What are the factors to consider on how the business letter should be presented?


Presentation

A business letter is a ‘messenger’ from your organization or institution – so it better be good. The receivers of your letters may not have had the opportunity of visiting your institution or organization, and your correspondences may be the only way other people get to ‘see’ you.

Good presentation takes into consideration the following factors:
·      Use quality white bond paper, usually 8 ½ by 11 inches, and not less that 70 gm. weight. Typewritten letters are preferable because they are easier to read. However, if you do not have a typewriter or do not type well, write in ink in your most legible handwriting. To keep your handwriting in even lines, place a piece of lined composition paper underneath the plain white paper.

·      The appearance of your letters makes a positive or negative statement about you. A good business letter should not show smudges or cross-outs, and it should have no spelling, usage, or punctuation errors. That means you must edit your letter carefully so that it will make the best possible impression upon your reader.

·      Never be tempted to use letterhead paper from your workplace for personal correspondence. This practice sends a very negative message about the writer’s regard for other people’s property. Use letterhead while you are writing for the organization or institution only.

·      Use letterhead paper only for the first page of a letter. Type or print the following pages on plain, but matching bond.

·      Place your message on the paper so that it is well distributed over the page. Keep at least 1” margin all round the page. Decide to use either single or double spacing depending on the amount you have to write, and try to keep your letter to one page only. If you must carry over to a second page, ensure that you have at least two more lines of text before the closing and signature.

·      Business letters use the most common font types like ‘Times New Roman’, ‘Arial’, ‘Bookman Old Type’ etc. and avoids the more fancy ones like ‘English 57 BT’ or ‘Cloister Black’.

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