Format of a Business Letter Assignment Help (GC01184)
3.1 The learner should select the most appropriate format for each document
A business letter
A business letter is usually a letter from one company to another, or between such organizations and their customers, clients, and other external parties. The overall style of the letter depends on the relationship between the parties concerned. Business letters can have many types of contents, for example, to request direct information or action from another party, to order supplies from a supplier, to point out a mistake by the letter’s recipient, to reply directly to a request, to apologize for a wrong, or to convey goodwill. A business letter is sometimes useful because it produces a permanent written record, and may be taken more seriously by the recipient than other forms of communication (Pryor, 2018).
Format of a business letter
Block Format
Full block style business letters have a formal appearance, however, they can be used in informal business situations as well as formal ones. If someone is looking for a single format that will work well in every situation, this is a good one to use (Pryor, 2018).
Modified Block
Modified block style business letters are less formal than full block style letters. If one is corresponding with someone he/she already has a good working relationship with, the modified block style letter is a good one to use (Pryor, 2018).
Semi-Block
The semi-block format business letter is a little less formal than the block format letter and slightly more formal than the modified block format letter. It works well in almost all situations and is a good choice if one finds oneself on the fence about which format to use. Semi-block business letters differ from most others in that the first line of each paragraph is indented (Pryor, 2018).
Font
The standard font style is Times New Roman, size 12. However, anyone can use other sans-serif fonts such as Helvetica, Arial, Courier, or Geneva, also a size 12. Sans-serif fonts have been credited with increased readability because of their balanced typeface.
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Spacing
The letter should be single-spaced. In addition, there should be a space between the date, address, salutation, and each paragraph. Include four line breaks between the closing and printed name to leave space for the signature (Pryor, 2018).
Lines
When using a letterhead, be sure to add a horizontal line underneath it. Anyone can refer to our letters above to see some examples.
Margins:
The margins between 1” – 1.5.” Generally speaking, 1” margins is considered to be the most widely accepted format for professionals.
3.2 The learner should organize the structure and Layout of each document
Sender’s Address
It is a good idea to include the sender’s address and URL, if available. Don’t include this information if it’s already incorporated into the letterhead design. This will allow customers to find small businesses more quickly (Lehmann, 2018).
Date
The date should be the day on which you completed the letter, written in standard U.S. format (eg. June 06, 2018). It should be written underneath the letterhead, or underneath the address on the top left of the page…………