Writing A Professional Business Letter

There are many kinds of letter writing. One can write a friendly letter, an informal letter and even a short hand letter. All these letters have a loose structure and form. There is not a single right way to write a letter of that nature.

However one particular letter that stands out which has the same form and design no matter what and that is the business letter. There are steps and a formula to writing a business letter. First the sender’s address is usually included within the letterhead. This is placed at the top of the letter line. However you do not include the sender’s name as that is included at the end of the letter. The date is used to specify when the letter was written not when it was sent. If it takes you a few days to write a letter, use the date it was finished. Depending on what country the company is in you are writing to will also determine which date format you will use.

The inside address is the full address of the person who will be receiving this letter. Always include the person’s name. If you are sending this letter internationally write the country name in capital letters. Remember no matter the format, always keep this line justified. Next is the salutation, use the same name which is included with the inside address. If you are unsure of the person’s gender always use a standard salutation or the full name of the person if you cannot determine the gender.

Now the next part of the business letter which is the body of the letter. Skip a line between each paragraph; this makes it easier to read the letter. Conciseness becomes important now. Start the first paragraph with an opening friendly comment. Next the body should have the main focus of your purpose for writing. The closing paragraph should reiterate the main purpose of the letter. It should almost request some type of reaction from the sender.

After the body of the letter is written, the closing should be simple. The first word should only be capitalized. You should also leave four lines between the closing statement and your name. This is so you can sign your name in that blank space. Under the typed name also include your initials. Follow these steps and you should have a nicely formatted and well written business letter.

By: Claire Jefferies

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Daniel Blinman is writing on behalf of Professional Presentations, who offer Presentation design and sales presentations