Chapter 7 Making Business Letters and Documents Look

Chapter 7 Making Business Letters and Documents Look Attractive on Paper and on the Computer Screen Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Objectives • • • Discuss the importance of appearance for letters. List what can be found on a letterhead. Identify the standard parts of a business letter. List appropriate courtesy titles. Explain the optional parts of a letter. Differentiate between open and mixed punctuation style. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Objectives • List the parts of a second-page heading. • Describe the differences between full block, semiblock, modified block, and simplified letter styles. • Explain how to fold letters. • Describe how to address an envelope. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Objectives • Explain why some American customs will not work when writing international letters. • Understand that online documents look differently. • Become aware of the formatting tips to use for online documents. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

First Impression Makes or Breaks • Before Reading, People Will React to the: • • Feel of the Paper Design of the Letter arrangement Appearance of type Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Stationery • Standard • 8 1/2 x 11 Inches • 16 to 20 lb. • White Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Stationery • • Felt — front of letterhead Wire — back of letterhead Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Letterhead • Legitimizes the business organization. • Includes at least these basic elements: • • Company name Address Zip code Generally occupies top two inches of stationery. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Layout of Letter Length of Letter Number of Words Side Margins Short Under 100 2 inches Medium 100– 200 1 1/2 inches Long 200– 300 1 inch Two pages Over 300 1 inch Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Standard Parts of a Business Letter • Letterhead or Return Address • Date • Inside Address • Attention Line or Salutation • Body • Signature Block Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Optional Parts • Subject Line • Complimentary Close • Reference Initials • Enclosures • Copies • Postscripts Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Punctuation Styles • Open Punctuation: • Requires no punctuation following salutation or close. Dear Ms. Williams Sincerely Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Punctuation Styles • Mixed Punctuation: • Requires a colon following the salutation and a comma following the complimentary close. Dear Mrs. Williams: Sincerely, Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Second-Page Heading Show –Me-Farm 2 May 13, 20 xx Mr. Frank Smith, July 31, 20 xx, page 2 Ms. Taylor Matilik March 15, 20 xx Page 2 Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Letter Styles Full Block Style: Date Inside Address Salutation Begin all lines at left margin Closing Signature Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Letter Styles Semiblock Style: Date Indent paragraphs five spaces. Place the date, closing, and signature beginning to the right of center. Closing, Signature Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Letter Styles Modified Block Style: Date begins at center of page. Close and signature block align with date. Closing, Signature Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Letter Styles • Simplified Style: • • Developed by the Administrative Management Society. Contains no salutation or close. Uses a subject line instead of salutation. Begins all lines at left margin. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Folding and Inserting Enclosures • Take time to properly fold a letter. • Sloppy folding can spoil a letter. • If the paper is clipped, place the letter in the envelope so that the clip faces the bottom. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Folding and Inserting Enclosures 2 a 3 a 4 a 1. 2 b 3

Addressing Envelopes Harris Motor Lodge Omena, Michigan 49074 The Lawrence Book Company 209 West Third Street Chicago, Illinois 60610 PERSONAL SPECIAL DELIVERY The Evans Mr. Arnold C. Lawrence Book Company 209 West Third 2110 Crestview Road Street Chicago, 84116 Salt Lake City, UTIllinois 60610 Townsend Paper Company The John A. Manning Attention Mr. Lawrence Book Company 209 West Third 1532 Lexington Avenue Street Chicago, Illinois 60610 St. Louis, MO 63109 Townsend Paper Company 1532 Lexington Avenue St. Louis, MO 63109 Attention Mr. John A. Manning Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

International Letters • Use a more formal tone. • Include maximum punctuation. • Do not use first names in salutations. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Format Principles for Online Documents • • Use a headline. Split into different pages. Don’t make your topics linear. Use plenty of subheads. Format headings. Bold or highlight text. Use italics for emphasis. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Format Principles for Online Documents • • • Use bullets. Repeat your most important quotes. Use white space generously. Update frequently. Use sans serif headlines Have a link where readers can print out your documents. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4 th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.