Facts on Business Letters

Business letters are different than personal or academic letters. They are succinct, factual and specific. Business letters generally are short and convey the bottom line without a lot of fluff.

The main types of business letters include requests, agreeing to requests, enclosing documents, providing bad news, generating a response, sales letter, goodwill, adjustment, application, collection, complaint, inquiries, resignation, thank you and acknowledgement letters.

Business letters are generally printed on 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper and are best kept to one page.

Avoid jargon, abbreviations, wordiness and abstracts in business letters.

Business letters contain the following main components: Inside Address, Date, Salutation, Subject Line, Body, Close, Signature Block, Identification Initials (i.e., typist), Enclosure Notation and Carbon Copy (cc).

The overall tone and formality of the business letter depends on the relationship between the parties.