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Business Writing Skills: Business Letter Writing Tips
Good business
writing begins with adopting an effective writing style. You
should write one way to make an initial contact with a prospective
new account. You will write another way when composing an
email to a peer who needs feedback on a current project. Yet,
both messages should have in common a sense of clarity, brevity,
warmth and respect that engage the reader as well as inform
her. If you would like need to improve business writing skills,
or maybe develop a better grasp of a particular type of writing
assignment, our Business
Writing Training courses will enable you to communicate
more effectively for any task and any audience.
Good business
letter writing is almost lost art in our society today.
With the
speed of electronic mail, voice mail, and faxes, good letter
writing has held less importance in daily business
operations.
A well-written
letter that is personalized can do wonders for your key
business relationships.
Business
correspondence does not have to be dry and tedious. In fact,
the most effective business letters often touch
on very personal matters, not just on money or the bottom
line.
In this
day of information overload it is still important to be short
and to the point in most of your correspondence. However,
this does not preclude the fact that a personal reference
and warm tone can open doors that otherwise might have remained
closed.
Along
these same lines, it is important to note that when you write
a well-prepared business letter can exert tremendous influence
over its reader.
Good writers
are like good speakers, they are able to build strong relationships
using words. Therefore, it is in your best interest to spend
time developing your business letter writing skills.
There
are basically two types of business letters:
formal business letters and informal business letters. Often
times, there is a fine line between the two.
Formal
business letters. Formal business letters do
not have to be all business. Business letters may
include one or two personal sentences or even touch on a personal
subject.
According
to Letitia Baldridge's New Complete Guide to Executive Manners,
there are several rules of etiquette that you should follow
in your business letter writing.
Use company
letterhead when appropriate. Make sure that you only use company
letterhead for business, not for personal matters.
Use the
proper salutation to open your letter. If you have just met
someone who is more or less your peer, then the proper salutation
would be "Dear Jane".
If you
have just met an executive level person and do not feel comfortable
using their first name, use both names to show that you do
not want to be too stiff or formal (i.e., "Dear Jane
Doe"). If you are a young executive who has just been
introduced to a senior executive, do not use their first name
in correspondence since it may come across as too aggressive
and lacking in respect. Instead use the more formal introduction,
"Dear Ms. Doe."
Use a
complimentary closing. For any formal business correspondence,
using either "Sincerely" or "Sincerely yours"
to close your letter is an appropriate way to close your letter.
Always
sign your letter. Many letters include a typed signature block
followed by a handwritten signature. The primary reason for
this is that many people's handwriting is illegible. However,
it is a serious error in judgment to only include the typed
signature.
Make
sure you include your written signature underneath the typed
signature block.
Informal
business letters. Informal letters are exchanged
by business executives on a regular basis these days. These
letters are most commonly used to please the recipient in
some manner.
Examples
of informal letters include congratulatory letters, complimentary
letters, requests for favors, thank you letters, and letters
of encouragement.
Letitia
Baldridge outlines the basic characteristics of an effective
informal business letter in her book the New Complete
Guide to Executive Manners. According to Baldridge, a good
informal business letter:
- Should
be brief.
- Is
thoughtful, honest, simple and prompt.
- Includes
an informal and personal statement immediately following
the opening salutation.
- Has
a trace of humor as well as a trace of praise in it in regard
to the recipient of the letter.
- Refrains
from foul or offensive language.
- States
the purpose of the letter in the first paragraph.
- Includes
everything that you feel it is important for the recipient
to know.
Does not include any exaggerations.
- Is
interesting in style.
- Is
carefully edited.
- Overall,
both formal and informal business letters are professional
letters of the heart meant to build bridges and grow relationships.
By practicing
your business letter writing skills, you will
find what is most effective for you. In the meantime, consider
taking classes in business letter writing to improve your
ability to communicate effectively with others.
By growing
in this important area, you will not only enhance your business
relationships, but you will also improve your bottom line.
LeadershipTools
Business Writing - Make Every Word Count
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Business Writing Skills Quote
"Writing is manual labor of the mind: a job, like laying
pipe."
John Gregory Dunne
Writing for Success
- Suggested Reading
Managing
Your
Documentation Projects
by JoAnn T. Hackos
7 Steps
to Better Written
Policies and Procedures
by Stephen Page
The
Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial
and Appellate Court
by Bryan A. Garner
Bob Bly's
Guide to Freelance Writing
Success: How to Make $100,000 a Year As a Freelance Writer
and Have the Time of Your Life Doing It
by Robert W. Bly
Prentice
Hall Handbook for Writers
(12th Edition)
by Melinda Kramer
The Gregg
Reference Manual
by William A Sabin
The Careful
Writer
by Theodore M. Bernstein
1001 Letters
for All Occasions: The Best Models for Every Business
and Personal Need
by Cory Sandler
The Complete
Idiot's Guide to Writing Well
by Laurie Rozakis
Shocked,
Appalled, and Dismayed! How to Write
Letters of Complaint That Get Results
by Ellen Phillips
The ASJA
Guide to Freelance Writing : A Professional Guide to the Business,
for Nonfiction Writers
of All Experience Levels
by Samuel G. Freedman
The Foundation
Center's Guide to Proposal
Writing (Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing,
3rd ed)
by Jane C. Geever
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