L"etter Format. ::Chapter 24. Introduction Standard Elements Optional and Unusual Elements Envelope -_._._----- '.:'

Transcription

1 ::Chapter 24 ~: L"etter Format Introduction Standard Elements Optional and Unusual Elements Envelope -~ -_._._-----.> '.:' 389

2 390 Part 5 Business Correspondence INTRODUCTION. -<. The conventions ofthe business letter fonnat have evolved to make letters more efficient and attractive. Contemporary practice uses fewer punctuation marks and tends to begin all lines at the left margin. whereas even 20 ye~rs ago neither would have been acceptable. The more modem alternative requires "fewer keystrokes - a potentially significant economy in large organizations. where thousands of letters may be prepared, each week. Appearance, in letters is gen,erally a matter ofsynunetry and balance; a letter should be framed vertically and horizontally on the page. much as a picture is in its frame. ' The format used in a letter and its, general appearance become part ofits extra-linguistic message in much the same way as your clothing or body language does in face-to-face communication. It goes without saying that the letter should be neat. The particular format a company uses may be related to the image it projects. For example. a traditional format,may suggest that a company is conservative. whereas a, very modem format may suggest that a company is "trendy:' Since the details of format conventions will be determined by,company practic~ and often implemented by secretarial staff, the'guidelines provided here are intended for your,personal business correspondence and as preparation for understan~ng the conventions you will find on the job. IIi addition to the body,ofthe letter. there are a number ofstandard elements and several optional parts that may be'included. particularly in some' special circumstances. This chapter describes each ofthese parts and shows how they may be arranged in two common formats. Although these formats may have other names. this textbook will refer to them as the full block style (Figure 24.1) and the modified block style (Figure 24.2). They differ mainly in the.vertical and horizontal placement oftheir parts: and perhaps in their punctuation; you will see many variations ofthese styles. To give a letter a more balanced appearance. reduce the horizontal and vertical margins for a long letter. and increase them for a very short letter. STANDARD ELEMENTS A business letter normally includes all of the following parts: heading. date. inside address. salutation. complimentary close. and signature block. Singlespace each ofthe standard elements. as well as the body ofthe letter.

3 Chapter 24 Letter Format ": 1560 Victoria Street Chemainus, BC VOR 1KO December 15,1995 Mrs. Anne Silins 1117 Prince of Wales Dr. Ottawa; ON K2C3J1 Dear Mrs. Silins:. Begin each paragraph at the left margin. Type the body of the letter single-spaced and use double-spacing to indicate paragraph ~reaks.... It Is customary to have SOI'Tl8what shorter paragrbphs in letters than In other documents. However, you should avoid single-sentence paragraphs because they don't allow sufficient development. Sincerely, /~~ S. Starcevic ( Figure 24.1 Full Block Letter Fonnat

4 392 Part 5 BusineSs Correspondence 1560 Victoria Street Chemalnus, BC VOR 1KO December 15, 1995 Mrs. Anne Silins 1117 Prince of Wales Dr. Ottawa, ON K2C3J1 Dear Mrs. Silins: You may begin..paragraphs at the left margin, as In full block format, or you may Indent paragraphs. Type the body of the letter single-spaced and use double-spacing to Indicate paragraph breaks. It is customary to have somewhat shorter paragrapi)s :~ In letters than In other documents. However,you should. avoid single-sentence paragraphs because they don't allow sufficient development.. Sincerely, 4~ S. Starcevlc.~: ':1 \ Figure 24.2 Modified Block Letter Format.

5 Ghapter 24 Letter Forniat393 ijfyou are using letterhead paper, as you will on the job, then the letterhead is i~e heading. Ifthe letter is longer than one page, use letterhead paper onlyfor '/ihefirst page., '" Ifyou are' writing as' an individual, then your own address is the heading:,', 3900 Albert Street Regina, SK S4S 3R4 (. ',, '~ Place the heading 2.5 em to 5 em (1 in. to 2 in.) froridhe top of the page. If i: you are using full block style, place the heading at the left margin; ifyo~ are t; using modified block, place it so the longest line ends at the right margin. Observe the following guidelines: Do not include your name in the heading. Write oul'''street,'' "Avenue," or "Road." Place the postal code or zip code on a separate line. Include "Canada" ifthe letter is going outside Canada. Use the following two-letter codes for the provinces and territories: Date Alberta AB British Columbia,BC Manitoba MB New Brunswick NB Newfoundland NF Northwest Territories NT Nova Scotia NS Ontario ON, Prince Edward Island PE Quebec PQ Saskatchewan SK Yukon Territory YT Do'not use end punctuation, but do use a comma between the city arid' the province or state. The purpose of the date is, of course, to indicate when the letter was written and to serve as identification ifthere are several letters from the same source.

6 394 Part 5 Business Cortespondenc~ Note that the name ofthe month is not abbrevjated and that in the first format a comma separates the day and year. There is no punctuation at the end ofthe date. In full block, begin the date at the left margin, but in modified block, line it up with the left margin ofthe address. There is some disagreemertt about how many lines there should be between the letterhead or heading and the date... Withletterhead, leave two to:cour lines, dependingonthe length ofthe letter. With a heading and modified block style, type the date on the line below the heading.. With a heading and full block style, type the date two lines below. Inside Address The inside address specifies the intended recipient of the letter. It should be exactly the same as the name.and address on the envelope. Place it at the left margin, at least two lines below the date. Name Use a courtesy title, such as Mr. or Ms., or a title, such as Dr. orprof. Use Mrs. or Miss ifyou know which is. appropriate and ifyou are certain your reader prefers this title. Many people are very sensitive about how they are addressed. While.addressingthem correctly may not help you, addressing them incorrectly could make them annoyed and less receptive to your message. ObViously; you must always check that you have spelled all names correctly. For the preferred fonn of the actual name, check the recipient's business card or the signature of the letter you're answering. This will also help you decide among RJ., or Robert J., or R. John, or Robert, or Bob, or Rob, or Bobby. Ifyou don't know the name ofa person to address, and cannot get it readily by telephone, then address the position (Vice-President, Sales) or the department (Sales Department). ". ~,, Position or Title If you're not sure of the recipient's position, don't include it. If you have a previous letter from this person, you may find the position listed beneath the signature.

7 '..-;)...,~ ~~a~e of Organization '~i~:: Chapter 24 ~r Format 395 ",',. '.. ~~;if you have a letter from the recipient, use the organization's name exacdy as i;rti~ appears in the letterhead.,i;. }'il:~;ldd ress.,\~" ',;.. :::f:use the same guidelines as for the address in the heading. ", " i ~,y, Salutation \:.... Type the salutation two lines below the inside address and flush With the left margin. The most common form is the following:,dear + courtesy tide + last name + colon Dear Mr. Smith. A common error is to use a comma instead ofthe colon., Ifyou always' call Mr.' Pastro "Bob" in a professional setting, then use "DeatBob:" as your salutation. 1 you are in doubt about whether or not to use a first name; che~k how he signed his letter to YOll and how he addressed you..ifyou have to address the department or company because you don't know ' whom to address, use one ofthe following salutations: ',1 I '1, i Dear Sir: Dear Madam: Gentlemen: (ifyou know you are addressing men only) Dear Ladies andgentlemen: (usually reserved for a circular)' Dear Sales Department: Dear Manager: You can also use an attention line (see below) and eliminate the salutation. Some companies don't use a salutation at all. Note that ifyou do know the person's name, use it; don't use, "Dear'Sir" if you know it is "Dear Mr. Pastro.", Complimentary Close The complimentary close, a social courtesy equivalent to $aying goodbye, is typed two lines below the body of the letter (more lines can intervene ifthe, letter i~ very ~hort). In full block style. it isolaced flush with the left manrin.

8 396 Part 5 Business Correspondence but in modified block, it begins either at the centre of the page or lined up below the heading. Capitalize only the first word, and put a comma at the end: Yours truly, Choose a close you are comfortable with and one that matches the general level offonnality ofthe letter. On the job, you may have to use a close the company favours. The following are the most common complimentary closes: Yours respectfully, Respectfully yours, Yours sincerely, Sincerely yours, Sincerely,. I Signature Block The signature block indicates your corporate identity and the legal status ofthe letter. Ifyou are writing in.your professional capacity, the signature block will consist ofyour signature, your name, your position, and sometimes the companyname. If you are wri~gasa private individual, then the signature block will consist ofonly your signature and your typed name..place the signature block immediately beneath the complimentary close. Leave at least four blank lines for your signature, and make sure you sign the letter before sending it out. Type your n~e thew~y you want to be addressed. Note that some authorities suggest that the typed name and the signature should be the same. Word your tide or the name ofyour position as it is listed officially, and capitalize each Il)ain word (see Appendix A). If you. really are. writing in the company's name, you may type the company name, in block capitals, above your signature, but two lines below the complimentary close. The examples in Figure 24.3 illustrate some ofyour options: OPTIONAL AND UNUSUAL ELEMENTS Attention Line The attention line indicates that you are addressing a letter to a company. not an individual, but you do want a particular individual (or position or department) to deal with it. The attention line is the last line ofthe inside address and should also appear on the envelope. In Figure 24.4, the writer is addressing the

9 C!tapter24' l.etterfonnat 397 '.' Yours truly, Yours truly, BIG BLOCK ENGINEERING j. Robert Pastro Project Engineer R. J. Pastro Project Engineer.'. Three Options for the Signature Blt>ck "etter to Big Block Engineering, but wants R. J. Pastio to read it. Note that in "~igure 24.4 the salutation is plural because, by convention, it m:ustagree With ~e inside address... ; ;i.~pinion is divided on whether the subject line should be above, below, or on 'the same line as the salutation. Underlining. helps to highlightthesdbject line... '; The subject line identifies what the letter is about; it increases the letter's b:,,~~r readability and helps in filing, especially in large compaiues that rec~ive a lot of \t~y inail. The subject line is particularly useful ifthe subject ofyour letter can-be :!if' Big Block Engineering Avenue SW Calgary,AB T2ROM2 Attention: Mr. R. J. Pastro Gentlemen: Figure 24.4 The Attention Line

10 398 Part 5 BusinesS Correspondence readily categorized, such as ajob vacancy that has a competition number, a claim that concerns an order number, or a project that has a contract number. Reference Line The reference line, typed at the left margin two lines below the signature block, identifies the typist. Two common arrangements are as follows: LR/jr LR~r The initials in ~apitals to the left identify the signer, and those on the right identify the typist. Knowing who typed aletter can be especially important in a large office with word processing equipment because ifany changes need to be made, it is that typist who'll know where the disk is. Remember that no matterwho types a letter, the one who signs it is responsible for its accuracy. Enclosure Line The enclosure line, typed flush with the left margin below the reference line, indicates how many other documents (and sometimes which ones) are indu~ed with the letter. The following are some forms the enclosure line could take: Enclosure Enclosure (3) Enclosure: Final Report Enclosure (2): Questionnaire Sample Infonnant List EneL Ene. Copy Line The copy line indicates who has beensent a copy oftheletter. Sometimes copies are sent simply as a courte~y to keep others informed, and sometimes because oflega! reasons. Names can be arranged in alphab~ticalorder orin order ofrank or importance: ee: G. Kazaka A. Meija

11 Chapter 24 Letter Fo~t399. iy9u don't want the recipient of the original t~'know that a copy has b~eri. ;nt to anyone else, then you mark the "other" copy "bee" (for "blind copy''>.. ~ he envelope should show your address at the top left comer and theredpient's. 'ddress in the right middle, as shown in Figure Ifyou are usit:lg a letterhead.- nvelope, type your name above the source address, just as it appears in 'the!'signature block.. 1 <'... :... " \ r i i! i ~'". S. Starcevic 1560 Victoria Street Chemainu&, BC VOR 1KO Mrs. Anne Silins' 1117 Prince of Wales Dr. Ottawa, ON K2C3J1 Figure 24.5 Envelope