Business Letters

Quick reference

• 00:05 Let's start our Business Correspondence Basics with Business Letters,
• 00:09 which form the Basis of Professional Communications in Business.
• 00:14 In the professional environment, everything is connected
• 00:17 by the way the messages of executives and the company reach out.
• 00:22 And there's an art to crafting a business letter.
• 00:26 It reaches different audiences for different purposes and
• 00:30 the whole company is represented by what's printed on the paper.
• 00:33 It needs to be done right and done well because it can land on many desks.
• 00:39 It stands out from an email too.
• 00:41 Now, the purpose of a business letter might be to make an inquiry or request.
• 00:46 For example, ask for a donation even from customers.
• 00:51 Business letters often offer thanks or
• 00:53 recognition, maybe announce an annual award that will be given.
• 00:59 Apologies and explanations are typically handled in a formal business letter,
• 01:05 even to answer a complaint your company receives.
• 01:08 And sales or prospecting mail is often done in letter form too.
• 01:14 Because there may be an enclosure that must be included in the envelope,
• 01:18 such as, a company brochure.
• 01:22 Constructing a business letter, begins with a set of standardized rules,
• 01:27 that you can use to format the letter on company letter head.
• 01:31 We'll cover the main structure here but
• 01:33 it's good to know you can find templates and software programs or online.
• 01:38 This one is on the Microsoft Office website, and it's called the level design.
• 01:45 You want to begin two inches from the top of the page, and put the date there.
• 01:51 Then, hit enter four times.
• 01:54 So you can begin with the recipient's name, title, and address.
• 02:00 Start your letter then with a greeting.
• 02:04 Use dear, and don't worry, that is the standard.
• 02:09 Align the letter left side, along the margin.
• 02:12 Use single spacing, and then double space between paragraphs.
• 02:17 Use a plain font, like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri.
• 02:21 Often, your company will have chosen a preferred font for you, so
• 02:26 be sure to check.
• 02:28 The tone of a business letter is factual.
• 02:31 It doesn't have to be very dry, in fact it's often pleasant but
• 02:35 sometimes it is firm.
• 02:37 We read an example of that here in the last sentence in
• 02:40 the paragraph shown at the top of the example when you call,
• 02:45 please have it on hand so that we can expect your requests.
• 02:51 Be sure to keep important information or any specific action suggested or
• 02:56 required for the recipient prominent in the body of the letter,
• 03:00 you can put them near the end for emphasis.
• 03:04 Letters contained to one page are ideal whenever possible.
• 03:09 If you're only a little bit over, definitely try to cut.
• 03:13 Space twice before closing a letter,
• 03:17 signing off with sincerely or best regards works well.
• 03:22 Space up to six times to allow for the signature and
• 03:24 that depends on the handwriting, you want to leave room.
• 03:29 Place the name of the sender under the signature and the title below that.
• 03:35 And finally, notes regarding any carbon copies in
• 03:39 the name or if there's an enclosure should appear four spaces below that.
• 03:45 Or here, we show the note about an enclosure and that's just fine, same rule.
• 03:51 So that is the basic structure, format and
• 03:55 tone and all the uses for business letter, which as you can see,
• 04:01 does form a very far-reaching form of communication.
• 04:07 You can rely on it as the basis for all the traditional,
• 04:11 professional communications.

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