How To Format Business and Personal Letters
April 27, 2009 – 1:02 pmOut of the hundreds of pages of “writing help” content on my main Writing Help Central website, two of the top 10 most visited pages are related to formatting business and personal letters. It seems that even when people have been able to string together all of the right words for their letter, they often aren’t sure how to format the final product.
In my opinion one of the most unprofessional things that one can do is to send a poorly formatted letter. Doing such a thing is an instant credibility destroyer. Even if your letter is perfectly worded and devoid of grammatical and spelling errors; sending it out in a sloppy unprofessional format will always reflect badly on the sender.
That being said; are you aware that there is NO single international standard for formatting the three main groups of letters used in day-to-day life: business letters, business memos, and personal letters?
As I mentioned above, among the most sought-after info that visitors are looking for when they come to my Writing Help Central website is how-to properly format letters. In addition, I often receive e-mails from people asking such questions as:
- What should I include in a signature block?
- Where do I place the signature block?
- How do I indicate attached documents?
- Where do I position the address block(s)?
etc., etc…
As I stated above, there is NO ONE international standard for formatting letters.
If you spend some time searching through textbooks at your library or bookstore, or checking out some online info sources you will come across many different ideas about what a properly formatted letter should look like; some reasonable and some questionable. In fact, you will find so many different formatting suggestions that you won’t know where to start.
I encountered this same multiple-choice conundrum a few years ago when I was conducting the research for my two general letter-writing toolkits: Instant Letter Writing Kit and Instant Business Letter Kit. So, what I did to sort things out was to review all of the reasonable letter layouts that I could find, and then I assessed them based on two main criteria: 1) most appealing overall appearance and, 2) most effective visual presentation impact.
What I arrived at in the end were three (3) distinct layout formats as follows:
1. Business letters – Full-block format
2. Business Memos – Full-block memo format
3. Personal letters – Semi-block (modified) format
Accordingly, these are the three standard formats that I have adopted and use in all of my Writing Help Toolkits. You can see a fully-formatted real-life example of each of these letter layouts at the following link:
18 Responses to “How To Format Business and Personal Letters”
Amazing article Shaun! Really helpful. Thank you.
By sumaira zaheer on Apr 27, 2009
Thanks Shaun, I liked it very much. However I wonder if still business men writes the recipian taddress? Also the greeting at the end, in most formal writings they prefer the word “regards” instead of sincerely.
By venus on Apr 28, 2009
Thanks Venus,
Yes, business letters should still include the recipient’s address. Sorry, but “regards” is a friendly somewhat informal term. I would only use “regards” as the sign-off salutation in a business letter if either: I know the recipient as a personal friend or acquaintance; or, if I had met them personally on business and felt comfortable enough to address them now as a friend or acquaintance. Never use “regards” if you have not met the person or if the letter is of a serious nature. It’s a little too informal for those situations.
Thanks for your comments… Shaun
By admin on Apr 28, 2009
Thank you very much for your efforts in this interesting way.
By Abdoul on Apr 28, 2009
Thanks for clarifying the sign-off salutation problem.
I am glad that I practice the same Format for the formal letters as selected by you.
Could you please enlighten me on writing a letter on a specific topic without dulling it’s main subject and at the same time giving it a very professional touch.
How quickly can one come straight to the subject ? is it professional? How are references of dates and reference numbers helpful in a correspondence and are they used these days ?
Thank you,
By Suleman on Apr 29, 2009
Hi Suleman,
I’m not absolutely clear on what you are asking here? For answers, I suggest you check out the more than 60 sample letters on my writing Help Central website:
http://writinghelp-central.com/sample-letters.html
I hope that helps… Shaun
By admin on Apr 29, 2009
Dear Shaun,
I thank you for all your contributions in this letter writing and i can assure you that I have gained alot.
Shaun, please keep it up.
Yours,
Mohammed
By kituusa Mohammed on May 1, 2009
Dear Shaun,
You are great, I found your letter writing very helpfull and I would like to thank you for all your extraordinery work.
Yours,
Alemseged.
By Alemseged Mammo on May 3, 2009
Dear Shaun
You are great Shaun.
First I want to thank for your letter writing help. Now I can write better after following your lessons and it has improved my overall knowledge.
By malkanthi on May 5, 2009
Dear Shaun
Thanks for your hints. They were very useful for me a I noticed some mistakes that I pay no attention in Biz letters.
Now, I have a question about abbreviations in Biz letters, especially in emails. I have encountered a lot of email with a lot of abbreviations. Do you agree that this kind of writing sometimes causes misinterpretation? Is it good to use them in Business letters?
By Fatima Jafari on May 6, 2009
Thanks Fatima, for your question re: abbreviations in business letters and e-mails.
Generally speaking, abbreviations are not good in formal business letters. Do not use them unless it is a well known short form and you are sure that the recipient knows what it means. When acronyms are involved, use the full term the first time it is used, with the acronym in brackets right after the term. Thereafter, you can just use the acronym.
[The conference was organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)].
As for e-mails? It seems that anything goes these days. Personally, I avoid using anthing that might confuse the recipient. After all, I want them to undersatnd my message.
When it comes to texting, the use of abbreviations is rampant due to the nature of texting. No point fighting that one.
I hope this helps.
—Shaun
By admin on May 6, 2009
Dear Shaun,
I always enjoy immensely your articles and the comments of other people who interact with your topic. I have worked with so many companies but my biggest problem, believe it or not, is formatting the right Cover letter that makes sense short and sweet. Did I say right? Please help me with your advice. Thanks
Edward
By Edward Agcaoili on Jun 26, 2009
Dear Shaun
I would be very grateful if you could tell me if the following sentence in business letters or e-mails is correct or not.
“You are kindly postulated to find the attachment.”( Is it right to use this word ” postulated” in lieu of “requested” in enquiry letters or other letters or e-mails?). Thanks in anticipation. I am looking forward to hearing from you forthwith.
Kind regards,
Fatima Jafari
By fatima on Jul 4, 2009
Nice article about Business Letters; very helpful.
By Yna on Jul 8, 2009
Hello Fatima,
Thanks for your question. I would never use “postulated” in such a letter. In fact, I would simply state “Please find attached…”.
That is the standard phrase used in most business writing.
Good luck,
Shaun
By admin on Jul 8, 2009
Hello there,
After reading through some of the writings from readers, I feel the need to add a brief comment on Fatima’s issue. I would rather use simple language when addressing my readers. The use of specialized vocabulary or even technical jargon fails to deliver the message as was intended and rather cause a ‘phobia’ within the mind of those on the other end.
Secondly, you might force the ‘reader’ to look up the meaning of the words in the dictionary. Unfortunately, not all readers have the time and quest to build their vocab.
By Adams on Jul 27, 2009
Dear Shaun,
Please tell me, will it be right if I write “kindly find attached”? Thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Next
By Next on Jul 27, 2009
Hello Next,
I usually use “Please find attached…” or “You will find attached…”. I suppose that “Kindly…” will work if that is more common where you live.
Best… Shaun
By admin on Jul 27, 2009