ViaSyl at SFSU: ITEC 745
Final Project: Business Communications Formats

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Letters -- Introduction

Letters are still the most common communication form for business communications outside of an organization. While the less formal and less standardized use of email continues to grow, for formal and important matters, letters are required.

While emails are frequently constructed more like memos, letters have important standards that reflect on the sender even before the message is actually read. Knowledge of letter formats and styles is, therefore, an important and easily achieved prerequisite to functional business communications.

The dominant formats for business letters today have been given names that may differ slightly, but are distinguishable as three variations on the basic block format: full-block, block, and semi-block. These formats are presented on the pages so labeled, and are accessible here and in the navigation panel to the left: Full-block,Block and Semi-block.