Elaborate the points that are needed for effective formatting of business letter ?
Communication is the lifeblood of business operations. And business letters are the indispensable part of business communication. The most precious gift we can feel proud of is our language. So we should always improve it, polish it, perfect it and command it in writing and in speak. English is used as a universal language for business communication. Communication is an exchange and exact replication of thoughts, feelings, facts, beliefs and ideas between and among the individuals through a common system of symbols to cause some actions or change in behavior.
The business communication depends upon several factors. The most important among that is, type of the business. Every business firm should communicate its idea to others in the form of letters. In this modern age Internet and e-mail business letters plays and important role. Good writing is the result of good planning and clear thinking. For writing an effective business letter, we should know the principles of good writing.
The main steps in effective writing are
1. Pre writing- preparation, planning, back ground research
2. Writing- Organizing and outlining material, writing the first draft.
3. Revising – Reworking and editing the draft, final typing and printing proof reading.
In the pre writing stage we should analyse the questions such as
· What is the purpose of this message?
· Why am I writing it?
· Who is the audience?
· Whom do I want to influence?
· What do I want to say?
· What is the scope of my subject?
· What result or actions do I want?
By finding the answers of above questions we came to the haven of perfect writing.
The second step “writing” means the writing of first draft. It should be written quickly with out too much thought to elegant expressions or final order and paragraphing. As we write the first draft, keep our audience in mind. Doing so will help us stay focused on the purpose of our work. Keep writing until we have completed the first draft.
We should revise the material, by reading, from the viewpoint of a reader. If possible, we can ask others, for their comments and suggestions. Or we ourselves can check it after a break. So we can spot inconsistencies and errors more easily.
At the time of writing a business letter we should kept in mind the things like
1. Keep the letter short and clear
2. Use our own words
3. Use the proper form of address etc.
While writing business letter we shall keep some more points in out mind. That is
The main steps in effective writing are
1. Pre writing- preparation, planning, back ground research
2. Writing- Organizing and outlining material, writing the first draft.
3. Revising – Reworking and editing the draft, final typing and printing proof reading.
In the pre writing stage we should analyse the questions such as
· What is the purpose of this message?
· Why am I writing it?
· Who is the audience?
· Whom do I want to influence?
· What do I want to say?
· What is the scope of my subject?
· What result or actions do I want?
By finding the answers of above questions we came to the haven of perfect writing.
The second step “writing” means the writing of first draft. It should be written quickly with out too much thought to elegant expressions or final order and paragraphing. As we write the first draft, keep our audience in mind. Doing so will help us stay focused on the purpose of our work. Keep writing until we have completed the first draft.
We should revise the material, by reading, from the viewpoint of a reader. If possible, we can ask others, for their comments and suggestions. Or we ourselves can check it after a break. So we can spot inconsistencies and errors more easily.
At the time of writing a business letter we should kept in mind the things like
1. Keep the letter short and clear
2. Use our own words
3. Use the proper form of address etc.
While writing business letter we shall keep some more points in out mind. That is
· Consider the audience for the proper angle
· Anticipate special problem in readers reaction
· Out line the message functionally
· Develop the first draft
· Edit content grammar clarity, conciseness and style
Business letters have the following basic parts
· Heading or Letter head:
Usually the heading of the letter is a printed one called the letter head. It may contains the name of the company, address, phone No., e-mail, website, name of the office or correspondent. If it is not there it should be typed at the upper right corner of the paper about one and one half inches from the top and flush with right margine.
Eg.
· Anticipate special problem in readers reaction
· Out line the message functionally
· Develop the first draft
· Edit content grammar clarity, conciseness and style
Business letters have the following basic parts
· Heading or Letter head:
Usually the heading of the letter is a printed one called the letter head. It may contains the name of the company, address, phone No., e-mail, website, name of the office or correspondent. If it is not there it should be typed at the upper right corner of the paper about one and one half inches from the top and flush with right margine.
Eg.
MICROLINK CORPORATION
Florida, USA
TEL.98765432152
Email support@microlink.com
http/www.microlink.com
· Date Line:
Every business letters should have the correct date typed under the letterhead. The date records when the letter was written and may serve as an important reference. If there is a question about an order or shipment, a contract or a reply to customer complaints, you will have the dated copy of a letter in your files to verify when you wrote the message and what we said. Mail the letter on or close to the date typed under the letterhead. The postmark on the envelope and the date in the letter should correspond as nearly as possible.
· Inside Address:
The inside address is typed below the date line. It is single spaced and placed flush against the left margin. The inside address contains the name, title, company division or department, mailing, address, and zip code of the receiver.
Mr. Joseph Alex
Area Manager
ABC Corporation
MG road, Chandni Chowk
Delhi
In American English the area code is usually at the same level as the place, separated by a comma.
· Reference Lines
A subject line is not necessary. By that the reader immediately knows what the letter is about. These are the three common methods to distinguish the subject line from the body of the letter.
· Use “subject” or “Ref.”
· Type the subject in bold letter
· Type the subject in capital letter
In case if calling a special attention to the subject of the letters or single out a particular person to whom the letter is addressed in a company. We have to use a reference line for purpose.
TEL.98765432152
Email support@microlink.com
http/www.microlink.com
· Date Line:
Every business letters should have the correct date typed under the letterhead. The date records when the letter was written and may serve as an important reference. If there is a question about an order or shipment, a contract or a reply to customer complaints, you will have the dated copy of a letter in your files to verify when you wrote the message and what we said. Mail the letter on or close to the date typed under the letterhead. The postmark on the envelope and the date in the letter should correspond as nearly as possible.
· Inside Address:
The inside address is typed below the date line. It is single spaced and placed flush against the left margin. The inside address contains the name, title, company division or department, mailing, address, and zip code of the receiver.
Mr. Joseph Alex
Area Manager
ABC Corporation
MG road, Chandni Chowk
Delhi
In American English the area code is usually at the same level as the place, separated by a comma.
· Reference Lines
A subject line is not necessary. By that the reader immediately knows what the letter is about. These are the three common methods to distinguish the subject line from the body of the letter.
· Use “subject” or “Ref.”
· Type the subject in bold letter
· Type the subject in capital letter
In case if calling a special attention to the subject of the letters or single out a particular person to whom the letter is addressed in a company. We have to use a reference line for purpose.
Following is an example of a reference as “Personal & Confidential” is typed in initial capital and underscored before the inside address as follows.
Personal & Confidential
Ms. Bhanumathi
Vice Chairperson
Xerox Corporation
Ohio
United States of America
“Attention” and “Subject” are the other reference lines typed below the inside address. They are followed by a colon and are not underscored.
Eg.
Address
Subject: Supply of new improved dispensing machine.
Address
Attention: Mr. Madhusudhanan, Partner, Sales.
· Salutation:
In business letter, after the inside address or reference line, the salutation is typed two lines down. Hush with the left margin and followed by a colon.
Dear Ms / Miss / Mrs. / Mr. / Dr. + Surname
Eg.
Dear Mr. Madhu
We can also write the person’s full name. In this case, leave out the title (Mr. / Mrs.). This was of writing the salutation is very handy if we do not know the gender of the person.
Eg.
Dear Blessy
There are several possibilities to address people that we don’t know by name.
Salutation
When to Use
Dear sir/Dear sirs
Male addressee (Esp. in British English)
Gentlemen
Male Addressee (Esp. in American English)
Dear madam
Female Addressee (Esp. in British English)
Ladies
Female Addressee (Esp. in American English)
Dear Sirs or madam
Gender Unknown (Esp. in British English)
Ladies and Gentleman
Gender Unknown (Esp. in American English)
To whom it may concern
Gender Unknown (Esp. in American English)
Business partners often call each other by their first names. In this case, write the salutation as follows.
Dear Madhu, (short for madhusudanan)
· Punctuation
In British English, don’t use any punctuation mark or use a comma.
Dear Mr Miller
In American English use a colon,
· Ms , Miss, or Mrs?
· Mrs - to address a married woman
· Miss - to address an unmarried woman (rarely used now)
· Ms - to address a woman whose marital status we don’t know; also use to address an unmarried woman.
· Body of the Business letter
The body of the letter can be typed in block style with no paragraph indentation or semi block style in which the paragraphs are intended. There is no “ accurate “ style. It is base on the personal or company preference. Paragraphs are typed single space with double space between them.
The body should be divided into at least two or three paragraphs. It makes the text easier to read and presents the message more clearly.
First paragraph:
Introduction and reason for writing- begin with information that cathes the reader’s attention and refers to some need or interest of the reader. Put the “you” into the letter.
Second Paragraph:
Explain reasons for writing in more detail provide background information etc. Bring in our involvement, what role we are playing, or what service or information we have to offer. Put “You” and “I” into the letter.
Forthcoming paragraphs:
How to reach the action or result by this letter is to be mentioned here.
Last Paragraph:
End the body of the letter with the action or idea that you want the reader to consider or with the results. We should like to have. Keep the “ you” and “I” in the reader’s mind but emphasize “you”.
It is noted that our text should be positive and well structured.
Eg.
With reference to your letter-dated 31.09.2007, that your Self Help Group named Aiswarya SHG was purchased three aracaleaf plate making machine and its accessories. You asked for a quote on our premium product- Deepam Paper Bag Machine.
I am glad to inform you that, this month we have announce an additional discount on the paper bag machine. According to the new policy of the Government of Kerala, banned the plastic carry bag under 30 microns. It will enhance the market of paper bags. The machine itself is eco friendly and working with zero percent atmospheric pollution. Its production capacity is 2 times more than other company’s models. At the same time price is a little bit lower than others.
The discount offer expires by 15 of next month. But if you order the same by this month, you can get a scratch and win gift. We also keen in speed and safe door delivery with no additional cost. So please make necessary step to buy the product as early as possible.
Here states the reader need in the first paragraph. The following paragraph describes how the company satisfies that need. The closing paragraph mentions the desired actions for the recipient and the company. The plan of the letter helps the writer be concise, specific, and direct.
· Complimentary close
First paragraph:
Introduction and reason for writing- begin with information that cathes the reader’s attention and refers to some need or interest of the reader. Put the “you” into the letter.
Second Paragraph:
Explain reasons for writing in more detail provide background information etc. Bring in our involvement, what role we are playing, or what service or information we have to offer. Put “You” and “I” into the letter.
Forthcoming paragraphs:
How to reach the action or result by this letter is to be mentioned here.
Last Paragraph:
End the body of the letter with the action or idea that you want the reader to consider or with the results. We should like to have. Keep the “ you” and “I” in the reader’s mind but emphasize “you”.
It is noted that our text should be positive and well structured.
Eg.
With reference to your letter-dated 31.09.2007, that your Self Help Group named Aiswarya SHG was purchased three aracaleaf plate making machine and its accessories. You asked for a quote on our premium product- Deepam Paper Bag Machine.
I am glad to inform you that, this month we have announce an additional discount on the paper bag machine. According to the new policy of the Government of Kerala, banned the plastic carry bag under 30 microns. It will enhance the market of paper bags. The machine itself is eco friendly and working with zero percent atmospheric pollution. Its production capacity is 2 times more than other company’s models. At the same time price is a little bit lower than others.
The discount offer expires by 15 of next month. But if you order the same by this month, you can get a scratch and win gift. We also keen in speed and safe door delivery with no additional cost. So please make necessary step to buy the product as early as possible.
Here states the reader need in the first paragraph. The following paragraph describes how the company satisfies that need. The closing paragraph mentions the desired actions for the recipient and the company. The plan of the letter helps the writer be concise, specific, and direct.
· Complimentary close
It is typed one double space after the body of the letter. It can be centered on the page or set flush with the left or right margin. The most used complimentary close is “Sincerely”, although many companies also use “Yours truly” or “sincerely yours”.
The closing is followed by four lines and then typed name and title of the person sending the letter. In rare instances when the letter is not typed on letter head stationery, the company name and address follow the name and title of the sender. A phone number may also be included for the quick reply to the letter.
Eg,
Sincerely
Vijayakumar
Managing Partner
SPH,
· Signature:
Between the complimentary closing and typed name we should put our signature. If we are signing it for some one else using a stamped signature, put our initials after the signature and on the same line.
· Stenographic Reference
The reference initials refer to the person who is sending the letter and to the typist. The sender initials are typed in all capitals. Followed by a colon or a slash, then the initials of the typist in lower case letters.
Eg.
:FWW:tg or :FWW/tg.
If we type our own letter, omit the reference initials.
· Enclosures or Copies
This designation is typed one single space below the stenographic initials. It alerts the reader that the material has been enclosed with the letter or that copies of the letter have been sent to others. It can be write as follows.
Encl: or
Enclosures (5) or
Enclosures : Quotation
Route map
SKU list
Cc: or
Copies: Mr. SMS, Sales partner
Mr. MGK, Area Manager Jotun paints
Mr. VGK, Marketing Executive
In short we should notice the following things while writing business letter. As the business letter is the lifeblood of business communication we should very careful about the writing of it. It shows not our language but the business. The reader assesses our company or business based on the letter. So we should make all the effort to create the letter beautifully, concisely and able to satisfy the needs.
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