LETTER
Importance of business correspondence
• Maintaining proper relationship • Serve as evidence
• Inexpensive and convenient mode • Helps in expansion of busines
• Creates and maintains goodwill
Principles of business correspondence
• Know the addressee • Conciseness
• Write naturally • Preciseness
• Writing clearly and without ambiguity • Relevancy
• Courtesy and consideration • Concreteness
• Avoid jugglery or jumbling of words • Consistency
• Avoid jargons/abbreviations
Planning a letter
1. Researching the facts
2. Analyzing the subject and the reader
3. Knowing your objectives and how to accomplish them
4. Checking or revising the letter
Parts of a letter
Sender’s address
Peter Bernard
Cochin House
VRA Nagar
Alappuzha
Do not write ‘From’ before the address.
Do not put full stop or comma after the address.
Date
o 8 September 2018
o September 8, 2018
o 8 Sep 2018
Avoid, for example, 8/7/2018 or 10.1.2018 formats.
Receiver’s address
Dr Shyam Diwakar The Principal
Principal Asian College of Journalism
Asian College of Journalism or Chennai
Chennai
Do not write ‘To’ before the address.
Salutation
‘Dear Sir’ followed by a comma (colon is also used)
o Dear Sir, o Dear Ladies and
o Dear Sir or Madam, o Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
If you are on first name terms with the recipient
o Dear Peter,
o Dear Ms Kajal,
Subject & Reference Line
Should be center aligned.
Sample subject lines
- Enquiry about the prices of furniture
- Incorrect charge query
- Job Inquiry
- Application for Sales Associate
- Informational Interview Request
Body
Starting the letter
- I am writing in reply to your letter dated 15 May 2018
- I am writing to enquire about/to inform you of/to make a reservation
- I am writing to complain about/to draw your attention to/on behalf of
- I am writing regarding your advertisement
- With reference to our telephone conversation yesterday, I would like to inform you that
Making a request
- I would appreciate if you could
- I would be grateful if you would
Apologizing
- We apologise for any inconvenience caused
- Please accept our sincere apologies
- Please let us know what we can do to compensate you for the damages caused
Complaining
- I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with
- I find it most unsatisfactory that
- I am writing this letter to complain in the strongest terms about the poor service that I received from
your company.
Attaching files
- I am attaching my CV for your consideration
- I am sending you the brochure as an attachment.
- Please see the statement attached.
- Please find attached the file you requested.
Ending the letter
- I look forward to receiving your reply/to hearing from you
- We will be pleased to supply any further information you require.
- We look forward to doing business to our mutual advantage.
- I would be most grateful if you could send me any further relevant information
- If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above address
- Thank you in advance for your help
Complimentary closure
‘Thank you’ is preferred nowadays over ‘Thanking you.’
Put full stop after ‘Thank you’ - Thank you. No
apostrophe in ‘yours’
• Sincerely yours, • Yours truly
• Cordially, • Warm wishes
• Regards
Yours faithfully, (if you do not know the name of the person and if you have used ‘Dear Sir/Madam’)
Yours sincerely, (if you have addressed the person by his or her name)
Enclosures
Use indications such as ‘Enclosures,’ ‘Encl.,’
If the enclosure is lost, the recipient will know about it.
(From address)
(Date)
(To address)
(Salutation)
Sub:
Ref:
(……………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………Body of the letter…………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………….)
Thank you.
(Closing)