How do you format a business letter?
1. Address of the Sender
Typically, the letterhead will have the address of the sender. Include the sender’s address one line above the date at the top of the letter if you are not using a letterhead. Because it appears at the close of the letter, there’s no need to write the sender’s name or title. Just provide the city, zip code, and street address.
2. The date
To show the date of writing, use the date line. But if your letter takes more than one day to finish, put the date it was finished at the top of the date line. Use the American date format when composing correspondence with American firms. The month comes before the day according to the American norm for date formatting. Take June 11, 2001, as an example.
Two inches from the page’s top, type out the month, day, and year. Select the date and either left-justify it or tab to the middle of the page to type it in, depending on the style of your letter. Instead of having the sender’s address left-justified on letterhead, it should be center-inserted in the second example.
3. Internal address
The recipient’s address is the “internal” address. Whenever possible, it is preferable to address your correspondence to a particular person inside the company. Get in touch with the business or talk to some employees if you don’t know the person’s name. Feel free to use a formal title like Mr., Mrs., or Ms. Always respect a woman’s choice of title when addressing her: Miss, Mrs., or Ms. Ms. is a safe way to address a woman if you don’t know her preferred form of address.
Make use of the recipient’s title if you have reason to believe they have a doctorate or other prestigious position. It is common practice to address somebody by a greater rank than they actually hold. Apply the U.S. Postal Service Format when writing the address. On the last line of an overseas address, enter the country’s name in all capital letters. Start writing the interior address down one line after the date. No matter what format you’re using, it should always be left justified.
4. The Greeting
Keep the personal title and internal address the same. It is appropriate to use just the first name in the salutation if you are familiar with the individual and normally use it (for instance, Dear Lucy:). But everywhere else, a colon should follow the personal title and last/family name. After the greeting, leave one line blank.
Use a nonsexist greeting, such the recipient’s work title followed by their name, if you are unsure of the gender of the reader. If you are unsure about the gender, it is also appropriate to use the entire name while greeting. Dear Chris Harmon: would be a good example to use if you didn’t know Chris’s gender.
5. The Body
Within the body of the letter, for block and modified block forms, each paragraph should be left justified and single spaced. Separate paragraphs with a blank line. Remember that succinctness is key when composing a business letter. Think of a welcoming introduction and a summary of the important points to include in the first paragraph.
In the next line, you should start to explain why the main point is important. Justify your position further by providing context and evidence in the paragraphs that follow. The last paragraph of your letter should summarize its main points and, if necessary, make a formal request.
6. Final Words
You should start the closure one line after the final paragraph of the body, at the same vertical point as your date. Make sure to capitalize the first word alone (e.g., “thank you”) and include a signature space of four lines after the closure and before the sender’s name. To properly punctuate a conclusion, a comma is required if a colon follows the greeting; otherwise, no punctuation is required.
7. Enclosures
Simply type “Enclosures” after the closing to indicate that you have attached any documents, such as a résumé or CV, to the letter. You have the opportunity to indicate the documents you are placing in the envelope by listing their names. If you’ve included a lot of papers and want to make sure the receiver knows about them all, it could be helpful to mention their names.
8. Initials of the typist
A letter’s typer’s initials serve as a means of identifying that individual. Leave off the typist’s initials if you typed the letter by hand.
A Word on Font and Formatting
1. Block Format
Format and font choice are of the utmost importance when composing business letters. Block format is the de facto standard for business letters. Except for the spaces between paragraphs, this style calls for left-justified, single-spaced text throughout the whole letter.
2. Modified Block
Modified block format is another prominent format. This style calls for single-spaced, left-justified text throughout the letter, including the sender’s and recipient’s addresses. But to input the closure and date, tab to the middle and start typing.
3. Semi-Block
Finally, semi-block is the style that is least used. The main difference between this style and the modified block style is the use of indentation for paragraphs rather than left justification.
It is important to remember that the format requirements for professional communication might vary from one company to another. Your business letter’s structure may have to be adaptable to account for variations like letterheads and templates, even while the OWL samples have common features for the basic business letter (genre expectations). Just remember that these are only samples.
Using the Letter Wizard, which is included in Microsoft Office, may greatly simplify the process of formatting business letters. Select “Letter Wizard” from the Tools menu to open the corresponding wizard. To input the date, sender address, and receiver address into the chosen format, the Wizard will display the three styles listed above. Use Letter Wizard only if you are familiar with the fundamentals of business letter writing. Its premade layouts won’t work everywhere. Consequently, if you are unsure about the Letter Wizard’s correctness or have any doubts, you should go to a business writing manual.
4. The font
The font is another essential component that determines how readable a letter is. Even if alternative fonts like Arial are acceptable, the most common one is Times New Roman, size 12. Always think about who you’re writing for when you pick a style. Times New Roman is a good choice if you are composing an email to a conservative business. Now is not the time for Comic Sans or Papyrus. You may be a bit more creative with your font choice if you’re composing for a more tolerant employer.
5. Punctuation
When punctuating a greeting, always use a colon (:) instead of a comma, and when punctuating a goodbye, always use a comma. An uncommon style, open punctuation, may be appropriate in some contexts. The style does not include punctuation after the closure and salutation.
