Business Letter Formats and Styles: Full Block, Modified, Semi-Block, Simplified

welcome back to n p t e l online lectures on soft skills in the previous lecture we talked about business letters and we talked about their structures towards the end of the lecture as we had discussed politeness being the hallmark of all business letters

of course we can be polite in terms of the language but then we can also be polite and so our consideration by maintaining a proper format in this lecture we are going to talk about the various formats and then also the style that are the requisites of an effective

business letter now you remember as i had said you have to follow the practice of letter writing in your organization as it exists there now various organizations have different ways different formats depending upon the facility

provided and depending upon the practice running in an organization you have to follow the format but is there any harm to know about other formats as well usually a letters may have four formats the first is the full block format will also discuss them one by one and

so them through examples then is the modified block format then we have semi block format and then we have simplified format now let us discuss what exactly do we mean by full block format if you have a look at letters which are being drafted nowadays and the layout

of letters you can see here are given all the four formats now the first format is a full block one the second is a modified the third is indented and the fourth is simplified now what actually are the characteristics of a full block format

nowadays in most of the organizations this format i mean the full [blot/block] block format is much in use now why do we call it full block and what are its characteristics you will find in the full block format you know till now you have been ah having the

practice of writing the date on the right hand side apart from ah the letter head let the letter head be where it is but you know the date line is always written on the right hand side but now with full block format i i sometimes in a very light manner say we

have actually ah become one who follows the left meaning thereby all the parts of the letter are at the left hand margin for example if you remember the structure ah of the business letters date will come first so the date will also be towards the left and just below the

date will be the salutation i mean even the date salutation close signature lines enclosures everything will be towards the left moreover there is no punctuation followed in the letter especially except the body i mean if you write the date there is no need of putting any comma

if ah below that if you write the ah inside address once again there is no need of putting any punctuation and then you write this salutation even in salutation when you write dear sir or dear madam whatsoever you will find that you will have to make a sort of alignment

towards the left just below the salutation you will write the subject line that also will be towards the left and then aligning it you will start your letter but remember there is a provision that

there will be no punctuation in the inside address nor even in the complimentary close but as regards the body of the letter there will be open punctuation in the body and there is no punctuation followed in the inside address remember you should not forget that there

were no punctuation in the body its a body will have the punctuation but there will be no punctuation in the inside address nor in the complimentary close double spaced will be allowed between the salutation and the subject line for example here is one

that i i want to show you now here you find ah that this ah name i mean name this is the later head which is actually in the top center and below that sorry below that ah you you find ah that ah this is the date here you find that we we are not putting any you know

period or something like that we write the date and then start way straight way we come to the inside address in inside address ah there is no provision of giving any punctuation and start where we start with dear sir that is a salutation and then we write the subject

the subject languages and there is alignment you see the alignment is towards the left and when you are going to come to close it you give a complimentary close once again you are going to write your sincerely or yours faithfully and after that you will write your

[nime/name] name type your name but you will keep your name in the bracket and between your name and this complimentary close there has to be space here because of the ah shortage of space i have not given ah but it is advisable that you maintain ah a gap i mean you have

to maintain a gap between your sincerely i mean complimentary close and then you write the name of the person in many cases if you feel that it is being written ah by a person who has got a designation and all you can also mention below the name of this priyam

sunder his designation and whatsoever now this is an example of full block format and most of the organizations i mean there are two ah formats which are being followed one is full block format or

modified format or simplified format but remember there is a semi block also you will find that there is a semi block also here once again here is an example you you can find this is actually a mixed version but again you can find here that there is no punctuation in

the inside address and then there is no punctuation even in the salutation line ah then again in the subject there is no punctuation but this punctuation is there open punctuation is there in the body of the letter

and when there is a complimentary close the person write yours truly you may write your sincerely whatsoever i mean i am not going to focus here from the point of view of language but from the point of view of the structure as well as of format next is a modified block

now the question is what is this modification in this block it is also written ah the way a block format is drafted but it is block because of the address subject line and salutation they are aligned with the left hand margin fine the paragraphs in the body are also blocked

but when it comes to date complimentary close and signature i mean there is no set guideline many people we have seen that this date comple[te] date may be here on the top hand top right hand side you know i mean here there is no

practice of ah putting even the date on the ah left hand side may be the date can be this is actually a a sort of facility provided to the users that date complimentary close and signature they may be also in the right or they may be towards the right but between

the right and the center date complimentary close and signature are placed between the right hand margin and centre of the page that is why we call it a modified block format for example here you can find that this is this again is the format here you may find

the date is on the right hand side and and complimentary close and even the a signature line that is on the right hand side fine and moreover if there is a complimentary close for example say if it is thanking you or if it is with regards

that may come in and between i mean ah they may come in the center but then when it comes to the address line or when it comes to the inside address that will always be in the left hand side and then dear sir and below dear sir will be the subject line ah nowadays

there has been a new practice ah that after dear sir many people have started writing or putting a colon even even some organizations also have come forward ah by giving a colon just after dear sir

but remember other things will be aligned towards the left and open punctuation will be there in the body of the letter so this is called modified format of the letter next here once again is an example you can see ah this this i have taken from a book i mean

here you will find the dateline is given on the right and [la/as] as i said as we discussed that the dateline the complimentary close i mean here here you can see the complementary close the complimentary close has also been aligned but then the dateline and the close

and then finally the signature line that have been flushed towards the left otherwise you know the address then the salutation then the subject and then the body of the letter all of them have been flushed

all of them have been flushed as it is in this block one so that we have to take into consideration next is a semi block format in semi block format you know the name is semi semi means half so it is it will also be half block only so more or less it is similar

to the modified block style you know ah in in in some you know some letter writers feel that the modified block and the semi block format are the one so paragraphs but then there is one point of difference and the difference is that paragraphs are indented i mean you

have to leave one space after you begin a paragraph if there again there is second paragraph again you have to indent so when you indent the paragraph they actually look beautiful they appear beautiful the date

and the complimentary close are the same edge in the modified block style and then the inside address is written on the left margin so these are the characteristics of a semi block format now here you can see this is actually a letter which is which is from an organization here

you can find the date they have not written the date even on the right hand side or on the left hand side but the date here is written in the middle you know and and the name of the organization the letter head also is towards the left so different organizations have different

ways of formulating or drafting their letter and if they have a printed one you know you nothing you have to do nothing except you have to draft the letter on the letter head then the date is here and again you find here

the inside address is towards the left you know ah what whatsoever is the name and then here ah this person he doesnt write dear sir or dear mam but he write dear miss such and such now meaning thereby he actually knows the recipient of the letter he knows the recipient

of the letter sometimes it so happens that people are often confused also about the gender of the person in such a case you should simply write the first name of the person for example ah dear rahil if you write dear rahil or you can also write dear stella dear

stephanie i mean you are not aware of the gender of the person that is why the safe side is to write dear and to and then to write the first name and again you will find every business letter if it is ah the response if it is the reply letter it will begin with

thanks that is that is where ah we we talk about the cordiality every business letter has to be cordial so what we do is we write thanks for a letter i mean here you could have i mean some some people also write ah thanks for a letter dated such and such but

then you can also follow the practice of writing as i said in the earlier lecture you can write your reference number our reference number or you can also mention ah thanks for a letter dated such and such and then you straightway come to the topic

whatsoever it was and then if you are replying if you are providing them some information it is always better to state i mean a state straight i mean straightway come to the point find please find enclosed please find attached like that i mean there is no need of writing

a lot in the beginning because people do not have time and it it may rather confuse them more so it is always better to state a straight meaning there by specifically mention please find the details of such and such and the last line last line should always be cordial

meaning thereby in all sorts of business letter as you will find when we ah talk about the various examples of business letter you will find that you have to re emphasize i mean you have said something but then a sort of re [em/emphases]

emphases is there in order this actually shows not only your [syria/sincerity] sincerity but at the same time your business sense anyway you know because every business letter has to have a sort of friendly approach has to have a sort of ah approach that is you approach

we call and then finally once again here you find the end i mean the complimentary close before before leave taking we can also call that leave taking he said sincerely and then it is neither left nor right but in and between but care has to be taken that the dateline

and the complimentary close they are actually aligned sometimes as i said there has to be enclosure so please enclose and write the number of enclosures next is the simplified format in

simplified format the writer is not aware of the status or the gender of the receiver as i said you can write dear stephanie dear stella like that but then the date complementary close and signature are spaced on the right hand margin i mean many organizations because

of the facility i mean it is not ah too difficult to type such a letter so what they do is they actually go for the simplified format in certain cases you will find in certain cases they also mention an attention line and attention line is also written in capital for example

if you are writing from one organization and you want the attention of a particular person in the organization say i mean chartered accountant say finance officer so there you have to mention attention fine and then put

a column and then write finance officer or you write registrar ah finance or whatsoever naturally if it goes to the organization but straightway it will be sent to the person concern so this is very important here you can see an example of a simplified letter

in simplified letter it is not mandatory that you give a salutations simply by writing the inside address or simply by writing the designation of the person you can straightway start the letter but you have to give the subject you have to give the subject for here you can

find after letter head and having given the date and others the date is on the right hand side here there is only the designation of the person regional toward his officer and just below that there is no

mention of any salutation that doesnt mean it is hurting it actually sometimes you know people may feel that it is hurting or insulting but it is not the question it is actually because the writer of the letter does not know and is not clear about the gender and

since it is official that is why he comes to the official business and he writes regarding excursion regarding excursion this is actually subject and a straightway he starts the letter and then he discusses whatsoever be the issue and finally in such a letter there is also

not any need of putting a complimentary close or having mentioned a leave taking rather straightway just like your memo i think you remember well what we discussed in memo it it it is just like a memo so there you simply write your own name i mean the name of the

writer whosoever it be and that also is written on the ah right hand corner so the [ad/dateline] dateline and the signature line they are actually in alignment with each other rest of the things are in open punctuation but there is no open punctuation in the inside address there is

no mention of subject line there is also no mention of complimentary close so this is called the simplified format of letter writing and since not much pain is involved in it many organizations find it easier but remember what you have to do is

whenever you are going to write a letter follow the trend follow the practice that exists in the organization to which you belong having understood the format of the letter you also might be curious to know what should be the style a letter especially a business letter

is no way different from other forms of business writing but then while in other forms of business writing you will find the selection of words depends upon the particular say ah ah area or the particular a say subject or a particular issue

but in a letter even though the issue may be different what should be maintained is the politeness or the cordiality so adopt language in terms of language all we need to understand is let us try to understand the language that has got a friendly approach

i mean the reader friendly approach the by reader friendly approach we mean keeping yourself in the position of the reader so if you do that if you imagine yourself to be in the position of the reader naturally that is why a lot of planning is to be done before you

write a letter we have already discussed that a letter represents you or represents a person even in his absence that is why a letter has to be reader friendly and in order to make it reader friendly you have also to ensure that it should maintain

a you approach there have been times when you write a particular line and you feel that if the same line or if the same letter reaches you perhaps you would not feel well and that will give you a chance to improve your language and make it a language that has got an approach

which is friendly we have also discussed about the courtesy and the consideration you know how you can maintain a courtesy now when you are writing a letter it is the demand of the courtesy as we have said every in every business letter we start with a thank you note

so start with a thank you note and also mention because you know a letter is a a medium to connect that is why when you put thank you for a letter dated such and such you are actually connecting you are actually reminding the reader or the recipient of a previous correspondence

between the two so maintain a sort of curtsey and have consideration so when we talk about consideration we have to be considerate not only above the language but also about the content about the length you know no one would like a lengthy letter nowadays everyone whether

in job or out of job do not have time enough to read a letter which is very lengthy so you can show your consideration not only by ensuring a cordial language or a courteous approach

but also by being to the point and specially in business letters you have to maintain ah this etiquette that you are being to the point you are being specific sometimes ah you will find when when you order for certain goods and they do not come in the right way or there

has been a delay or there has been some other sort of confusion and all you tend to be angry we are all human beings we also become angry but remember if you write anything in anger that is going to be different you know so that is that is why ah you you need to put

yourself in the condition of the recipient and think if the same angry letter comes to you how will you react so the best way to avoid that is do not blame the reader suppose somebody ah gets a complaint

letter is working an organization and gets a complaint letter the language of the complaint letter is very aggressive it is very full of allegations the language is very fiery the the words chosen are also very harsh so in such a condition you can always put yourself

to a safe position by not blaming the reader do not blame the reader and moreover sometimes when you are writing something it is always better to restrict yourself not to use too many negatives for example if somebody writes if you are not going to make this payment

in such as such time i mean you will ah we will lose you as a customer i mean this can be said in a different manner also ah this way if you are writing like this this way you are not maintaining a sort of

cordiality hence all you need to do is you are actually to think about what you are writing and the best way is when you have written something of course what you write may be genuine but it may hurt also so you can change the approach and you can also ah say we will

appreciate if such in such payment is made in time i mean you are saying the same thing but you are having a different language we appreciate timely payment ah to have a continuous relationship with our customers

and then you need to be very precise but in order to be precise do not sacrifice the content be precise but be natural you also have to be very simple when i say simple i mean the choice of words has to be simple and the choice of words have to be specific i mean here suppose

you are writing a complaint letter or you are writing a letter of order but you are not expressing or you are not mentioning the sort of model or the sort of makeup ah the sort of the design the sort of the colour in such a situation you are not only being

inconsiderate but you are also not becoming specific and you know specific letters are responded fast moreover you also have to distinguish between the proper use of i and we people who are responding to our letters or [pe/people]

people who are drafting letters in an organization as the people like you and me so try to understand the difference between i and you when you are writing from the point of view of the organization you should maintain you should write we but there are times when you need

to be more informal then only you can suppose a manager writing naturally he will write i and when he writes i he actually represents the organization it is always better that you draft all your sentences in the active one

and you must not always be using the active ones remember when you are giving them some good news it is always better to be ah it is always better to use active voice but sometimes when you feel that you have to write a letter which is indirect for example when somebody

has blamed you or you are trying to defend yourself naturally you have to go for a passive construction there are several examples i can give you which sound very unprofessional for example if you look at some of these sentences which have been taken from some of the letters

you will find and you will rather ah think that such a [la/language] language should have been avoided for example look at the language your refrigerators warranty has already expired any service for your machine will be provided on payment basis

now since we say that business organizations try to maintain a goodwill with their customers and if they write such a language if they using use such a language it will perhaps be very insulting so this can be revised and you can write it in a very positive language

and then you can also say ah we we welcome you as one of our valid customers or one of our valuable customers but then the next sentence can be for those goods which are out of warranty period and amount of or you can mention ah a payment of such and such has to be paid

or people who expect service even after warranty period need to pay for the service now this is positive here you are not saying ah that it has expired that is why we will not do you see the next sentence we are glad we can now send your xerox machine we also

look forward to receive orders from our customers in future as well once again here also this can be changed and you can always say please find your new xerox machine we look forward to receiving orders from our valuable customers in future no it is it is always said that

when you are writing a business letter you are continuing a sort of relationship say if you get a letter which has the content like this your application cannot be entertained as you do not fulfill our required qualification

why dont you try next year this language appears to be very insulting isnt it so in order to make or in order to ensure that people are not heard the same sentence can be revised and you can have a better and you can also drop a positive language you can also say

our organization expects a full fledged application having all the educational details may we request you to submit a detailed resume a fine so now this language appears to be very polite and this language appears to be quite welcome there are some others also for example

if you say as a valued customer you should know that we have full faith in our quality control division we are not responsible for the damages occurred during transportation now even if this is right you should never try to speak in such a language or write in

such a language you can always say though we take adequate care in our quality control division we always yet things in transportation are out of our hands or you can also say things may go wrong in transportation we are always ready to provide you services i mean you are

to retain the customers not to lose the customers and a letter is a bridge it connects people it connects organization and i do hope that if you maintain a sort of cordiality by conforming yourself to the format of a particular organization as regards the drafting policy of letters

and maintain a cordial language a business worthy language i think you will sign forth like gold thank you very much