Professional Way to Format a Business Document

Formatting a business document for the first time can feel like a daunting process. But with a little help and practice, you will develop the skill of issuing a working document in an orderly and professional setting.

How to format a business document

Correct formatting of a working document makes a big difference to the quality of your work. Take your time coordinating and organizing your message and you will get professional, clear and effective content.

When dealing with important business topics, you can grab the reader's attention by elegantly formatting the document and adding subtle details.

Here are some important details to format a business document:

1. Simplicity in coordination

However, the key to having an effective format is simplicity, even if your documents highlight a complex topic.

The simple format highlights the content itself and makes it a focal point, as well as making it easier to read and move between its sections.

2. Font consistency

Use traditional fonts, such as Times New Roman or Arial, make sure the text is right-aligned and use a single space between paragraphs.

As you follow these guidelines, keep the information consistent and coherent throughout the document.

Use one or two types of fonts in each document and make sure that the line spacing and alignment in the document are consistent.

3. Use the graphs smoothly

If you use graphs such as images and tables in your document, make sure they are legible and legible. You can use many graphs, but avoid adding them only for the purpose of decorating the document.

Unnecessary visuals can dominate the page and hide your core message.

The general form of business letters

Dear reader, you may have learned at school how to write and coordinate educational topics and messages.

If you are a holder of higher qualifications and have studied aspects of the business sector, you should have learned the part of commercial messages and their types.

A business message consists of different parts. And formatting the business message in the right way is what we will talk about in this article.

Commercial messages are sent for many types of reasons. Such as sending business to their clients or to other businesses they work for, such as vendor or logistics partners.

Writing business letters for business for formal purposes too.

1- Information for the sender

It is important that you know how to properly address a business letter, especially if you are expecting a response.

This section includes your full address, phone number, and email address.

Some people write their full name at the top of this list, but others think it's redundant because you'll sign the letter with your name anyway.

You do not need to include this if it is the paper you are using for letterhead.

2- Date

Write the month, date, and year (eg August 4, 2022) if you are sending a message to a company or organization.

3. The addressee

It includes the recipient's information, starting with their name, followed by their job title and full address.

Select the recipient using Mrs., Mr., or use any appropriate job title as appropriate

You can also add the following:

• The name
• Job title
• Company address Street
• City, state, zip code
• country (optional)

4- salute

The salutation used in the addressee section does not have to be the same as that used here.

It all depends on the context of your message and the person sending it to you.

For example: the dean of the Faculty of Law may be one of your relatives, you can ignore the formal greeting.

But if you're writing to him in an official capacity, it's best if you use the salutation "Dean (last name)" or "Dr (last name)."

Note:

• Military and religious titles should be written as is.
• If you are not sure of the gender of the recipient? Do not use Mr. or Mrs. Just write "Dear" followed by the full name.
• If you don't know who the specific responsible person is, To Whom It May Concern will do the trick.
• You can also address the department or group that will deal with the message, such as "Members of the Contracting Committee" or "Management of the Condominium Association".
• Always put a colon at the end of the salutation, not a comma.

5- Text

Usually comprised of one to three short paragraphs, with a specific intent all the body of the letter is organized for clarity.

A. Introduction.

It explains why in the letter and what you want to achieve with that. If the recipient does not know who you are, you can also mention mutual communications here.

B. The second paragraph.

Gives more details about your application, such as steps you have taken or fees paid.

And in the case of marketing or job application letters, the second paragraph is where you will sell the product you're promoting or your application.

C. The third paragraph.

This paragraph is optional and is included in cases where the second paragraph is not sufficient to fully explain the situation.

D. Close the message (conclusion).

The closing includes one or two sentences asking the recipient to take any action required in your letter, and thank them for reading your mail.

Examples of closing a business letter:

1. The official conclusion

As usual, please contact me via (email) or call me at (your business phone) to schedule a meeting. Thanks for your attention.

If you need to discuss anything with me or the team, please feel free to contact us at (your phone). We are always at your service.

2. Complimentary conclusion

The complimentary conclusion is a sign off before your signature.

You've got a lot of options here, but in general you should avoid those that indicate appreciation or thanks in letters where you are not asking for anything.

E.Signed

Make sure to leave at least one four spaces between your name and close the letter so there is enough room for your signature.

You may need to include your job title, phone number, and email address below your full name as well.

F.Attachments

Before the era of e-mail, people wrote "attachments" at the bottom of business letters to indicate that the envelope contained other documents.

It also considers the print version of "See Attachments" for emails.

Attachments are indicated at the bottom left of the message, and a couple of your signatures are forbidden, followed by a list of documents listed below.

Types of business messages:

1. Complaint letter

All complaints can be written and formatted correctly as we explained, but here different terms are added such as (name of the complainant - complaint against - content of the complaint) and so on.

Then there is another unwritten type, such as complaints that come via a call to the company's customer service hotline.

It is not enough for all these complaints, a printed letter of complaint must be answered directly.

2. Quit

A resignation letter is what employees send to their boss when they want to finish their job.

In most cases, you will need to allow at least 14 days or two weeks before your official departure from the company.

3. Letters

In a previous article, we talked about a type of cover letter, which is sending a printed envelope along with your CV briefly explaining why you are a good candidate for this job.

Good cover letters are like appetizers in the sense that they give officials a sense of what they can expect from you, without necessarily repeating what is already on your resume.

4. Letter of Recommendation

Recommendation letters are sent to verify the applicant's competency with the previous employer or manager.

In some cases, these recommendations are nothing more than templatesCreated by someone from Human Resources after filling in the blanks about the employee such as the start date and end date.

If you are writing a good employee letter, it is best to skip the template and write it yourself to show higher value.

5. Information request message

Letters asking for information are often sent to companies, individuals or representatives of other companies when they want information about a particular product or service.

These letters can be written to government offices when requesting information about applying for a permit or inquiring about government actions.

6. Modify or change the character

Have you received a message that your phone bill due date has been modified, or that the amount you were paying has ever changed?

That is the modification message we are talking about. It is not all about dates and amounts only but can also be used when companies want to inform customers about changes in a product or service.

7. Ads and invitations

New product announcements, and charitable events are a type of business message.

Advertising letters for a new CEO, and even those inviting you to an agreement also fall under business letters.

These messages are sent either as an internal memo where all employees are aware of changes within the company, or as an announcement to stakeholders in the company.

Important tips while sending business messages

1. A business envelope must be used if you are sending a letter by mail.

2. Use an envelope with your company logo so that the recipient can immediately identify your company and make sure it's reliable.

3. If you are not sure whether it is better for you to write manually or not, in this case you should use a printer and word processor to print the address on the envelope better.

4. Important documents and time-sensitive letters should be sent via courier.

Now that you have learned how to format a letter, you can start sending your own business letters.

See: Phrases to Confirm or Decline a Reservation in Business English