PRINCIPLES OF A WRITING A BUSINESS LETTER

PRINCIPLES OF A WRITING A BUSINESS LETTER

You will have to develop the art of writing good business letters to communicate effectively at the written level. Almost every one of us has written a letter at some point of our life. A business letter is slightly different from other letters. In today's age of technology, e-mail, a kind of letter sent via the electronic machine also comes under the purview of letter writing. However, we will not discuss letter writing in general but business letters only in this section. We will discuss some principles that are essential for writing a good business letter. Let us start with a quick look at the layout of a business letter.

Layout

There is no fixed layout for writing a business letter as different organizations may have their own
prescribed layouts to be used in business letters sent from their organization. However, we can discuss a common layout that is generally followed while writing a business letter.


The following things are to be included in a business letter:

􀁺 Letterhead
The company's name and full address should be included in this section.
􀁺 Date
The date is written before the inside address of the recipient.
􀁺 Inside Address
This includes the address of the recipient. The address should include the name and the full
address of the recipient.
􀁺 Salutation or Greeting
The way you write the salutation depends on the relationship you share with the recipient. If you
do not know the gender and name of the recipient it is best to use a neutral, "Dear Sir/ Madame."

􀁺 Letter Body
The body of your letter should be clearly written with not more than three paragraphs. The
purpose of every paragraph should be clear.
􀁺 Closing
The closing comes after the last paragraph of the letter. The closing again depends on the
relationship you share with the recipient and hence the degree of formality.
􀁺 Signature
This comes after the closing. You will have to include your signature, printed name and position
(strictly in that order) here.

Reasons for writing business letters

You may need to write a business letter for many reasons. It may be
􀁺 to persuade
􀁺 to recommend
􀁺 to accept/reject offers
􀁺 to apologize
􀁺 to inform
􀁺 to request
􀁺 to remind

The language cannot be different just because we are writing a business letter. But there are certain
things you should remember while writing a business letter. The language should be very simple and
precise. You cannot waste your time by writing things that do not serve the real purpose but makes your letter long and complicated.

Here are some principles you should remember while writing a business letter:

􀁺 Start from the end. Figure out the purpose. Try to find out the goal you want to achieve
through the letter.

􀁺 Make a list of the things you have to say and allot a paragraph each to the main points. Add
an introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph.

􀁺 Get to the point early. Do not beat around the bush! The reader is not interested in reading
the plot of a story but the purpose of the letter.

􀁺 Be logical and coherent in your approach. This will reflect in the way you write the letter.
􀁺 Identify the reader and your relationship with him or her. You may address the reader with a
simple Dear Mr./ Ms/ Miss X (the First and last name) if you are familiar with the person.
However, if you are not familiar with him or her, Dear Sir/ Madam will be all right. You are also
supposed to write Dear Sir/Madam if you do not know the gender or name of the reader.

􀁺 Avoid repetitions.
􀁺 Avoid camouflaged verbs. For example, "Announcement of the decision made him relieved"
is using the noun form of the verb and lacks power. Instead, use "He was relieved to announce
his decision."

􀁺 Use familiar words.

􀁺 Avoid using vague and abstract words. Always be precise and concrete. Instead of 'immense
benefit in all respects' or 'significant gain', it would help if you use '25% gain' or 'benefit in
terms of cost, production, performance'.

􀁺 Use adverbs and adjectives sparingly. Do not be too judgmental or passionate in your use of
words. Words like 'breathtaking', 'absolutely', and 'fantastic' are best avoided.

􀁺 Avoid jargon's and cliched sentences. That will make your letter natural.

􀁺 Use adjectives appropriately. Do not use them too much neither should you be too stingy in
using them. Strike a balance.

􀁺 Use active voice as much as possible.

􀁺 Use simple and short sentences. You cannot waste your time by writing things that do not
serve the real purpose but makes your letter long and complicated.

􀁺 End it with what should be the action taken by the reader or you.

􀁺 Try to be friendly. You should not appear rude in an attempt to be too straightforward. You can be
straightforward and friendly at the same time.

􀁺 Close with a simple and plain closing phrase. "Yours sincerely" or "Sincerely" and your signature
can be a good closing phrase.

􀁺 Take care of the layout and format of the letter.

􀁺 Never write a business letter in anger. You may regret it later.

􀁺 Always end it with an action step if required. Do not leave it vague or leave the reader wondering
what you expect from him or her.