The business letter is a message that attempts to influence the
receiver to take some action, to change an attitude, and to cultivate his
goodwill and friendship. These objective can be met only when the receiver gets
the message clearly, correctly, and easily.
Part Of A Business Letter
1.
Heading
The letter-head contains the name and address of a firm, together
with any logo or trademark and telephone number. Some business houses stuff the
letter-head with so much information that it gives a confused and cluttered
appreance. Simplicity of design and quality should characterise the
letter-head.
Letter-heads should be designed by specialists to ensure a certain
distinction and appropriateness.
2.
Date Line
` Every business letter should have a
date, preferably typed or written in the upper right or left hand section of
the letter sheet, just below the letter head. The following method is
recommended.
10th August 1990 or 10 Aug
90.(Please note that there is no ned for fullstops or commas in between day,
month or year.)
3.
Inside
Address
The inside address consists of the name and address of the person
to whom the letter is directed. In a businesss letter, the designation (The
Chairman, The Purchase Manager) is given in place of the name, followed by the
address of his company. Where the name of the Manager is given, his designation
in the company is also mentioned. Thus,
Mr.Robin Smith
Purchase Manager
Coney Electronics Limited
Centre Point
176 Orchad Road
Singapore 0923
Titles of courtesy are important; Mr. Robin Smith, Ms, Elizabeth
Mathers, Mrs. George Ovel, Ph.D, and Victor Lee, M.D.
4.
Salutation
The greeting given to the person to whom you are addressing the
business letter is called a salutation. It is placed two spaces below the
Inside Address and flush with the left margin. It may ve formal or informal,
depending on how wall you know the person. Usually business letters are formal,and
the salutation for Mr. Robbin Smith would be Dear Mr. Smith. If the addresse is
a long-time friend, you might say, Dear Robin.
The common formal salutation
used by business firms in most of the Commonwealth Countries is “Dear Sirs”.
Recently there has been a shift towards more informal ways-Gentlemen, for
instance. “Dear Sir” is used everywhere when the letter is addressed by a designation,
like The Manager, The Secretary, The Chairmans,etc.
5.
Subject
Line
The Subject Line helps the reader to identity the subject of your
letter at the beginning of the leter. It should be specific, concise, and
appealing. It should attract your reader’s attention immediately which is your
aim. Instead of using, “Subject : Meeting.” Try something more to the heart of
the matter like, “Subject Meeting of share-holders”.
Similarly,
instead of using,
“Re.
Amendment,” write
“Re.
Amendment of Statement.”
Be
as specific and active as possible when you indicate your subject.
6.
The
Opening Paragraph
The opening paragraph must come directly to the point it many
contain a simple statement.
Often the opening sentence will be the hardest to frame, because
once you have managed to make a beginning, the subsequent passages will follow
naurally on to those gone before. If you canot think of a suitable beginning,
glance through the specimen letters in this book. There is obciously a
beginning to each and there ought to be dozens that will suit your purpose.
7.
Body
The message of a business letter is contained in the body. Usually,
all business letters are tuped single spaced. There is, however a double
spacing between the salutation and the body of letter.
8.
Complimentary
Close or Subscription
The complimentary close is the formal ending of the letter. The principle
is that the complimentary close should match the salutation in its degree of
formality. The following are the salutations and complimentary closes beginning
with the most formal, ending with most informal that may be used together.
Salutation Complimentary
Close
My dear Sir -
Your faithfully
My dear Mr.John - Yours very truly/Very truly
yours,
Dear Sir -
Yours faithfully
Gentlemen -
Yours Faithfully
Dear Mr.John - Yours sincerely
Nowdays writers usually use ‘yours faithfully’ or ‘yours sincerely’.
9.
The
Signature
Exactly below the complimentary close
comes the signature of the letter writer in his own hand. His/her name with
initials, if any, is typed in the next line, just below the signature. The title
or designation is usually given below the typed name.
Daftar Pustaka
1.
K.Rajamanikan,1997,
MODEL BUSINESS LETTERS, Singapore, S.S. Mubarak & Brothers Pte. Ltd
2.
Purwanto.Djoko,M.B.A,
KORESPONDENSI BISNIS MODERN
3.
Bratawidjaja.Thomas
Wiyasa, 1992, KORESPODENSI BISNIS, Jakarta
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