3.2: Business Letter Format
Watch this video. Using the directions, create a formal letter template for your personal use. In your template, make sure to follow the best practices for formatting the heading or using lettering, setting up either block or indent formatting and using a complimentary closing.
Read the entire document. Pay close attention to the section on Style in Business Correspondence. Prepare an application letter to accompany a resume, paying close attention to the areas of placing “important information strategically,” focusing “on the recipient's needs, purposes, or interests instead of your own,” avoiding “pompous, inflated, legal-sounding phrasing,” and giving “your business letter an "action ending.”
Read this section. Afterwards, prepare a business letter welcoming a new client or customer to an organization. Use "Table 9.1: Elements of a Business Letter" as a checklist for evaluating the parts of your letter.
Read this article. Pay special attention to the sections on tone and delivering bad news. Using these tips as a guide, write a formal letter delivering bad news. In a reflection paragraph or discussion with a friend or family member, explain why you made the choices you did in terms of structure, tone, and message.