Writing Business Letters
 Purpose of business correspondence
 Realistic and maximum aims
 Transmittal of information
 Audience appraisal
 Development of arguments
Layout of a business letter
 Seven basic parts:
 Writer’s name and address
 Date(write month in full)
 Inside address(recipient’s)
 Attention line-(optional)addresses specific person
 Greeting-salutation
 Body of the letter
 Complimentary close-use “Yours faithfully” for unknown
receiver& use “Yours sincerely” for a person you have
addressed in the opening.
 Writer’s signature& job title/designation
Types of layout
 Full block layout-against the left margin/modern style
 Full block layout with centered letterhead-Initial
details centered, body follows full block format
 Modified block layout-conservative style/uses right
and left alignment
Formatting a business letter
 Single space between words/Double space par.
 Use open style of punctuation(omits punctuation
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accept in the body) or mixed style of
punctuation(places punctuation after greeting and
closing words)
Divide the letter in appropriate paragraphs
Use an average paragraph length of six lines
Use not more than 15-20 words /sentence& one
idea/sentence
Always use full stops more than commas.
Plain English writing style
 A business letter should ideally be written:
 in a simple, appealing and straight forward style
 in a clear and concise manner
 following the ‘you’ approach-user centered/empathetic
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x
x
x
approach
While writing a business letter, avoid the use of:
highly technical jargon/discourteous tone
long sections of unbroken text/ lengthy sentences
clichéd openings/new ideas in the closing par.
Tone in business writing
 What is tone?
 Writer’s attitude towards the reader and the
subject/message
 Affects the reader in the same way as a tone of voice in
everyday exchanges
 Prepares the ground for transmittal of message
 Conveys your intent to the reader
 Must have a purpose to fulfill
What sort of tone should I use?
 Be confident:
 Not: You must agree that I am qualified for the position.
But: My qualifications in the areas of translation and customer service meet your job
requirements.
 Be courteous and sincere:
 Not: You didn't read the instructions carefully, thus your system has shut down.
But: The system may automatically shut down if any installation errors occur.
 Use appropriate emphasis and subordination:
 Emphasize primary idea-short sentence can stand alone/subordinate secondary details
 Use non-discriminatory language: chairperson, to whom it may concern
 Stress the benefits for the reader-write from the reader’s perspective
 Write at an appropriate level of difficulty-avoid too many complex/passive structures,
or technical jargon
Appropriate tone/audience
analysis
 Bob is writing a cover letter for a position as a Sales Representative for a
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newspaper. He is unsure that he will be able to succeed at such a
position, and uses phrases such as: "I hope that you will contact me..."
"I know that my qualifications are not very impressive, but...“
Clearly, Bob is not assuming an appropriate tone. He must consider
that:
He is applying for a position as a Sales Representative.
He wants the employer to ask him to come in for an interview.
The employer will look for highly motivated and confident individuals.
If Bob were to consider these things he may rewrite his cover letter to
include such phrases as: "You can reach me at 555-2233; I look forward
to hearing from you." "My qualifications make me an excellent
applicant for this position..."
The tone of the message has changed drastically to sound more
confident and self-assured
"What is my intent upon writing?"
 Suzy is writing a job acceptance letter to an employer
but is unsure of the tone she should take in the
message. She has decided to accept the position.
When she asks herself, "What is my intent upon
writing?" she answers, "I want to accept the position,
thank the company for the offer, and establish
goodwill with my new co-workers." As she writes the
letter she quickly assumes a tone that is appreciative
for the offer and enthusiastic about beginning a new
job.
Types of business letters
Good news or neutral
letters
 An inquiry
 An order refusal
 A request
 A credit refusal
 An acknowledgement
 An adjustment refusal
 A letter of introduction
 Refusing an invitation or
Persuasive letters
 Sales letters
 Job applications
 Collection letters
request
Writing plan
 The direct order of information-good news
letter/persuasive letter
 The indirect order of information-bad new letter
References
• Ober, Scott. Contemporary Business
Communication. 2nd Edition. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1995.
• Dwyer, Judith. 2008,The Business
Communication Handbook,8th ed. Pearson
• The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue
and Purdue University