In general, a letter of transmittal
is a brief, one-page business letter that identifies the
reseach project; it usually sits on top of the entire report, before
the table of contents.
Letters of transmittals are short and to the point. It's fine to begin,
"Enclosed is the research report which you authorized me to conduct on
possible changes to our paid-leave policy." The transmittal
letter is primarily a reminder and notification. It does not need to be
as detailed or inclusive as executive summary, and it should
not repeat information found anywhere else in the report package.
As you draft your letter of transmittal, make sure that you:
- Follow
proper business letter
- Maintain
a professional tone
- Clarify
the purpose of the letter (to notify the recepient that the report is
enclosed)
- Offer
any specific details necessary for the reader to understand why the
report was written
- End
with a "good will" sentence that thanks the decision-maker for the
opportunity to conduct the research and offers to follow up with a
meeting or answer any questions that arise as the decision maker
reviews the report.
Format the body
of your letter according to the style of letter you choose:
- Block
paragraphs--all lines of each paragraph are flush left; there is one
blank space between paragraphs
- Modified block paragraphs--first line of each paragraph is indented a full half inch;
there is an extra blank line between paragraphs.
- Indented paragraphs--first line of each paragraph is indented a full half inch;
there is no extra blank line between paragraphs.
In
general, a transmittal letter without letterhead should look
like this:
Today’s
Date
Receiver’s Name, Job Title
Receiver’s Department Name (if
relevant)
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear Mr./Ms./Dr./Vice President Smith:
Begin the first paragraph with a phrase such as "Enclosed please find
the report . . . . " Paragraphs should be
short. Save discussion for the report.
The
second (and last) paragraph of the transmittal
letter expresses
appreciation
("Thank you for the opportunity to . . . ") and offers to be available
to answer questions, to meet, and so on.
Sincerely yours, (standard
complimentary closing in non-military sector)
(space for
signature; you can use a script font that mimics handwriting)
Your name
Contact information
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- The
current day’s date (the day you send the letter) should
be above the recipient’s name. If letterhead is used, the date
appears directly below the letterhead. and before the recipient's name.
- Address
your letter
to a specific person or persons. Next, make sure that your greeting is
on
its own separate line before the body of the letter and uses a colon
rather than a comma.
- Keep
paragraphs short. There is no need for discussion.
Below is a link to more resources on business letter
formatting to consider as you draft your letter of transmittal.
Assignment:
Please submit your transmittal letter to this thread for review.
Business
Letters: http://ewc.umgc.edu/ewc/web/business-letter.html
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