Standard Components of The Business Letter Nowadays

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Standard Components of The Business Letter
Nowadays
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 Explanation of Numbered Components(1)  
 Letterhead         this is provided by your
company.  It contains the name of the company,
address, phone and fax numbers, web site address
and e-mail address.  It may or may not bear the
companys logo and motto.         the
letterhead serves as the first page of a letter. 
If a letter has more than a page, second sheets
are used.  These second sheets are usually blank
sheets or pre-printed with just the companys
name and logo.
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(2)   Dateline         this is the date that
the letter is written.  It usually appears
underneath the letterhead.(3)   Recipients
name and address         also known as the
inside address         ensure that you have
the correct address and zip code.  Remember that
if you have a post office box address instead of
a civic address and the letter is being delivered
via messenger service, the messenger will not be
able to deliver it.
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(4)   Attention Line         the attention
line is not obligatory.  It is only used when the
letter is addressed to a company or organisation
but is for the attention and handling of a
specific individual who is familiar or is
responsible for the letters subject
matter.         it is a good idea to have the
correct name of the individual, his title and the
department he works for (especially if it is a
large organisation with over a thousand
employees).  This makes it easier for the mail
room to deliver the letter without delay.
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5)   Salutation         where strict formality
is observed, the use of Dear Sir, Dear Madam,
Gentlemen is acceptable.  It is, however, more
personal when an individuals name is
used.         in some companies, executives
who send out letters to people they know well
will usually cross out the typewritten Dear Mr.
Jones and will handwrite Dear John instead to
indicate that the letter writer is a close
business associate.
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(6)        Subject Line         some letters
especially the very brief ones dont have to
include a subject line.  The subject line is used
only as a matter of courtesy so that the
recipient, upon receiving the letter, will
immediately know the purpose of the
letter.         the subject is usually
underlined and must contain essential details. 
Some people capitalise the subject, others
dont.  Go with your companys practice.  An
example of a subject is  Your letter dated the
23rd of September 2007 re XYZ Co. Initial Public
Offering.
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(7)   Body         the body of the letter
constitutes the message of your letter.  Note
that there is no set number of paragraphs for a
business letter.  It could be only one paragraph
or 25 paragraphs, depending on the complexity of
the subject.         a business letter is
supposed to sound respectful and professional at
all times.  Be careful about the tone of your
letter.  If it is too negative, you may turn off
the recipient who will not bother to reply.  If
youre not sure, you may want your colleague or
supervisor to read your draft.
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(8)   Closing         the closing is a formal
and polite way to end your letter.  In our
example, we used Yours sincerely, but other
acceptable forms are  Yours truly,
Respectfully, Sincerely yours, Truly
yours.         avoid exaggerated closings or
flattery.  Terms of endearment like love,
fondly and other such closings have no place in
a business letter and are reserved for personal
correspondence.
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(9)   Company Signature         this is
usually not necessary, especially in less formal
business letters.  It is used when the person who
is signing the letter is serving in a capacity as
representative or spokesperson of the company and
not as an individual.         when the letter
is on the companys letterhead, there is no need
for the company signature.(10)  Identification
of the Signatory         the name and title of
the person who is signing on behalf of the
company is placed here.
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(11)  Reference Initials         reference
initials indicate the signatory of the letter
(usually in capital letters) followed by a slash
and then the typists initials (usually in small
letters).         it is usually a good idea
NOT to omit these initials because should a copy
be required, people will know which typist or
secretary would have a copy.(12) 
Enclosure         the enclosure (sometimes
written in full or abbreviated encl.) is a
reminder to the recipient that the letter is
accompanied by documents.  When there are several
enclosures, these are usually listed so that the
recipient will know if he has received all
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(13)  CC Notation         CC used to stand
for carbon copy but no one uses the typewriter
anymore these days.  This particular notation
tells the recipient that another person has been
copied on the letter.         an alternative
notation is bc which means blind copy.  This
means that the letter sender writes to the
addressee but does not want the addressee to know
that another person was sent a copy of the same
letter.These are the standard components of a
business letter.  Todays business letters may
have one or two components missing or even
more.  There are some companies that prefer to
preserve traditional practices in their business
correspondence while other companies will be less
stringent on how a letter should be written and
presented.