memo exceeds one page, begin the
following page with recipient’s name, date,
and page number, which are placed three
lines from the top of the page.
For example: Mr. Roxas, July 14, 2016, page 2.
8. IDENTIFICATION INITIALS – indicates the
typist’s initials if the sender is not the one who
personally typed the document.
9. ENCLOSURE NOTATION – are the
attachments to the memo. It can be written in
the following formats:
Enclosures (2)
Enclosure
enc. / encl.
10. COPY NOTATION – indicates the name of
the secondary recipients of the letter. It is
indicated by cc: which means carbon copy or
courtesy copies.
Guidelines in Writing a Memo:
1. Use the correct format and standard use of
language.
2. Use a bullet or numbered list to enumerate
information.
3. Use a positive tone and concise wording, as
well as active verbs.
4. Use headings to highlight topics.
5. Check for and remove grammatical and
typographical errors.
6. Sign beside your typed name (sender).
7. Flush left the To, From, Date, and Subject
lines.
8. Conclude the memo simply by saying Thank
You or a directive action (e.g., For your
compliance, For your immediate action).
9. Never use plain numerals for date as it may
create confusion. Instead of using 01/02/17,
use January 2, 2017 or 2 January 2017.
Five Types of Memo:
1. Instruction Memo – provides the information
needed by the readers to accurately perform
directions
Ex. a memo which directs employees how to
have their annual checkup at the company
clinic
2. Request Memo – asks readers to provide
certain information or take certain actions
Ex. a memo which requests for a fund seminar
3. Announcement Memo – provides
information about an event, person, or thing
Ex. a memo which announces the arrival of a
new employee
4. Transmittal Memo – serves as a cover note
for a more formal or lengthy document
Ex. a memo wherein the sender is transmitting
an annual report to the board of directors
5. Authorization Memo – gives permission
Ex. a memo when an employee is allowed to
have a different schedule so she may study on
Saturdays