A formal business letter is a type of writing on a letterhead of a business and addressed to an individual from a different department of the same company or to an individual who is not part of the company.
to comprehend the function of the formal business letter to understand the purpose of a business letter, we must consider this issue that many individuals have asked to ask: why write business letters in the event that fax or email are more efficient and voice mail is able to accomplish the task in the same way?
Formal Business Letter
Since the Internet and phone technology have altered our methods of communicating, it can be difficult to address this issue and convince those who are used to faxing and emailing their business plans that a formal letter might be more effective and be more credible in certain circumstances. Business letters represents the company as well as a business. That means that the person writing the formal business letter should:
* document the fundamentals of an concept or strategy
Conduct business in a ethical manner instead of rushing
• communicate ideas to a particular person or group in the hope of establishing an ongoing relationship
* show the fact that “quickest” doesn’t necessarily connote the ability and knowledge
Formal Business Letter Example
A formal business letter example is, therefore, the heart of your business. It is a reflection of the goals and mission of your business and reflects its values regarding communication to the world outside.
Components of a Formal Business Letter
The contents of a formal business letter communicates the message, however, it’s equally important to be aware of the appearance of a letter. The manner in which letters are presented determines the way that the reader will view the business. According to the old saying, first impressions are important and we could add – last for a long time!
There are around 10-12 elements of a letter in the image below (numbered)
Explanation of Numbered Components
1 . Letterhead
* This is provided from your business. The document contains names of your business address, telephone as well as fax numbers the web address, and email address. It may or not include the logo of the company and slogan.
The letterhead is the initial page of the letter. If the letter has more than one page, then second sheets are utilized. The second sheets are typically blank or printed with just the name of the business and logo.
2. Dateline
*This is the date the formal business letter was first written. It is usually found under the letterhead.
3. Name and address of the recipient
* Also known for the inner address
Make sure your address is correct and that you are in the the correct zip code. Be aware that if you’ve got the post office box address instead of a civil address and your letter is being delivered using a courier service, then the delivery company may never be in a position to deliver the formal business letter.
4. Attention Line
Attention lines are not required. It’s only necessary in the event that the correspondence is directed to an organization or organization, but it is intended to attract the consideration and handling of a particular person who is acquainted with or accountable for the letter’s subject.
It’s an excellent idea to include the proper name of the person along with his job title and the department that he is employed by (especially in the case of an organization with more than 1,000 employees). This allows the mail room to hand out the letter on time.
5. Salutation
If strict formality is adhered to The usage in the form of “Dear Sir”, “Dear Madam”, “Gentlemen” is acceptable. However, it’s more personal when a person’s name is employed.
* in certain companies executive who write letters to those whom they trust will often mark the typewritten “Dear Mr. Jones” and handwrite “Dear John” instead to signal that the writer is a trusted business acquaintance.
6. Subject Line
Some letters, especially those that are very short don’t require an subject line. Subject lines are employed to show politeness to ensure that the person who receives the letter when they receive the letter, can immediately understand the intent behind the formal business letter.
The subject is generally underlined and must include essential information. Some individuals capitalize the subject while others do not. Be consistent with the practice of your company. One example could be: “Your letter dated the 23rd of September 2007 re XYZ Co. Initial Public Offering.”
7. Body
The body of the letter is the main message of the letter. Be aware that there is no specific number of paragraphs required for an official letter. It may be just one paragraph or 25 paragraphs according to the nature of the topic.
A formal business letter should be professional and respectful in all instances. Be cautious about what you say in your correspondence. If you write it in a negative way the recipient may be turned off the person receiving the letter and not even bother to respond. If you’re unsure you’re not sure, you might want to ask your supervisor or coworker to review your work.
8. Closing
* closings are formal and professional method to conclude your formal business letter. For our instance, we have used “Yours sincerely”, but other acceptable formats include “Yours truly”, “Respectfully”, “Sincerely yours”, “Truly yours.”
Avoid exaggerated closings or flattery. The terms of affection such as “love”, “fondly” and similar closings should not be used in business letters and should be reserved only for private correspondence.
9. Company Signature
It is generally not needed, except in business letters that are less formal. It is utilized in situations where the person writing the letter is acting in the capacity of a representative or spokesperson for the business and it isn’t for personal reasons.
* If the letter is placed on the letterhead of the company There is no need for a signature from the company.
10. Identification of the Signatory
The name and name of the individual acting on behalf of the company are listed here.
11. Reference Initials
* Reference Initials signify who is the signatory (usually with capital letters) and are followed by an apostrophe before the initials of the typer (usually written in smaller fonts).
* It’s usually recommended to not leave these initials out because in the event that a copy is required the public will be able to determine who the secretary or typist would have one.
12. Enclosure
* The enclosed (sometimes written in complete or abbreviated, e.g “encl.”) serves as a reminder to those receiving the letters to ensure that it has been supported by other documents. When there are many enclosures, they are typically included to let the recipient be aware if he received all enclosures or not.
13. CC Notation
* “CC” used to stand for “carbon copy” but no person uses a typewriter nowadays. This particular note tells the person receiving it that a different individual was copied in the letter.
A different notation for this could be “bc” which means “blind copy.” This is a reference to the fact that the writer writes to the recipient but doesn’t wish to inform the recipient that someone else was also sent the exact letter.
Formal Business Letter Template
The purpose of creating business letter template was to offer high-quality templates that can serve as a basis for creating your personal letters. If you don’t find the letter you’re searching for after downloading or logging into your account, make a suggestion and we’ll try the best we can to meet your requests. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8598012
