Unit.3.2.layout of business letters

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1. Layout of Business Letters Gokhale Education Society’s S.M.R.K. B.K. A.K. Mahila Mahavidyalaya , Nasik-5. Ms. Geetanjali Gitay Assistant Professor Dept. of English CC English (HL) F .Y.B.Com . Sem I Unit 3

2. Introduction A business letter has a distinctive structure and appearance. Each of the part has a specific style , position and function which is established by custom and is followed because it is convenient for handling and processing correspondence in an organisation’s office. A letter is usually an organisation’s first visual contact with another organisation or person, and makes an important impression. A letter makes a visual impression before it is read and the first impression is often decisive. The appearance of a letter depends on the following factors: Stationery : Stationery used for printing letters must be of good quality. Layout : A suitable layout should be chosen for the letter. Paragraphing : It is necessary for breaking up a composition into readable, logical and progressive paragraphs. Folding : Folding of the letter must be neat. It should fit into the envelop neatly. Address: Address should be typed halfway down and one-third in from the left in order to ensure post office franking and stamping does not efface it.

3. Date Every official document must be dated. The date provides an important point of reference in further correspondence and in following up the issues dealt with in the letter. The date must always be written in full. The name of the month is spelled out in full and the year is written in all four figures. There are two ways of writing the date: British Method : (DD-MM-YYYY) 16 June 2010 American Method : (MM-DD-YYYY) June 16 , 2010 The practice of writing ordinal numbers i.e. 1 st ,2 nd , 3 rd etc. has fallen out of use. 2. Reference Number Reference number appears on the left on the level with the date. The reference number gives the letter number, file number and other filing details to make it easy to locate the file related to the issue. e.g. REF.HMT/25/2005/114 Parts of a Letter

4. 3. Inside Address Inside address is the name and address of the receiver as it appears on the envelope. The recipient’s name should be exactly as they sign in it in their letters. The address can also begin with a job title or a department (if you don’t know the name). For e.g. : The Sales Manager, The Accounts Department etc. The inside address is typed in block form. In the block form all lines begin at the margin and there is no punctuation at the end of any line. This style looks neat and takes less time to type. e.g. Neil Publishing House 896, Mahatma Gandhi Road Mumbai- 400 001. 4. Special Markings If the letter is Confidential, this is indicated above the inside address, either at the margin or at the centre. It may be either in all capitals or with initial capital and underlined. e.g. Confidential Neil Publishing House 896, Mahatma Gandhi Road Mumbai- 400 001. Parts of a Letter ( Cntd )

5. 5. Subject line Subject line gives a brief indication of the subject of the letter. It adds to the clarity of the letter, especially if the letter is long. It helps to focus the reader’s attention. It is also used to classifying and filing the letter. It is placed either above or below the salutation at the centre, in full block form, it is placed at the left margin. e.g. Subject : Your order No. 3048 dated 16 June 2010. 6. Salutation The salutation begins at the margin, two line spaces below the inside address. It is followed by a comma; in American practice it is followed by a colon. In full block style, it has no punctuation mark. Salutation depends on the gender, type, number or the social status of the person addressed. e.g. Respected Sir Dear Mr. Rao Respected Madam Dear Ms. Sharma etc. Dear Sir Dear Madam Dear Customer Parts of a Letter ( Cntd )

6. 7. Main Body of the Letter Begins two spaces below the salutation.Contains the message or the information to be communicated . Most important, lengthiest, prominent part- written in correct, appealing and impressive style. It is Divided normally into 3 parts: Introductory paragraph Middle paragraph Closing paragraph Double space between paragraphs. If letter exceeds one page, repeat the recipient's name, date, reference/subject line and put page number. Continue your letter three lines below the heading. 8. Complimentary Close The complimentary close is written two line spaces below the last line of the text of the letter, it is placed in the left margin in full block style and right in the semi-block style. e.g. Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely, or Sincerely yours, Faithfully yours, Parts of a Letter ( Cntd )

7. Parts of a Letter ( Cntd ) 9. Signature The signature is placed below the complimentary close. The name of the signatory is types three or four line spaces below, to leave space for the actual signature, the designation/ t itle is typed below the name. e.g. Yours faithfully, Sd /- William Lyle Marketing Manager ABC Pvt. Ltd. 10. Reference Section The reference section includes, enclosures, names of parties to receive copies and the type of delivery service to be used. e.g. Enclosures: 1. Biodata 2. Copy of Order Copies to: 1. Mr. A.B.Seth 2. Mr. A.C. Sheth By Registered Mail/ Hand Delivery/ Courier/Fax etc.

8. Layout means the design in which the different parts of the letter are placed on the Letterhead. The parts are placed in the same order from top to bottom in all forms or Styles; the variation is in the indentation and the paragraph style. 1.Indented Form This old style is now outdated. In this form, the inside address was in indented style is and every paragraph began three to five spaces away from the left. 2. Full Block Form This is the most modern style. There is no indentation from the left margin at all; every line , including the date and the complimentary close, begins at the left margin. 3. Modified Block Form This style is a modification of full block form. It eliminates the shortcomings of the full Block style by keeping the date and the complimentary close on the right in their usual position. All the paragraphs begin at the left margin.This is the most popular Form. Styles of Layouts of Business Letters

9. 4. Semi- indented Form This form is also called Semi- block form. It has the inside address in block form because the beginning of every paragraph is indented. The date and the complimentary close are on the right side. The salutation and the complimentary close are followed by a comma as in the traditional style. This style is getting outdated rapidly. 5. Hanging Indentation Form In this style, the inside address is in block form. The date and the complimentary close are on the right. The beginning of every paragraph is at the left margin, but the subsequent lines of every paragraph are indented three or five spaces. This style is used for sales letters, brochures and other documents in which striking appearance is useful. 6. NOMA Form. It is the most recent experiment in layout style. It is recommended by National Office Management Association of America ( the name NOMA is the acronym). It has been accepted in the UK by the Institute of Office Management. Styles of Layouts of Business Letters ( cntd )

10. LETTERHEAD 22nd May 2014 Mr. Kishore Ganguly A-4 Rabindra Cottage Netaji Subhash Road Catcutta-1. Dear Sir , It is called "full block form " because the inside address, the salutations and the paragraphs of the letter are arranged in blocks without indention. Every part of the letter begins from the left hand margin. They are separated from each other by double spacing. Plus point: saves typing time as no indentions and because of the alignment of most parts with the left margin. Minus point: "side heavy and unbalanced“ and follows the ”open punctuation" system. Yours faithfully, sd/- Manager Style 1: FULL BLOCK FORM

11. Style 2 : SEMI-BLOCK FORM LETTERHEAD 22nd May, 2014 Mr. Kishore Ganguly A-4 Rabindra Cottage, Netaji Subhash Road, Catcutta-1. Dear Sir, This form tries to combine the good features of the fully indented from and the full block form. The inside address is in block form (with or without open punctuation) while the body of the letter is in the indented form, with the paragraphs properly indented five spaces away from the margin. The complimentary close and the signature come at the right hand corner below the body of the letter. Plus point: good appearance. The blocked inside address gives compactness to the letter. This form is liked by those who, though somewhat conservative, do not have the heart to dispense with the attractive and time- saving block form. Y ours faithfully, sd / - Sr. Administrative Manager

12. Style 3 : MODIFIED BLOCK FORM LETTERHEAD May 22, 2014 Mr. Kishore Ganguly A-4 Rabindra Cottage, Netaji Subhash Road, Catcutta-1. Dear Sir, From its very name it is clear that it is a "modified" version of the full block form. The main difference between this form and the full block form is the placement of the date, complimentary close and the signature block which are aligned with the right hand margin. The inside address is in block form, with open or closed punctuation. This form has the same advantage as the block form - that of saving the typist’s time, as it does not contain a single indention. It gains compactness from the unbroken left-hand margin. At the same time it looks balanced because of the alignment of the dateline etc. with the right-hand margin. Plus point- attractive appearance. Minus point- absence of indentions. Your s faithfully, sd/ Sales Manager

13. Style 4 : HANGING INDENTION FORM LETTER HEAD 22nd May, 2014 Mr. Kishore Ganguly A-4 Rabindra Cottage, Netaji Subhash Road, Catcutta-1. Sir, This is the Hanging Indention form (hanging Paragraph style). It has the address in block form. The first line of each paragraph is typed directly from the left margin, the second line being indented about five spaces away from the margin. All the subsequent lines of the paragraph are typed in block style below the second line. This style is commonly used in sales and advertising letters by headlining the salient facts about the product to be sold. Plus point: It is a very unusual and eye-catching style. Minus point: Inconvenient for daily correspondence, Inconvenient to the typist, wastes time in typing, distracting effect because it focuses the reader’s attention on style rather than on the substance of the letter. Yours faithfully, sd/- Manager

14. Text Content Source : 1. Business Communication, Doctor Aspi & Doctor Rhoda, Sheth Publishers, Mumbai.(Fifth Edition). 2. Business Communication, Rai Urmila & Rai S.M. ,Himalaya Publications, Mumbai .(Fourth Edition).