Unit 4

Introducing the business letter

 Printed stationery
Presentation: fully blocked layout
Other parts of a business letter
Open punctuation
Continuation sheets
Categories of business letter
Other types of business letter
Structure
Presenting business letters key points to

remember
 Communication with people outside your
organisation is vitally important
A high standard should be set and

maintained in all your communications

Despite many modern communication

methods available today, business letters

are very often the main means of
establishing business relations
Well presented business letter may lead to

an important business contract

 Letterhead paper
Good quality letterhead paper is generally used
Attractive, well-balanced letterhead enhances prestige
of an organisation
 Logos
Graphic symbol on letterhead
Often the same as trade mark used on packaging,
delivery vehicles, etc.
Often unusual or amusing so that customers
remember them easily
 The fully-blocked layout is the most widely used
method of display for all business documents
 Confidential/ airmail/ urgent
If a letter is confidential, this should be indicated
between the date and inside address, just as it would
be shown on the envelope
 Attention line
When the writer wanted to ensure the letter is directed to a
specific person

In todays business communication when we usually know

the name of the person to whom we are writing,
unnecessary to use
 Copies
When a copy of a letter is to be sent to another person this may be indicated by
the following methods:

Blind copies
If the sender does not wish the recipient to know that other people are receiving
copies, a blind copy may be sent. Indication bcc is used on the copies only not
on original
 Signing on someone elses behalf
If you have to sign a letter on behalf of someone else,
it can be done in following ways:
 Commonly used with the fully-blocked layout
Commas and full stops are omitted
 Many organisations have printed continuation
sheets which are used for second and
subsequent pages of business letters
May show simply the companys name and logo

When using a continuation sheet, remember:

Do not include continued or cont. at the foot of the
1st page
Try to start a new page with a new paragraph
 Letter of confirmation
 Acknowledgement
 Enquiry
 Complaint
 Collection letters
 There are many different types of business
letters. In this unit, we have only looked at
some of the more routine letters
There will be many occasions when you will
need to write a letter that does not fall into any
specific category
Just remember the general rules of good
business writing and plan your letter carefully
1. Opening / introduction
Could refer to a meeting or previous contact
Should introduce the subject that you want to discuss
2. Details
Meat all the facts and figures
All key points in a logical order, separate paragraphs
3. Action
Tells the reader what action you want reader to take
Or it be action that you will take after all points
mentioned
E.g: Please complete the enclosed reply form and return it to me
by
4. Close
Finish with one-line close. E.g: I hope to hear from you soon.
1. Use fully-blocked style with open punctuation
consistently
2. Leave one blank line between each section of
the letter and between each paragraph
3. The only big space on the letter should be for
senders signature
4. Display subject heading in capitals and bold to
make it stand out
5. Structure your message according to the four-
point plan with an introduction, details,
action and close
6. Make sure information in central section flows
logically from point to point
7. Take special care with opening and closing
paragraphs
8. Include appropriate headings at the top of
continuation pages
9. Proofread message carefully, and consider
whether it is structured appropriately
10. Read through message as if you are the
reader