2. Letter Writing, Forms Etc

8/9/2019 2. Letter Writing, Forms Etc.

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Soft Skills

Business Communication

Class of 2010 2012

Semester - 1


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Letter Styles

Business letters are usually arranged in one of the

letter styles mentioned below. They are single

spaced with double space between paragraphs.

1. Modified block The most popular style. All parts are blocked.

No paragraph indentations.

Date, complimentary close and signaturesections begin near the centre of the page; the

other parts, at the left margin.


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2. Modified block with paragraphs indented

Is also popular.

3. Full block Begins every line at the left margin.

Fastest style to type, especially when used with openpunctuations.

To offset a lopsided appearance at the left, some firms use a

letterhead withmost of its printing at the right side.

4. AMS simplified style

Adopted by the Administrative Management Society.

Uses full block and open punctuations; omits the salutation andcomplimentary close; and includes a subject line without theword subject, typed in all capital letters a triple space after theinside address.

First paragraph contains the readers name.


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5. Hanging (or inverted) paragraph style

Unsuitable for daily correspondence, but distinctive for a salesor advertising letter in which emphasis of the first words of

each paragraph is required. All lines of the letter body are indented except the first line of

each paragraph.

The letter could use a personal inside address and salutation orreplace these with an attention-getting statement and generalsalutation.

Public and government officials as well as businesspersons

writing formal messages often use what is called official

letter style. Its general layout may be blocked or semi-blocked,but the inside address instead of being placed above the

salutation is typed at the left margin two to five lines below the

last line of the signature section. Reference initials and other

notations, if any, then appear after the inside address.


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Form Messages

Wh

enever an identical messageh

asto be sent to at least two persons, a

form letteror a form memo, is

written, based on a master draft.

These messages have various uses

and advantages.


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Uses of Form Messages

To:

Announce news to customers, employees,stockholders, suppliers.

Seek information on credit or job applicants.

Answer often-recurring inquiries. Acknowledge orders.

Make simple adjustments.

Acknowledge payments.

Sell a product or service by mail.

Collect payments on charge accounts

Promote goodwill.


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Advantages

1. Save time.

2. Save money.3. Are of better quality.

4. Make possible wider mass mailings.

Disadvantages

1. Completeform messages are impersonal. Thoughthis characteristic can be an advantage as in early-stage collection reminders it can also be a seriousdisadvantage whenever a personal letter is advisable.

2. Be sure the chosen form message really applies topeople who receive it. Even excellent form letters candrive away customers if incorrectly used. Carelesslychosen forms can nullify much goodwill.


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Kinds of forms:

1. Complete form. Where messages are identical in every word.(Used for announcements, some collection reminders and largescale campaigns when being impersonal is desirable).

2. Fill-in-form. A message prepared in advance to meet a specifickind of situation may have spaces left for filling in valuableinformation.

3. Guide form . Sample letters prepared in advance for varioussituations can be kept on hand (usually in an officecorrespondence manual) and referred to whenever acommunicator writes similar messages. The communicatoruses any sample as a guide only, inserting personal phrasingwherever desirable.

4. Paragraph form . An office booklet or a magnetic disc forstoring paragraphs to meet various situations is often anefficient way to save the letter writers time.


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Business Letters

Th

e medium most often used for written messages outside th

eorganization.

Judged on content, presentation and physical appearance.

Planning the content and presentation is the responsibility ofthe writer.

Typing the message so that it is neat, accurate and attractive isusually the Secretarys job, but . . .

When you have to sign your name, at the bottom of the letter,you assume the final responsibility for EVERYTHINGmechanics, proper layout, proper content. If the message

contains misspellings or grammatical errors, poor appearance,the reader judges you,NOTyour Secretary.

You and your SecretaryMUSTwork as a team to produceeffective and attractive messages.


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Recipients of business letters form their first

impressions even before reading the messages.

The elements of appearance that help produce

favourable reactions are appropriate

stationery, correct letter parts and layouts and

properly addressed envelopes.

Most business letters have seven standard

parts: (See next slide)

(1) Heading (2) Inside address (3) Salutation

(4) Body (5) Complimentary close

(6) Signature area (7) Reference initials.


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Heading

(Letterhead& type written Date (2 lines belowletterhead)

Inside Address

Salutation

Body

Complimentary Close

Signature Area

Reference Initials

Initials


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1. Heading

The letterhead and type written date comprise the

heading. It shows where the letter comes from andwhen it was written. Usually the date is typed twolines below the last line of the letterhead at leftmargin, centred, begun at centre, or placed so it

ends with

th

e righ

t margin.

2. Inside Address

Always blocked at the left hand margin, the inside

address of a letter to an individual includes th

atpersons courtesy title, name, business or executivetitle and address. In a letter addressed to a group,the inside address consists of the group name andaddress.


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3. Salutation

The salutation is the friendly greeting that precedes the body of

the letter. Examples:

Dear Mr. (or Ms. Mrs. Miss) Khanna.

Dear Sanjay (or Neha or nickname).

Dear Mr. or Ms. Khanna (or Dear Manager or Executive orDirector or an appropriate variation when the sex of the personis unknown, because the name has only the initials.) Avoid

Dear Sir and Dear Madam.

Ladies and Gentlemen (or reverse, or Gentlemen andGentlewomen, or Dear Members of . . . or Dear People.Gentlemen, if all are men and Ladies, if all are women.


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4. Body

In the body you try to:

Organize according to an appropriate plan.

Keep your first and last paragraphs short preferably lessthan seven lines.

Vary the intervening paragraph lengths.

Make the average length of your sentences about 17 to 20words.

Achieve the Cqualities.

Generally, all letters should be typed single space, with doublespacing between paragraphs, before and after the salutation

and before th

e complimentary close. When the body of the letter is two or more pages, each page

beyond the first is headed by a combination of the addresseesname, page number and date. This information is typed 1 to 2inches from the top of the sheet.


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5. Complimentary Close

The complimentary close should agree, with respect to formality

or informality, with your salutation. Most business letters use

only one of three words sincerely, truly or cordially. Only the

first letter in the first word of any complimentary close is

capitalized. At times you may want to use a complimentary close

that ties in with your message or product for e.g.:

Warmly Yours for fashion Yours for extra profits

Gratefully Yours for cleaner air Seasons Greetings

AVOID inappropriate gimmick complimentary closes, like

the following:

Gastronomically yours (from a restaurant),

Hopefully yours (from a collector), or

Saltily yours, (from a salt processor).


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6. Signature Area

Can be included in the signature area for

separate identifications name of your

company, your signature, your typewritten

name and your business title.

7. Reference Section

Your initials as dictator of the message and

those of your typist, usually appear at the left

margin on the same line with the last line of the

signature area (your name or title) or one or

two lines below that.


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Optional Parts of a Letter

When appropriate, any of these optional parts canbe included:

1. Attention Line.

2. Subject Line.

3. Enclosure(s) Notation.

4. Copy Notation.

5. File or Account Number.6. Mailing Notation.

7. Postscript.


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1. Attention Line This is a part of the inside address.

Directs a letter to a particular person or title ordepartment when the letter is addressed to a company.

Useful when the writer does not know an individualsname but wants the message to go to a particular title,OR he knows only the individuals surname and thus

cannot use that name on the first line of the insideaddress, OR he expects that the addressee travels oftenand the writer wants the letter to be attended topromptly by whoever takes care of the addresseesbusiness.

The usualplacement of the attention line is between theinside address and salutation (a blank line before it andafter it), flush with the left margin, indented with theparagraphs, or centered).


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2. Subject Line

Considered part of the body of the letter,

subject line helps to tell the reader at a glance

what the letter is all about.

Helps in filing.

Subject line may omit the word subjector

about.

Usually placed either on the same line with the

salutation or double-spaced below thesalutation and centered.


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3. Enclosure Notation

Reminds whoever prepares the envelope for

mailing, that something is to be enclosed. Theenclosure notation is usually typed a single ordouble space under the reference initials.

Alerts the addressees incoming maildepartment to check for enclosures.

Is anything in an envelope other than themessage itself.

Can consist of one or more pages. When more than one item is enclosed, the

numbers should be indicated: Enclosures 3 orEnc. 3.


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4. Copy Notation

When other persons are to receive a copy of theletter written to the addressee, the names ofthose persons (arranged in order of importanceor alphabetically), are typed after cc (carbon

copy), xc (Xerox copy), or a similar notationjust below the reference initials or theenclosure notation (if any).

If you do not wish the addressee to know thatother recipients are getting a copy of the letter,you or the secretary can type bcc (blindcarbon copy) and the recipients names on the

carbon copies only.


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5. File or Account Number / Mailing Notation

Helps in filing/quick recognition for both, the

senders and the readers company.

File, loan or account numbers are typed above

the body of the letter in a conspicuous place.

Mailing notation words such as Special

Delivery, Registered, of Certified Mail,

when applicable, may be typed either below the

copy notation (or whatever is the last notation)or on the second line below the date.


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6. Postscript

To emphasize a point already in the letter or toinclude a personal brief message unrelated to

the letter, a postscript (typed or handwritten)

may be added below everything else typed on

the page.

If an important idea has been inadvertently

forgotten to be included in the letter body, it isadvisable to retype the letter than to add the

information in a postscript.

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2. Letter Writing, Forms Etc