3.02 Business Correspondence

Formal Business Letter

As with anything you write, the text of most business correspondence can be divided into three parts; an introduction, a middle, and a conclusion. Most business writers find that this formula can easily be applied to three separate paragraphs, as follows:

1. The introduction states the purpose for writing but does not use the redundant phrase "I am writing to". The fact that you are writing is obvious!

2. The middle of the letter or memo contains the facts, details, or information the reader needs to know to carry out the purpose of the letter.

3. The conclusion brings the message to a close. It may express appreciation, emphasize the most important point, ask for some type of action, or express goodwill.

Parts of a Business Letter

There are several different styles of business letters; in this lesson, you will use full-block, a letter style in which all lines begin flush with the left margin. In block style, you will not use the tab key or the center alignment for any part of the letter. A business letter has several essential parts; locate them on the illustration that follows and then read descriptions of the various elements:

Simple Rules to Follow: Business Email or Letter text version | Open Simple Rules to Follow: Business Email or Letter in a new tab

Basics of Email

• An email is a reflection of you. You should always use proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Remember to proofread before sending your email.

• It is easy to be misunderstood by the reader of the email. Your emails should be short and concise. How long should an email be? Check Answer

• Is an email the best way to communicate with this person? Would a phone call or visiting in-person be better? Check Answer

• Use a professional, easy to read font (Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, etc.) when sending an email to a school, business, or teacher.

• Proofread for spelling and grammatical errors. It is always a good idea to ask an adult, teacher, or friend to read an important email. Ex. An email to a business concerning a summer internship.

• Respond to emails within 24 hours.

• Write in a positive tone.

• Type a subject in the subject line. Ex. Summer Internship; Admissions Letter; 4^th 9 weeks Average. The subject helps the receiver to quickly identify what your email is about. This also helps while searching for an email in your inbox or sent email folder.

• Be sure to mention an attachment in the text of your email. Many people won't open attachments out of fear of a virus being inside the attachment. Ex. I attached the document you requested to this email.

• Include a salutation such as "Good morning", "Dear Mr. or Ms. (blank)_____", "Hi John". Remember to include the comma.

• Include a closing such as "Thank you," or "Sincerely,". Remember to include the comma.

Avoid in Email

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Email Structure

Part 1: Brief introduction and why you are writing.

Part 2: The reason for writing your email. This part may be more than one paragraph, but be careful not to make your email too long.

Part 3: A call to action…in other words, what do you want the other person to do?

Each part is a paragraph within your email. An email paragraph is not the same as a paragraph in your English class. A paragraph doesn't have to be 5 to 7 good sentences. It can be as little as a sentence or two.

You should always skip a line between each paragraph. This will make your email easy to read. Each paragraph should be concise and to the point. Read your email several times before hitting the send button. In the end, your email should form a complete thought.

Email Example #1

Read the following example. Note how each paragraph is short and to the point. Ms. Jones might receive 50 to 100 emails a day. She doesn't have time to read a long, unfocused email.

Email Example #2

Read the following example. This is a good example of what not to do.

• This email is full of spelling and grammatical errors.
• You should always use Mr. or Ms. in a professional email. Never use the person's first name.
• This example doesn't use the 3-paragraph structure used in the previous email.
• The mistakes and unfocused tone make this difficult to read.
• "Thanks," is too casual for a professional email. Use instead, "Sincerely,"; "Kind Regards"; "Thank You'".
• Be sure to include your contact information under your full name. Ms. Jones might want to call or email you concerning the summer internship.