Formatting Formal Business Letters and Memos

Business letters are very important to communicate formally with a company. Most business letters are printed on letterhead stationary, which includes company’s name, address, and other contact information.

The steps of how to write and compose a business letter are the following:

• If you do not have a company letterhead, type the complete business address and name of the company. Also you can include your e-mail address and phone number.

• Leave one line blank followed by the date and always included the complete name of the month. In addition, make sure it is the actual mailing date of the letter.

• One to ten lines below the date include the recipient’s full name and address.

• Next leave one blank line. State the salutation or greeting using the person’s formal name such as Dear Mr. or Ms. Last name, and end with a colon.

• One line below, the body of the letter comes next. It must be single spaced with a blank line between paragraphs. It begin with a general introduction of who you are and the letter purpose. A business letter should be short and directly to the point.

• After a blank line, you must add a complimentary close such as “Sincerely” or “Cordially”.

• On the second line sign the letter, and on the next line printed the complete name and job title.

Example

The majority of the companies have a word processing program to create properly formatted business letters. Using the correct business letter format makes your business more professional. Here are some tips you can use to keep your business letter consistent and correct.

-Use consistent margins and spacing. It is recommended 1 to 1 1/2 inches all around.

-The greeting should be addressed to Mr. or Ms. When you do not have a name you may use a polite description such as Dear customer or Dear student. Also you can address the institutions or entity.

-Be meticulous about the grammar and mechanics.

-Use proofreading method it will help to find easier the errors and fix them.

Memo or memorandum is less formal than writing a business letter, is used for internal office correspondence; it may be addressed to an individual or several individuals. It is usually made of three parts introduction, body and conclusion. The memo must be brief, clear and direct to the point; also memos usually don’t include salutation, complementary close or signature. The companies usually have a standard format or template to create it.

Ask these questions before you write a memo:

Why the memo is being written?

What needs to be communicated?

What is the expected outcome to keep in mind?

• The memo is beginning with a Heading which includes To, From, Date, and Subject with a double-spaced between each.

• Next on the second line below to the heading is the message which is break into introduction, body and conclusion.

-In the introduction, you should state the purpose or why the memo is being written and what would be the main subject to be explained.

-The body will provide details of the subject such as what is the issue, what are the suggestions and other considerations including options.

-The conclusion will state the recommendations or actions to be done, by whom and when.

• It should be single spaced with a double spaced between paragraphs or if the memo is extremely short double spaced.

Example

REFERCENCES:

Thill, J, & Curtland, B. (2011). Excellence in business communication. New Yersey: Prentice hall.

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/business.html

http://www.writeexpress.com/business-memo.html

PHOTO CREDITS:

http://katherineelizabethvs2010.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

http://www.cyberbee.com/science/letpart.html

http://www.pasadenaisd.org/rayburn/Clubs/BPA/contest/businesscorrespondence.html