The Write Touch: Tips for Letter Writing

Written communication is a vital part of a successful business. Often, your written correspondence will be the first impression that a client or business associate has of you. Every memo, report and letter you write is a reflection of you and your company. Each piece of correspondence should have a purpose. This is particularly true with letters. Because they can be used for internal and external communications, it's important that they express your purpose in an articulate, concise manner. In order to do that you must combine:

• Organization
• The reader's point of view
• Your own personality
• Clarity
• Sincerity
• Correct grammar and spelling

You, as the writer of the letter, want your reader to agree with you. The success of your letter can be judged by how successfully it gains agreement from your reader. Before you begin, ask yourself two questions: "What am I trying to accomplish in this letter?" and "What's the best way to accomplish it?"

To begin, your reader wants to know the advantage of doing what you're asking. Communicate that in a clear, concise way. Don't make exaggerated promises or go overboard on the cordiality. Adapt your tone to the reader by avoiding technical terms. You may like to read your own writing, but the reader probably wants to finish it as soon as possible. Use direct, conversational language. Eliminate "verbal shrubbery" such as excessive wording, run-on sentences, long paragraphs and an abundance of clichés.

Reveal the purpose of the letter in the first paragraph. The first paragraph has four functions: it gets the favorable attention of the reader, indicates what the letter is about, sets a friendly, polite tone for the whole letter and it should link up with any earlier interaction such as a previous letters or conversations byt referring to date and/or subject.

Consider the appearance of your letter. Leave a substantial amount of while space to keep it crisp and clean. Your paragraphs should be short, with spaces between them.

The final paragraph of the letter is your final appeal. It should make it as easy as possible for the reader to do what you want. Be very specific. Re-emphasize the action you want taken. Refer to any enclosed envelopes; give the reader a deadline or something to think about. Sometimes a question will work. Once you've completed your message, STOP. If you keep trying to convince, your reader may wonder why you have to try so hard.