Business Letter Writing
Business Letter Writing
Business Letter Writing
Business letters are important forms of external communication. That is, they deliver information to
individuals outside an organization. Business letters are necessary when a permanent record is required,
when formality is significant, and when a message is sensitive and requires an organized, well-considered
presentation.
Business letters may request information, respond to requests, make claims, seek adjustments, order goods
and services, sell goods and services, recommend individuals, develop goodwill, apply for jobs, or achieve
many other goals. All business and professional people have to write business letters of various kinds, but a
majority of those letters will be informational.
Writers of good business letters—whether the messages are informational, persuasive, or negative—are
guided by the six Cs: conciseness, clarity, correctness, courtesy, completeness, and confidence.
Conciseness
You can make your letters concise by avoiding these writing faults:
(a) Wordy phrases (such as in addition to the above and in view of the fact that),
(b) Excessive use of expletives (such as there are four reasons that explain . . . or It is a good plan),
(e) Old-fashioned expressions (such as attached please find and pursuant to your request).
Clarity
Business letters are clear when they are logically organized and when they present enough information for
the reader to understand what the writer intended. Clarity can be enhanced by including all the necessary
information.
Correctness
Two aspects of correctness are accuracy of facts and accuracy of form. In regard to facts, good writers
prepare to write by gathering relevant information. Typographical errors, spelling irregularities, and
grammatical faults distract the reader and damage the credibility of the writer.
Courtesy
You develop courtesy in business letters by putting yourself in the place of the reader. Imagine how you
would like to be treated, and show the same consideration and respect for the reader. Be alert to words
that may create a negative feeling such as you claim, unfortunately, you neglected, you forgot, and your
complaint.
Completeness
In order for a letter to be complete, it should answer all questions your reader might have. When
formulating your message, consider: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Confidence
Employers want employees who are confident in themselves and in what they do. Therefore, AVOID using
words that make you sound WEAK such as I think, I feel, and I believe. Just come right out and say it with
confidence!
Writing Plan
2. Dateline
On letterhead paper you should place the date one blank line below the last line of the letterhead or 2
inches from the top edge of the paper. On a plain paper, place the date immediately below your return
address.
June 9, 2010. Don’t use th (or rd, nd, or st) when the date is written this way.
Type the inside address—the recipient’s name, the address of the organization or person receiving the
letter. Be careful to duplicate the exact wording and spelling of the recipient’s name and address on your
documents. Always be sure to include a courtesy title such as Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., or Professor before a
person’s name in the inside address. Although many women in business today favor Ms., you should use
whatever title the addressee prefers.
5. Salutation
For most letter styles, place the letter greeting, or salutation, one blank line below the last line of the inside
address. If the letter is addressed to an individual, use that person’s courtesy title and last name (Dear Mr.
Lanham). Even if you are on a first-name basis (Dear Leslie), be sure to add a colon (not a comma or a
semicolon) after the salutation. Do not use an individual’s full name in the salutation (not Dear Mr. Leslie
Lanham) unless you are unsure of gender (Dear Leslie Lanham).
To Whom It May Concern: Use this salutation when you don't know who will be reading your
message. Complaint letters are a good example of correspondence to a general organization, rather
than a specific recipient.
Dear Sir or Madam: This is a very formal (and somewhat outdated) version of "To Whom It May
Concern."
Dear Hiring Manager (or another professional title): Use this greeting when you want your message
to go to a specific person but don't have a personal connection with them.
Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss/Dr./Professor (etc.) and their last name: This greeting is best when you
have a personal and professional relationship with the recipient. The colon in this greeting makes it
more formal than a friendly use of "dear."
Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss/Dr./Professor (etc.) and their last name: Best when you want to get to the
point, removing the "dear" conveys a professional sense of urgency while maintaining a formal tone.
Be sure that you have a good working relationship with the recipient to avoid appearing impolite.
Dear Sir/Madam, Use when writing to a position without having a named contact.
Use when you have a named female contact; do not use the old-
Dear Ms Smith, fashioned Mrs.
Dear Xu Li, Type the whole name when you are unsure of the recipient’s gender.
6. Body
Introduction: The opening of a business letter may include a subject line .The first sentence of a business
letter that requests or delivers information should begin directly with the main idea.
Closing: Business letters that demand action should conclude with a specific request. That is, tell the
reader when you would like the request complied with, and, if possible, provide a reason (for example,
Please send me this information by June 1 so that I can arrange my vacation).
7. Complimentary Close
Typed one blank line below the last line of the letter, the complimentary close may be formal (Very truly
yours) or informal (Sincerely or Cordially).
‘Yours sincerely’ is used with the salutations like ‘Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms’/Miss followed by the name of the person.
‘Yours faithfully’ is used with the salutation like ‘Dear Madam,’ or ‘Dear Sir. ’
Signature Block
In most letter styles the writer’s typed name and optional identification appear three or four blank lines
below the complimentary close. The combination of name, title, and organization information should be
arranged to achieve a balanced look. The name and title may appear on the same line or on separate lines,
depending on the length of each.
When an enclosure or attachment accompanies a document, a notation to that effect appears one blank line
below the reference initials. This notation reminds the typist to insert the enclosure in the envelope, and it
reminds the recipient to look for the enclosure or attachment. The notation may be spelled out (Enclosure,
Attachment), or it may be abbreviated (Enc., Att.). It may indicate the number of enclosures or attachments,
and it may also identify a specific enclosure (Enclosure: Form 1099).
Letter and Punctuation Styles
Most business letters today are prepared in either block or modified block style, and they generally use
mixed punctuation.
The modified block style differs from block style in that the date and closing lines appear in the center, as
shown in the Figure. The date may be (a) centered, (b) begun at the center of the page (to align with the
closing lines), or (c) backspaced from the right margin. The signature block—including the complimentary
close, writer’s name and title, or organization identification— begins at the center. The first line of each
paragraph may begin at the left margin or may be indented five or ten spaces. All other lines begin at the left
margin.
Block Style
In the block style, shown in the Figure, all lines begin at the left margin. This style is a favorite because it is
easy to format.
Mixed Punctuation Style Most businesses today use mixed punctuation. It requires a colon /comma after the
salutation and a comma after the complimentary close. Even when the salutation is a first name, a colon is
appropriate.
Example:
Sincerely, instead of Sincerely
COMPLAINT LETTER WRITING
What is a Complaint Letter?
How many times has it happened that you bought a product and it turned out to be defective? How many
times did you avail a public service and were left dissatisfied? Or, did you ever notice any problematic
practice taking place at a public place? What do you do in such situations? Most of the times, we do not take
any action in such situations because of which the problem doesn’t get the attention it deserves and hence,
negligence increases.
A Complaint Letter is a type of letter written to address any type of wrong-doing, offence, grievance,
resentment arising out of a product, service, etc. It is used to raise your concern about unfair things and seek
a productive outcome. It is a fundamental right and duty of a citizen to seek justice arising out of any
injustice, and the first step toward it is, filing a Complaint. It inspires other troubled consumers, influences
the concerned authorities to take proper action and makes the defaulters more liable, responsible and
responsive.
This is the main content of the letter. It is either divided into three paragraphs or two paragraphs if the letter
is briefer. The tone of the content should be formal. Do not use any offensive language. Another point to be
kept in mind is that the letter should be concise and to the point. And always be respectful and considerate
in your language. It should include-
Short introduction paragraph- Be sure to include the following information if it's applicable to the
situation: the date/time of the issue, location, name of person on duty, name of product, what the
problem was, your account number, model number, price, warranty information and reference
number. Include dates, location and the specifications about the item or service.
Next paragraph- You should identify what the issue is and any relevant information that you
believe is important. Provide details about the product or service that is the subject of the
complaint. If you received poor service, you could request an apology or a coupon. Provide details as
to the cause. This may include malfunction, billing issues, details that were not disclosed, etc. Be
sure to stick with the facts and avoid putting emotions into your letter
Last paragraph-Thank the reader for the time. You can also throw in some compliments about
something you liked about their company's product or service. Indicate how you would like them to
resolve your problem. Provide specifics about what you’re seeking.
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/sites/podcasts/files/LearnEnglish-Writing-B2-A-letter-of-
complaint.pdf