BUSINESS

Letters
 THE CHARACTERISTICS
of the Business Letter
by avoiding
Correctness Courtesy offensive,
extravagant or
stereotyped
Clearness Character phrases and by a
general freshness
intellectual
aspects of the Conciseness Personality
and vigor of
language
message
Order Style
appeal to the
mind, making a
Unity Tone matters of the
letter easy to spirit and
understand and attitude shown
to read by writer
Correctness
A misspelled name, a wrong
date, an inaccurate item of
information anywhere in a
letter weakens its effect upon
a reader
Established rules that govern
the material, the position and
the order of the mechanical
portions of the business letter
should be followed

Applies to grammar, sentence

construction, punctuation and
paragraph structure
Clearness
The business letter is clear if
it is easily understood

Use simple, exact language,

use words which are generally
found in the vocabulary of the
reader

Adapt the language and message to

the ideas and point of view of the
reader
Conciseness
It is the art of saying a thing in as few words as possible

It can be secured by using direct statements and exact words

It should not, however, degenerate
into curtness or an unpleasant
abruptness where the writer jumps
from one idea to another without
adequately preparing the reader
The reader should not be
expected to read between the
lines of the letter– everything
needed to understand the
message should be included
Order
It is essential that letters should
have local organization

The order in which the parts of

the message are taken up is
largely determined by the
effect desired and by the type
of letter being written
Unity
No letter should deal
with two unrelated
subjects
The writer who has two
uncorrected subjects to
take up with a firm should
write two different letters
instead
Courtesy
It is often secured by avoiding
words and ideas that offend the
reader

It is possible to tell the reader

unpleasant things without
hurting his feelings

The reader should be won to your

point of view by taking him into
your confidence, using always the
language of a gentleman
Character, Personality and Style
It is easier to point our their absence
from a letter than to determine how they
may be secured
However, originality, naturalness, vigor,
spontaneity and simplicity are
indispensable factors in letters which
have character, personality and style
Try to respond to each letter according to
each individual need; thus, encourage
freshness and originality as well as
personal touch to it
Tone
The “Golden Rule” is highly relevant

The writer should not welcome a

letter written in a condescending,
pompous, sarcastic, didactic,
flippant, suspicious tone

Assume, on the other hand,

that your correspondent is
intelligent, honest, fair-minded
and human
Types of
BUSINESS
LETTER
 INQUIRIES and REPLIES
These letters which ask or answer questions are
usually brief and present no special difficulty.

The letter of inquiry consists of four steps

which may be arranged in the following
order:
(a) State carefully the circumstances
which necessitate the inquiry.
(b) State any facts needed by the
reader in making a complete reply.
(c) Ask for information, or state the
questions.
(d) Express gratitude for the favor
requested.
It is customary to enclose postage for a reply. A note of
thanks should follow a letter of this sort.
The reply should do the following things:
(a) Acknowledge the inquiry, or state the circumstances
necessitating the reply.
(b) Answer the question/s fully.
(c) Build goodwill and pave the way for further contact.
In handling replies, the writer should be prompt and
systematic. If the material is not immediately available, the
inquiry should be acknowledged and a date should be set
for the final reply.
ORDER and ACKNOWLEDGMENT
An order letter should contain the
elements unless enough business letters
have been transacted with the concern to
warrant the omission of some of them as
matter mutually understood.

The acknowledgement should be written

in such a way that the customer will be
desirous of continuing his business
relations with the firm. It should never be
negative or merely perfunctory.
The order letter, as well as its acknowledgement and acceptance,
constitutes a contact enforceable by law; therefore, every statement
included in either should be scrutinized carefully with that in mind.
(a) Name of the article ordered. (f) Method of payment to be used by the
(b) Description of each item, giving size, buyer (occasionally, the conditions of
style, finish, quality, material, weight or acceptance of the order should be
whatever will help in identifying the included)
article wanted. (g) Method of shipment desired by the
(c) Catalog number of the item, if it is buyer.
available, if not, the page number of the (h) Address to which the goods are to be
catalog (it is well also to include the shipped, especially important if shipping
date or number of the catalog). address differs from post-office address.
(d) Quantity of each item wanted. (i) Date at which goods are desired.
(e) Price of each item, and the total
price of the order.
 CLAIM and
ADJUSTMENT LETTER
These letters are used whenever
a misunderstanding arises
between two parties which
cannot be easily handled by
word of mouth.
Clearness, courtesy and honesty
are essential for maximum
effectiveness.
The claim letter consists of four steps,
arranged in the following order:
(a) A complete and careful statement of what is wrong.
(b) A statement showing the inconvenience to
which the claimant has been put, to arouse the interest of the adjuster.
(c) A request for explanation, an adjustment,
or whatever is needed to make good the error.
(d) A further appeal adapted to the reader’s
pride, self-interest, sense of fair play or fear.
(e) Expression of gratitude.
In the adjustment letter, the
functional order is as follows:
(a) An expression of interest and sympathy,
or an apology.
(b) A clear and complete statement of the
facts so that the claimant may understand
the adjuster’s point of view.
(c) An offer of an adjustment which is fair to
both parties.
(d) An assurance that the situation will not
happen again to build up damaged
goodwill.
TYPES OF BLOCK
AND PARTS OF
BUSINESS LETTER

Types of Block and Parts of Business Letter

The first impression you make in the
entire job application process is not
how you get inside the room for your job interview
the handshake you give to your job interviewer
the first word you say to the job interviewer

but it is your cover letter

Cover Letter Resume Interview Employment
Guidelines
A letter of application
should be no more than
one page long.

A letter of application Use a short or A4-sized

should be single- bond paper.
spaced with a space
between each
paragraph. Use about Write in full block letter
1" margin to all sides. format (all left-aligned).

Use a traditional font

such as Times New
Roman, Arial, or Calibri.
The font size should be
between 10 and 12
points.
Use the date at the
time of writing
Inside
Address
Name
Position
Company Name
Company Address
 INSIDE Address
Applicable

Mr.
Ms.

Not Applicable
Dr. (Doctor)
Prof. (Professor)
Engr. (Engineer)
Hon. (Honorable) Mrs.
Miss
Salutation
 Applicable
Salutation Sir: (to a man)
Madam/Ma’am: (to a lady)
Mr./Ms. (Last name):

Not Applicable
My dear Mr. Reyes:
My dear Madam:
 State the
position you are
applying for.
You can also Body
add the source
where you got
the job
advertisement
or whom you
heard the job
vacancy from.
 State your
qualifications as
asked in the
advertisement

Add your
educational Body
qualification,
training and
other related
experiences to
the job
description
 Body
State what you
have enclosed
Request for an
interview specifying
your preferences.
State your contact
number and email
address.
Complimentary
Closing
COMPLIMENTARY
Closing
Very respectfully yours,
Respectfully yours,
Very truly yours,
Truly yours,
Very sincerely yours,
Sincerely yours,
Very cordially yours,
Cordially yours,
Handwritten
signature
Name
An application letter should:
Provide details about you and why you are qualified for the
job
Be properly organized, formatted and spaced to be
readable
Sell your skills but should not sound proud
Make the best impression on the hiring manager