Per pro

The term 'per pro' (p.p.) is sometimes used in signatures and means 'for and on behalf of'. Secretaries sometimes use p.p. when signing a letter on behalf of their bosses.

When writing on behalf of your company, it is useful to indicate your position in the firm in the signature.

Enclosures

If there are many enclosures, e.g. leaflets, prospectus, etc., with the letter, these may be mentioned in the body of the letter. But many firms in any case write Enc. or Encl. At the bottom of the letter, and if there are a number of documents, these are listed, e.g.

Enc.

Bill of landing (5copies)

Insurance certificate (1 copy)

Bill of exchange (1 copy)

'Private and confidential '

This phrase may be written at the head of a letter above salutation, and more importantly on the envelope, in cases where the letter is intended only for ht eyes of the named recipient.

Copies

· c.c. (= carbon copies) is written, usually at the end of the letter, when copies are sent to people other than the named recipient.

· b.c.c. (=blind carbon copies) is written at the copies themselves, though not, on the top copy, when you do not want the named recipient to know that other people have received the copies as well.

Technical layout of letter:

1.Letterhead:

This will include your company's name, address, telephone number, fax number and email address. Include your web address if available. Other information may be required depending on the legal status of your business formation. Contact your legal adviser for exact details.

2. Name and address:

Always include the recipient's name, address and postage code. Add job title if approriate. Double check that you have the correct spelling of the recipient 's name.

3.Date:

Always date your letters.Never abbreviate January to Jan. 31.

4.Reference:

These are optional. They are a good idea if you have a large volume of correspondence. These day modern word processors made this an easy task to complete and maintain.

5.Salutations:

The type of salutation depends on your relationship with the recipient. Always try to personalise letter thus avoiding the dear sir/madam situation.

6.Subject matter:

Again this is optional, but its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing successfully with the aims of your letter. Normally the subject sentence is preceded with the word Re: It should be placed one line below the greeting.

7.Communication:

This will contain a number of paragraphs, each paragraph dealing with one point and one point only.

8.Signature:

The signature should be clear and legible-showing you are interested in the letter and consequently the recipient.Your signature should also be followed underneath by a typed version of your name and your job title.

9.Enclosures:

If you include other material in the letter, put 'Enclosure','Enc', or' Encs', as appropriate, two lines below the last entry.