Instant Business Letters. Iain Maitland

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      The Layout of a Letter

      It is then sensible to think about the layout of your letter. Clearly, this is as important as its appearance. You may wish to incorporate numerous entries, as follows:

      • letterhead

      • references

      • date

      • name and address

      • greeting

      • subject matter

      • message

      • continuation sheets

      • complimentary close

      • signature

      • enclosures

      • copies.

       Letterhead

      Your letterhead should include your firm’s name, address, telephone number, fax number and logo, as relevant. Other additions may be required by law, such as the names of the company directors, although this depends on the way in which your business is organised and run. Your professional advisers will confirm the exact requirements, on request. Typically, the letterhead will cross the top of the paper, unless you prefer to place it to one side or the other.

       References

      These are optional, although you should quote your own (‘Our ref:’) if you handle a large volume of letters, and/or the recipient’s (‘Your ref:’) if this has been stated in earlier correspondence. Usually, references comprise the initials of the writer followed by those of the typist. Thus, a letter from Peter Abbot typed by Sarah James might have the reference PA/SJ. Alternatively, each subject and/or person in the firm can be given his or her own reference; SAL for Sales, 32 for Janet Baker, and so on. Place references three to five lines beneath the letterhead and one line space apart.

       Date

      Your letter must be dated – an obvious point perhaps, but one which often seems to be overlooked none the less. Put 3 (not 3rd) January 1996, 11 (not 11th) August 1996 or 2 (not 2nd) December 1996. Never abbreviate to ‘Jan’, ‘Aug’ or ‘Dec’. Also avoid ‘3/1/96’, ‘11-8-96’ or ‘December 2 1996’ (unless of course this is the accepted style in your country, as would be the case in the U.S.). Type or write the date in full, some two or three lines below the previous entry.

       Name and Address

      Always incorporate the recipient’s name, job title (if appropriate), address and postcode in the letter. Check spellings if necessary by referring to earlier letters or telephoning his or her company for guidance. Be especially careful with the person’s name – it is irritating to be addressed as Miss when it is Mrs, Jonathan instead of Jonathon or Plumley rather than Plumleigh. It looks careless too. Place the name and other details two or three lines under the date.

       Greeting

      Try to avoid using ‘Dear Sir’, ‘Dear Madam’ or (even worse) ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ as a greeting because they all sound vague and half interested – even the most modest effort would enable you to discover the name of the sales director, accounts manager or whomever you are writing to. Using the person’s first name or surname depends upon how well you know him or her and the relationship that exists between you. It may be wise to put ‘Dear Mrs Patel’ when congratulating a managing director on her success, whereas ‘Dear Sam’ could be used when thanking a colleague for a favour. Put the greeting some two to three lines beneath the name and address.

       Subject Matter

      This is an optional entry but can be included to identify quickly the subject of the letter and concentrate the reader’s mind upon it. Typically incorporated when the letter deals with one subject only, sometimes preceded by ‘Re:’ and in capitals, ordinary type or underlined as preferred, it should be placed one line below the greeting.

       Message

      Your message must be spread out over the required number of paragraphs. Each of these should deal with one main point and be of approximately equal length. Do attempt to create a well-balanced look if you can. The first paragraph should commence one line under the preceding entry, with one-line gaps separating subsequent paragraphs.

       Continuation Sheets

      Some lengthier letters will have to be written over two or more sheets. Use letterheaded paper for the first page, with subsequent ones being typed (or handwritten, as required) on plain paper. Leaving about six lines from the top of the page, put the page number, date and the recipient’s name, on three separate lines, down the left-hand side of the page. Then leave a further two or three lines before continuing with the letter.

       Complimentary Close

      End your letter with a complimentary close – ‘Yours sincerely’ if you began with ‘Dear Tom’ or ‘Dear Mrs Barham’, ‘Yours faithfully’ if you started (perhaps unwisely) with ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Dear Madam’. Alternatively, use a less formal ending such as ‘Yours’, ‘Best regards’, or ‘Kind regards’ if you feel it is appropriate to the situation. These are being used more frequently nowadays. Place the complimentary close one line beneath your final paragraph.

       Signature

      Make sure your signature is legible – a squiggle or scrawl creates the impression that you are too busy to be interested in the letter, and therefore its recipient. Allow approximately five or six lines for the signature, and then type or write your name, followed by your job title if appropriate, one line beneath that.

       Enclosures

      You may wish to indicate that an item (or items) is attached to the letter, or enclosed in the envelope – a sales catalogue, a draft contract or an invoice, as examples. If so, put ‘Enclosure’, ‘Enc’, ‘Enclosures’ or ‘Encs’, as appropriate, two lines below the last entry.

       Copies

      Should you want to inform the reader of the recipient(s) of a copy (or copies) of the letter, you can put ‘Copy: John Brownlow’, ‘Copy: John Brownlow, accountant’ or ‘Copies: John Brownlow, accountant, Sophie Henderson, solicitor’, as relevant. Place this two lines beneath the previous entry.

      The Style of a Letter

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