English Business Letter

Business letter is type of letter which serves as a means of communication written for various commercial purposes.

These purposes can be a business deal, complaint, warning, notice, invitation, apology, information, etc.

What is business letter?

Application letter Sales letter Complain letter Inquiry letter Memo Refusal letter etc

Types of Business Letter

1. Letterhead (Kop Surat)◦ Name of the company◦ Address of the company◦ Telephone number◦ Telex number◦ Facsimile number◦ Cable address◦ Logo of the company

Part of Business Letter

2.Date of the letter (tanggal surat)The date has to be written exactly below the letterhead.

British Style American Style

12th January, 2015

2nd, October 2015

January 12th, 2015

October 2nd, 2015

3. Reference line (Inisial penandatanganan dan pengetik surat)◦ Ex: Ref. WS / LS / C5◦ WS means William Smith (penandatanganan

surat)◦ LS means Linda Smith (Pengetik surat)◦ C5 means filling number in filling system

◦ Your ref : LH / DC / 2D = Reference surat masuk◦ Our ref : RM / AM / 21A = Reference surat keluar

4. Inside address ( the recipient's address)◦ 1. baris pertama (nama lengkap dan jelas serta

jabatan perusahaan yang dikirimi surat◦ 2. baris kedua (lokasi nama jalan dan nomor /

nama perusahaan◦ 3. baris ketiga (nama kota dan kode pos)

5. Salutation (salam pembuka)◦ Ex : Mr. John Smith

Sales Manager Dear Sir / Dear Madam

British Style American Style

Dear Sir, Dear Sirs,Dear Madame,

Dear Sir:Dear Sirs:Gentlemen:

6. Subject Line (Perihal Surat)Ex: ◦ Subject : Computer Sales

Subject – statement – June 2014◦ Subject : New Credit Policy

7. Body of the letter ( isi surat)◦ Opening paragraph (alinea pembuka)◦ Message of the letter ( isi surat yang

sesungguhnya)◦ Closing paragraph (alinea penutup)

8. Complimentary close (salam penutup)

9. Signature Signature Nama jelas Jabatan penandatangan

British Style American Style

Yours faithfully

Sincerely,

Yours sincerely,

Very truly yours,

Sincerely yours,

With best regards,

10. Enclosure (Lampiran)◦ Enclosure, catalogue

enc. Catalogue◦ Enclosure :

copyright fromletter of creditorder from

11. Carbon copy notation (tembusan surat)CC or CC:cc or cc:copies to:

12. PostscriptP.S or PS. PS: PS-

ex: If you order within ten days, we can give you a 10 percent discount

Full Block Format Semi Block Format Hanging Paragraph Intended Format Modified Block Format

Business Letter Styles

Business Memo

A memorandum, usually called a memo, is a common form of internal communication in business and academia.

Memos have many purposes, including informing employees, giving directions, outlining procedures, requesting data, supplying responses, and confirming decisions.

To persuade to action (we should do this) To issue a directive (do this) To provide a report (here’s what was done,

or here’s what we found out)

There are three basic reasons to write a memo:

A clear statement of purpose, stated upfront:◦ I am writing because…

Information about what the reader needs to know: ◦ The facts are…

Statement of any action requested, ordered, or undertaken:◦ I will, or I propose that you…

Every good memo includes:

1. AudienceWrite for your audience and give them what they need: What is their education, background, company status? What do they need to know to understand and act upon your memo

2. Informative subject lineBe upfront as to what the memo is about.

3. LengthA memo is usually no more than one page long.

What to remember?

4. CoherentKeep the memo structure simple and logical. The memo should focus on communicating about one problem or issue, and each paragraph in the memo should focus on one idea.

5. ConciseCheck for needless words. Keep the memo to one page or less, and use attachments for additional information.

6. Common languageUse accessible language, clear, direct and simple words. Be specific and concrete.

a. Use an easy-to-read 12-point font.

b. Margins should be 1 inch all around (some memos use 1.25 inch margins), left justified.

c. Leave a 1.5 inch margin at the top (unless using letterhead), and type the word MEMORANDUM, bolded and centered on the first line. Double-space to begin the memo.

d. Paragraphs are block-style (first line not indented) and single spaced.

e. Don't use an opening salutation or a complementary close.

f. Don't sign a memo at the bottom. Add your initials beside your name in the heading. This indicates that you have read and approved the memo.

Format of Memo

Example

Inquiry Letter