This document provides guidance on writing effective business letters. It discusses analyzing the audience, having a clear purpose, and selecting the best communication strategy. The document outlines the essential and optional components of a business letter, including the header, inside address, body, complimentary close, and other optional elements. It provides examples of different types of business letters and offers tips for a positive tone.

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2. 
Represent your company’s public image and your
competence

More personal than a report, yet more formal than
memos or e-mail

More permanent than e-mail

Constitute an official legal record of an agreement
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3. 
Analyze Your Audience :
◦ Who is my audience?
◦ Will my audience be favorably or unfavorably disposed to what I
am going to say?
◦ What kinds of information will my audience expect me to supply?
◦ How will my audience use the information I am sending?
◦ What impression do I want my letter to make on readers?
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Have a clear sense of your purpose and theirs
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Select the best communication strategy

Draft, revise, and edit your letter
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4. 
Essential Components
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◦
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Writer’s Address
Date
Inside Address
Salutation
Letter Body
Complimentary Close
Signed Name
Typed Name
◦
◦
◦
◦
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Subject Line
New Page Notations
Writer’s and Typist’s Initials
Enclosure Notation
Copy Notation
Optional Components
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6. 
Personal Address
◦ Street address
◦ City
◦ Zip Code
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Company Address
◦
◦
◦
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Company’s name
Street address
City
Zip Code
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7. 
Full Calendar Date
◦ May 31,2009
◦ 31May 2009

2-4 spaces
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8. 
Address of the reader
Reader’s Name
Reader’s Title
Company Name
Company Street
Address
◦ Company City
◦ Company State
◦ Company Zip Code
◦
◦
◦
◦

2-4 spaces
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9. 
IF you know the reader’s
name, salutation will be
◦ First / Last Name
◦ Followed by Colon
◦ For example





Dear Mr. Sami:
Dear Ms. Jasmeen:
Dear Miss / Mrs. Ali:
Dear Ahmad Ali:
OTHERWISE
◦ Use title
 Dear Vice President:
◦ Use department’s name
 Accounting Department:

2 spaces
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10. 
Includes
◦ Introductory Paragraph
◦ Discussion Paragraph
◦ Concluding Paragraph
2 spaces below salutation
 2 spaces b/w paragraphs

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11. 
Place a comma after
complimentary close
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Preferred close is
Sincerely,

2 spaces below body
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12. 
Sign your name legibly
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13. Type your name
 Mention your title
(Optional)


4 spaces below
complimentary close
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14. 14

15. 
Must have a topic & focus
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Can be used instead of
salutation
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All CAPS

2 spaces below inside
address
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16. 
If writer and typist are two
different persons
◦ Writer’s initials- ALL CAPS
◦ Typist’s initials-LOWERCASE

Separate both initials with a
colon

2 spaces below typed
signature
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17. 
Enclose information as
◦
◦
◦
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Enc.; OR
Enclosure; OR
Enclosures(2); OR
Enclosure: August Report
2 spaces below writer’s and
typist’s initials
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18. 
For a copy of letter, write
◦ cc (complimentary copy)
◦ pc (photocopy)

For copies sent to other
readers, write
◦ pc: Reader Ma,e

2 spaces below enclosure
notation
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19. 
Full-block format
◦ All text typed on left margin
◦ Spaces between paragraphs

Simplified format
◦ Same as full block format except
 No Salutations
 Subject Line introduced
 No Complimentary Close
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21. 21

22. 
Positive
◦ Customer relations letters responding favorably to a
writer’s request or complaint
◦ Sales letters promoting a product
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Neutral
◦ Letters requesting information about a product or
service, placing an order, or responding to some action
or question
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Negative
◦ Customer relations letters refusing a request, saying
no to an adjustment, etc.
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23. Letters of Inquiry
 Sales Letters
 Good-News Letters
 Bad-News Letters
 Complaint Letters
 Adjustment Letters
 Cover Letters

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24. 24

25. You require information about any matter of
interest to you
 It must
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Contain an effective technical writing style
Involve audience through pronoun usage
Avoid grammatical errors
Must contain the essential letter components
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26. 
Introduction
◦ Tell your reader why are you writing
◦ Inform reader about subject matter
 What are you writing about? OR
 What info do you want?

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27. 
Discussion
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Specify your needs
Ask precise questions
List specific topic of inquiry
Quantify your questions
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28. 
Conclusion
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Must be precise
Mention when do you want a response
Provide a specific date for response
Explain why do you want response by the given date
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