Letters

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The business letter (such as the one shown in Figure 22.2) is the document most often used for correspondence between representatives of one organization and another, though e-mail messages are increasingly being used in place of business letters. Business letters are written to obtain information about a company’s products, to register or respond to a complaint, or to introduce other documents (such as a proposal) that accompany the letter.

Be sure to state the purpose of your letter in the first few lines and to provide supporting information in the paragraphs that follow. Always maintain a courteous and professional tone throughout a business letter. Include enough information to identify clearly any documents you refer to in the letter.

As with memos, the design conventions of business letters are long established:

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FIGURE 22.2 A Sample Business Letter