business+correspondence

= introduction =

=== • Writing good business letters is an art that all technical people should master. === === • when writing a business letter, the writer produces a one-sided conversation with the reader in the sense that he/she has to anticipate the reader's questions and provide answers to those questions. ===

What is a Business Letter?
= =  • A **business letter** is a letter written in formal language, usually used when writing from one business organization to another, or for correspondence between such organizations and their customers, clients and other external parties. = = = Functions of the Business Letter =

 1. It provides a record of the activity for someone's file.  2. It allows the writer to provide more context or explanation than is usually possible on a form.  3. It helps the audience( reader ) remember what is to be done. The Main Components of a Business Letter

 • Business letters usually contain the following information (in this order):  ● = 1. Writer's address (street, city, country). = = 2. Date of writing = = 3. Recipient's name, job title, and address = = 4. Subject = = 5. Salutation or Greeting (Dear Mr./ Mrs./ Ms…..) = = 6. Message (body of the letter) = = 7. Closing = = 8. writer's signature, typed name, and position of sender = =<span style="direction: ltr; line-height: 80%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1in; margin-top: 3.36pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> 9. In some situations, a business letter may also include the following optional information: = =<span style="direction: ltr; line-height: 80%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1in; margin-top: 3.36pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> 10. Writer's Initials: typist's initials ( if writer did not type letter). = =<span style="direction: ltr; line-height: 80%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1in; margin-top: 3.36pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> 11. Enclosures (Encl:) = =<span style="direction: ltr; line-height: 80%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1in; margin-top: 3.36pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> 12. Carbon copy Recipients (cc:) = =<span style="direction: ltr; line-height: 80%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1in; margin-top: 3.36pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> 13. Photocopy recipients (xc:) = =<span style="direction: ltr; line-height: 80%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1in; margin-top: 3.36pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> = = //**Note**// : The last four components are not always included. For more information read =

Basic Letter Formats

<span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.58in; margin-top: 6.72pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.58in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> • There are three common formats for the business letter: <span style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.58in; margin-top: 6.72pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.58in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> 1. The unblocked format.

<span style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.58in; margin-top: 6.72pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.58in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">

<span style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.58in; margin-top: 6.72pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.58in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> 2. The semi-blocked format. <span style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.58in; margin-top: 6.72pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.58in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">

<span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.58in; margin-top: 5.76pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.58in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> 3. The blocked format. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.58in; margin-top: 5.76pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.58in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.58in; margin-top: 5.76pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.58in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.58in; margin-top: 5.76pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.58in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.58in; margin-top: 5.76pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.58in; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;"> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = presentation have a details about how we organize the letters : =