1. Business Letters
What They Are & How to Write Them

2. People Still Write Letters?
• “Business letters” are really just formal
communications sent by snail mail.

3. Why Bother?
• Everyday people write business letters to:
– share ideas
– promote products or events
– complain to / support a public official or business
– ask for help
– contact organizations
– gain internships
– help solve problems
– express thanks
– introduce oneself
– recommend
– formalize something
– request

4. Organizing & Writing
Business Letters

5. Looks Matter
And, while these people
may have style or swag,

6. These folks look better. Their
appearance meets the
accepted standard.

7. Business Letters In-style
• Follow the age-old, established format.
• Use formal language.
• Be short and precise.
• Your purpose should be clear and to-the-
point.
• Pay attention to punctuation, spacing,
spelling, etc.

8. Business Letters In-style Cont’d
• Use plain, white, 8 ½ by 11 paper.
• Arial and Times New Roman are
appropriate fonts to use.
– No matter how nice you think Comic Sans looks!
• Use 10-12 point font.
• When mailing, be sure to trifold your letter
before putting it in the
envelope.

9. Anatomy of a
Business Letter

10. Parts of a Business Letter
(in order from top to bottom)
• Heading
– Sender’s address
– Date
– Inside address/ Recipient’s address
• Salutation
• Body
• Closing
• Signature
• Initials, Enclosures, Copies
Everything is
LEFT
justified!

11. • Hint, you’re the sender.
• If I’m sending it, what do I include my
address?
• What should it look like?
123 Main St. <- but use your street
West Seneca, NY 14224 <- but use your city
• Why is my name missing?
Sender’s Address

12. • Used to indicated the date the letter was
written.
• What should it look like?
September 10, 2014 <- but use your
date
Date

13. • This is the recipient’s address
• Include a name
• Include that individual’s title (Mr., Mrs.,
Ms., Dr., Honorable, Senator)
• What should it look like?
Mrs. Skotnicki <- left-justify every line
3330 Seneca St.
West Seneca, NY 14057
Inside Address

14. • Use the same name as the inside address,
including the title followed by a colon.
• Do not address the person by their first name
(Dear Lucy).
• What does this look like?
Dear Mrs. Skotnicki: <- notice the colon
• If you do not know the gender of the
recipient, use their first and last names.
Dear Pat Tronolone:
Salutation (the greeting)

15. • Single space your letter.
• Left justify every paragraph. Do not indent!
• Separate paragraphs with a single blank
line.
• What will this look like?
– See the next slide.
The Body: Formatting

16. • The first paragraph
– Be friendly. Introduce yourself.
– Be concise and get right to your main point.
– Clearly establish your purpose for writing.
• The second paragraph
– Justify the importance of your main point.
• The third+ paragraph(s)
– Continue justification of your main point with
background information and supporting details.
• The closing paragraph
– Restate the purpose of the letter and (if necessary)
request some kind of action.
The Body: Content

17. • Begin at the same vertical point as your date.
• Separate from the last body paragraph with one
blank line.
• Capitalize the first letter and leave four blank lines
between the closing and your name.
• What does this look like?
Sincerely,
<- 4 blank lines
<- your signature here
Joe Student
Closing

18. Enclosures
• If you’re sending something with your letter (a
resume, a brochure, etc.), be sure to point it
out professionally.
• Skip a line after your name and type the word
“Enclosure” or “Encl.” before the name of
your attachment.
• What does this look like?
Joe Student
Encl. Traffic Light Diagrams

19. Copies
• If you’re sending your letter to more than
one person, you must make them aware.
(Think “cc” on an e-mail.)
• What does this look like?
Joe Student
Encl. Traffic Light Diagrams
cc: Mr. Brinker, Principal

20. The Business Letter: A Visual
What’s
missing from
this image?

21. • Sebranek, Patrick, Dave Kemper, and
Verne Meyer. Writer’s Inc: A Student
Handbook for Writing and Learning.
Wilmington, Massachusetts: Write Source.
2001. Print.
• "Writing The Basic Business
Letter." Purdue OWL: Basic Business
Letters. Purdue University. Web. 27 Aug.
2013.
Sources