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8/9/2019 2. Letter Writing, Forms Etc.
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Soft Skills
Business Communication
Class of 2010 2012
Semester - 1
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Letter Styles
Business letters are usually arranged in one of the
letter styles mentioned below. They are single
spaced with double space between paragraphs.
1. Modified block The most popular style. All parts are blocked.
No paragraph indentations.
Date, complimentary close and signaturesections begin near the centre of the page; the
other parts, at the left margin.
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2. Modified block with paragraphs indented
Is also popular.
3. Full block Begins every line at the left margin.
Fastest style to type, especially when used with openpunctuations.
To offset a lopsided appearance at the left, some firms use a
letterhead withmost of its printing at the right side.
4. AMS simplified style
Adopted by the Administrative Management Society.
Uses full block and open punctuations; omits the salutation andcomplimentary close; and includes a subject line without theword subject, typed in all capital letters a triple space after theinside address.
First paragraph contains the readers name.
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5. Hanging (or inverted) paragraph style
Unsuitable for daily correspondence, but distinctive for a salesor advertising letter in which emphasis of the first words of
each paragraph is required. All lines of the letter body are indented except the first line of
each paragraph.
The letter could use a personal inside address and salutation orreplace these with an attention-getting statement and generalsalutation.
Public and government officials as well as businesspersons
writing formal messages often use what is called official
letter style. Its general layout may be blocked or semi-blocked,but the inside address instead of being placed above the
salutation is typed at the left margin two to five lines below the
last line of the signature section. Reference initials and other
notations, if any, then appear after the inside address.
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Form Messages
Wh
enever an identical messageh
asto be sent to at least two persons, a
form letteror a form memo, is
written, based on a master draft.
These messages have various uses
and advantages.
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Uses of Form Messages
To:
Announce news to customers, employees,stockholders, suppliers.
Seek information on credit or job applicants.
Answer often-recurring inquiries. Acknowledge orders.
Make simple adjustments.
Acknowledge payments.
Sell a product or service by mail.
Collect payments on charge accounts
Promote goodwill.
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Advantages
1. Save time.
2. Save money.3. Are of better quality.
4. Make possible wider mass mailings.
Disadvantages
1. Completeform messages are impersonal. Thoughthis characteristic can be an advantage as in early-stage collection reminders it can also be a seriousdisadvantage whenever a personal letter is advisable.
2. Be sure the chosen form message really applies topeople who receive it. Even excellent form letters candrive away customers if incorrectly used. Carelesslychosen forms can nullify much goodwill.
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Kinds of forms:
1. Complete form. Where messages are identical in every word.(Used for announcements, some collection reminders and largescale campaigns when being impersonal is desirable).
2. Fill-in-form. A message prepared in advance to meet a specifickind of situation may have spaces left for filling in valuableinformation.
3. Guide form . Sample letters prepared in advance for varioussituations can be kept on hand (usually in an officecorrespondence manual) and referred to whenever acommunicator writes similar messages. The communicatoruses any sample as a guide only, inserting personal phrasingwherever desirable.
4. Paragraph form . An office booklet or a magnetic disc forstoring paragraphs to meet various situations is often anefficient way to save the letter writers time.
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Business Letters
Th
e medium most often used for written messages outside th
eorganization.
Judged on content, presentation and physical appearance.
Planning the content and presentation is the responsibility ofthe writer.
Typing the message so that it is neat, accurate and attractive isusually the Secretarys job, but . . .
When you have to sign your name, at the bottom of the letter,you assume the final responsibility for EVERYTHINGmechanics, proper layout, proper content. If the message
contains misspellings or grammatical errors, poor appearance,the reader judges you,NOTyour Secretary.
You and your SecretaryMUSTwork as a team to produceeffective and attractive messages.
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Recipients of business letters form their first
impressions even before reading the messages.
The elements of appearance that help produce
favourable reactions are appropriate
stationery, correct letter parts and layouts and
properly addressed envelopes.
Most business letters have seven standard
parts: (See next slide)
(1) Heading (2) Inside address (3) Salutation
(4) Body (5) Complimentary close
(6) Signature area (7) Reference initials.
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Heading
(Letterhead& type written Date (2 lines belowletterhead)
Inside Address
Salutation
Body
Complimentary Close
Signature Area
Reference Initials
Initials
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1. Heading
The letterhead and type written date comprise the
heading. It shows where the letter comes from andwhen it was written. Usually the date is typed twolines below the last line of the letterhead at leftmargin, centred, begun at centre, or placed so it
ends with
th
e righ
t margin.
2. Inside Address
Always blocked at the left hand margin, the inside
address of a letter to an individual includes th
atpersons courtesy title, name, business or executivetitle and address. In a letter addressed to a group,the inside address consists of the group name andaddress.
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3. Salutation
The salutation is the friendly greeting that precedes the body of
the letter. Examples:
Dear Mr. (or Ms. Mrs. Miss) Khanna.
Dear Sanjay (or Neha or nickname).
Dear Mr. or Ms. Khanna (or Dear Manager or Executive orDirector or an appropriate variation when the sex of the personis unknown, because the name has only the initials.) Avoid
Dear Sir and Dear Madam.
Ladies and Gentlemen (or reverse, or Gentlemen andGentlewomen, or Dear Members of . . . or Dear People.Gentlemen, if all are men and Ladies, if all are women.
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4. Body
In the body you try to:
Organize according to an appropriate plan.
Keep your first and last paragraphs short preferably lessthan seven lines.
Vary the intervening paragraph lengths.
Make the average length of your sentences about 17 to 20words.
Achieve the Cqualities.
Generally, all letters should be typed single space, with doublespacing between paragraphs, before and after the salutation
and before th
e complimentary close. When the body of the letter is two or more pages, each page
beyond the first is headed by a combination of the addresseesname, page number and date. This information is typed 1 to 2inches from the top of the sheet.
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5. Complimentary Close
The complimentary close should agree, with respect to formality
or informality, with your salutation. Most business letters use
only one of three words sincerely, truly or cordially. Only the
first letter in the first word of any complimentary close is
capitalized. At times you may want to use a complimentary close
that ties in with your message or product for e.g.:
Warmly Yours for fashion Yours for extra profits
Gratefully Yours for cleaner air Seasons Greetings
AVOID inappropriate gimmick complimentary closes, like
the following:
Gastronomically yours (from a restaurant),
Hopefully yours (from a collector), or
Saltily yours, (from a salt processor).
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6. Signature Area
Can be included in the signature area for
separate identifications name of your
company, your signature, your typewritten
name and your business title.
7. Reference Section
Your initials as dictator of the message and
those of your typist, usually appear at the left
margin on the same line with the last line of the
signature area (your name or title) or one or
two lines below that.
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Optional Parts of a Letter
When appropriate, any of these optional parts canbe included:
1. Attention Line.
2. Subject Line.
3. Enclosure(s) Notation.
4. Copy Notation.
5. File or Account Number.6. Mailing Notation.
7. Postscript.
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1. Attention Line This is a part of the inside address.
Directs a letter to a particular person or title ordepartment when the letter is addressed to a company.
Useful when the writer does not know an individualsname but wants the message to go to a particular title,OR he knows only the individuals surname and thus
cannot use that name on the first line of the insideaddress, OR he expects that the addressee travels oftenand the writer wants the letter to be attended topromptly by whoever takes care of the addresseesbusiness.
The usualplacement of the attention line is between theinside address and salutation (a blank line before it andafter it), flush with the left margin, indented with theparagraphs, or centered).
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2. Subject Line
Considered part of the body of the letter,
subject line helps to tell the reader at a glance
what the letter is all about.
Helps in filing.
Subject line may omit the word subjector
about.
Usually placed either on the same line with the
salutation or double-spaced below thesalutation and centered.
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3. Enclosure Notation
Reminds whoever prepares the envelope for
mailing, that something is to be enclosed. Theenclosure notation is usually typed a single ordouble space under the reference initials.
Alerts the addressees incoming maildepartment to check for enclosures.
Is anything in an envelope other than themessage itself.
Can consist of one or more pages. When more than one item is enclosed, the
numbers should be indicated: Enclosures 3 orEnc. 3.
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4. Copy Notation
When other persons are to receive a copy of theletter written to the addressee, the names ofthose persons (arranged in order of importanceor alphabetically), are typed after cc (carbon
copy), xc (Xerox copy), or a similar notationjust below the reference initials or theenclosure notation (if any).
If you do not wish the addressee to know thatother recipients are getting a copy of the letter,you or the secretary can type bcc (blindcarbon copy) and the recipients names on the
carbon copies only.
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5. File or Account Number / Mailing Notation
Helps in filing/quick recognition for both, the
senders and the readers company.
File, loan or account numbers are typed above
the body of the letter in a conspicuous place.
Mailing notation words such as Special
Delivery, Registered, of Certified Mail,
when applicable, may be typed either below the
copy notation (or whatever is the last notation)or on the second line below the date.
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6. Postscript
To emphasize a point already in the letter or toinclude a personal brief message unrelated to
the letter, a postscript (typed or handwritten)
may be added below everything else typed on
the page.
If an important idea has been inadvertently
forgotten to be included in the letter body, it isadvisable to retype the letter than to add the
information in a postscript.