Business Letter Writing - What's
Involved?
RSS  Print
The internet and the age of text messaging,
instant messaging and voicemail has caused some to stray away
from the formality that is necessary for making the best
impression in business. However, computer technology and the
internet can also help in learning how to write business
letters correctly. A simple internet search can provide you
with a wide assortment of resources and tools to help you
better understand the principles of business letter
writing.
A business letter differs greatly from a
personal letter. Business letter writing requires the use of
formal language and the adherence to strict structural rules.
Personal letter writing permits the use of informal language,
permits the infusion of emotions that are best avoided in
business letters, and the structure of a personal letter is not
quite so strict. I hope that the following tips for business
letter writing will help you in writing polished,
straightforward, professional business letters with more
ease.
Respect the valuable time of others by
keeping your business letters short and direct. Readers should
immediately understand the purpose for the business letter you
have written to them. Leave the sharing of jokes and gossip
with business associates for occasions that are more
informal.
Relevancy is crucial. Make sure that every
word you write in your business letter is relevant and
necessary for furthering the comprehension of the topic
addressed in your letter for the reader. Take as much care to
ensure that you write your business letters to the appropriate
people who should receive them. You would not want to write a
business complaint letter and then send it to someone in the
product development department whose role in the company does
not include the handling of complaints for example. In doing so
you have wasted yours and their time as well as delaying a
resolution that may have arrived sooner had you sent that
letter to the right person.
It is also important to note that formality
from start to finish in writing your business letters is
necessary. If you are aware of the name and title of the
person, to whom you are sending a business letter to-use it.
Use Dear Sir/Madam when you do not know the name and title of
the person who will be receiving your business letter. Also,
remember to use the department title that is most appropriate
for your business letter, if you do not know to whom to direct
it to. Do not use slang or inappropriate language when writing
your business letters.
Use personal pronouns when writing your
business letters. Use "I" for yourself and "You" for the
recipient of your business letter. You need to be cautious
about using "we" in business letters with your company
letterhead on them. These can be easily misinterpreted as a
representative of the company as a whole when you in fact
intend them to be attributed to you alone. Use"We" only when
your business letter is indeed a representation of the company
as a whole.
Clarity of each point presented in your
business letter is important not only for avoiding
misunderstandings, but also because it illustrates your
knowledge about the subject that your business letters concern.
Before even beginning to write your business letter, take a few
minutes to clarify for yourself why you are writing it and the
outcome you expect to gain from it. This will provide you with
a clearer picture of the message you want your business letter
to convey and a clear direction to begin writing your business
letter. If it helps for you to have a list of main points you
don't want to forget to refer to as your write your business
letter, go ahead, and make yourself one before beginning to
write the letter.
Proofing and editing your business letters
in order to eliminate mistakes in spelling and grammar usage,
as well as to spot and correct breaks in form structure, is
very important. It is unwise to rely solely on computer
spellcheckers to do this important task for you. These programs
are not perfect and can easily "miss" a variation on the
spelling of a word that can make a big difference in meaning
when read in body of a business letter you have written. You
need to read your business letter aloud all the way through
from beginning to end at least 3 times, sentence by sentence.
No quick scanning allowed. It is also helpful to have someone
else in the office read aloud your business letters so that you
can "hear" the mistakes your readers are certain to if you do
not fix them before mailing them out.
The aforementioned letter writing tips can
be accomplished by anyone. Focus and patience are great
attributes which will help boost the quality of your business
letters. These tips are important to remember because, in many
cases, your business letters are the initial contact you may
have with new business contacts and co-workers as
well.
|
About
The Author
Shawn Thomas is
a freelance writer who writes about writing
rules and grammar, letter writing and
etiquette, often focusing on specific products
used in writing such as business
stationery.
|
Readers' Comments 
| 
