CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE LETTER MESSAGING

CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE LETTER MESSAGING

Principles of good communication are equally applicable to written communication and to writing skills for letter messaging. However, a good checklist for business letter writing is as below:

 Promptness
 Subject knowledge
 Appropriateness
 Accuracy, completeness, and clarity
 Courtesy
 Tact
 Persuasion
 Conciseness
 Salesmanship
 The „you attitude‟
 Positive and pleasant approach

These are described below:

(1) Promptness
Letters should be replied the same day. Should one need time to reply, it is better to acknowledge the letter and politely indicate to the sender how soon the reply will be sent.

(2) Subject knowledge
Ability to reply to a business letter has three pre-requisites:
 Knowledge of previous correspondence
 Understanding of the requirements of the sender
 Knowledge of the firm‟s policies applicable

(3) Appropriateness
To acquire a good reputation of choosing words and phrases that are appropriate, we need to vary the tone and tune of the language used in letter messaging. These often change according to the:
 The need for the occasion
 Psychology of the readers

(4) Accuracy, completeness, and clarity
All facts, figures, and statements must be stated accurately and should be verified before using in the letter. If dealing with a business inquiry, one must ensure that the information covers all the points for completeness. If it is a persuasive message, it must be clear and unambiguous so that it accomplishes the purpose it is intended for. Ambiguity can arise from:
 The omission of a word
 Faulty punctuation
 Faulty construction of a sentence, mixing arrangement of words
Effective letter writers should avoid these pitfalls.

(5) Courtesy
Writers must seek favors politely and express their gratitude for favors received already.

(6) Tact
This quality goes hand in hand with courtesy. It is very important for letters:
 Dealing with complaints
 Seeking credits from banks, suppliers, etc
The essence of tactfulness lies in retaining the goodwill in spite of turning down the request.

(7) Persuasion
It means winning over people to own point of view without coercing them. They should genuinely feel that what they are doing is to their own advantage. Therefore, hypocrisy and pretensions have no place in these interactions.

(8) Conciseness
The writer should ensure against loading it with irrelevant and unnecessary „ifs‟ and „buts‟ – more concise the message, more effective it will be. Also, there is no justification of using telegraphic language and construction of sentences that hampers understanding. Two golden rules are:
 No letter is long enough if clarity has to be achieved
 A short letter is not good enough if the message is not clear.

(9) Salesmanship
Every letter that goes out of the company should be treated as its ambassador. It must carry and convey the message precisely and enhance the reputation of the firm.

(10) The „you attitude‟
The letter message should always take in to account the readers‟ point of view – he is the customer! Use of „I‟ and „we‟ should be avoided; instead writers should use „you‟ in the text as often as possible.

(11) Positive and pleasant approach
Avoid using „no‟ and „sorry‟ – they are unwelcome words. The writers must always emphasize pleasant and positive things. For example:
 „No‟ can be easily rewritten as „another time‟.
 „Sorry‟ can be replaced by „I will try‟.