Letter Writing

Letter Writing

THE SEVEN CS OF BUSINESS LETTER WRITING:

Effective letter writing boils down to knowing why you are writing a letter, understanding your

reader's needs and then clearly writing what you need to say. Every letter should be clear,

human, helpful and as friendly as the topic allows. The best letters have a conversational tone

and read as if you were talking to your reader. In brief then, discover the Seven-Cs of letter

writing. You should be:

1. Clear

2. Concise

3. Correct

4. Courteous

5. Conversational

6. Convincing

7. Complete

When you write a letter, you are trying to convince someone to act or react in a positive way.
Your reader will respond quickly only if your meaning is crystal clear.

Put yourself in the reader's shoes and write in a friendly and helpful tone. Don't represent your

company as one that cannot make a mistake and must always be in the right. Try not to reply in

the normal bland and defensive way write a sincere and helpful letter.

Show you are interested in the reader's circumstances. If he or she has mentioned something

personal in the letter, refer to it in your reply. This builds a bridge between you and the reader.
Read the original letter carefully and see if there is something you can put in your letter to show

your interest.

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Questions to guide your writing

 Who is my audience?

 What is my objective?
 What are the objectives and needs of my audience?

 How can I best express my objective in relationship to my audience's objectives and

needs?

 What specific benefits can I offer to my audience and how can I best express them?

 What opening sentence and paragraph will grab the attention of my audience in a

positive manner and invite them to read further?

 How can I maintain and heighten the interest and desire of the reader throughout the

letter?
 What evidence can I present of my value to my audience?

 If a resume is enclosed with the letter, how can I best make the letter advertise the

resume?

 What closing sentence or paragraph will best assure the reader of my capabilities and

persuade him or her to contact me for further information?

 Is the letter my best professional effort?

 Have I spent sufficient time drafting, revising, and proof-reading the letter?

GUIDE TO BASIC BUSINESS LETTERS:

The Basics

The basics of good business letter writing are easy to learn. The following guide provides the

phrases that are usually found in any standard business letter. For more detailed help with

standard business writing skills, I highly recommend these business English books. By using

these standard phrases, you can give a professional tone to your English business letters. These

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phrases are used as a kind of frame and introduction to the content of business letters. At the

end of this guide, you will find links to sites that give tips on the difficult part of writing

successful business letters -arguing your business objective.

The Start

Examples:

 Dear Personnel Director,

 Dear Sir or Madam (use if you don't know who you are writing to)

 Dear Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms (use if you know who you are writing to, and have a formal

relationship with -VERY IMPORTANT use Ms for women unless asked to use Mrs or

Miss)

 Dear Frank (use if the person is a close business contact or friend)

The Reason for Writing

If you start afresh, you use following phrases:

Examples:

I am writing to:

 enquire about…

 apologize for…

 confirm…

References

When you are in the middle, you use following reference phrases:

Examples:

With reference to:

 your advertisement in the Times,

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 your letter dated of 23rd March,

 your phone call today,

 your letter dated of March 5th.

Requesting

Examples:

 Could you possibly?

 I would be grateful if you could

Agreeing to Requests

Examples:

 I would be delighted to

Giving Bad News

Examples:

 Unfortunately

 I am afraid that

Enclosing Documents

Examples:

 I am enclosing

 Please find enclosed

 Enclosed you will find

Closing Remarks

Examples:

 Thank you for your help.

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 Please contact us in case you require further assistance.

 Write to me if there are any problems.

 Let me know if you have any questions.

Reference to Future Contact

Examples:

I look forward to:

 hearing from you soon.

 meeting you next Tuesday.

 seeing you next Thursday.

The Finish

Examples:

 Yours faithfully, (If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to)

 Yours sincerely, (If you know the name of the person you're writing to)

 Best wishes

 Best regards (If the person is a close business contact or friend)

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER:

Date

The date line is used to indicate the date the letter was written. However, if your letter is

completed over a number of days, use the date it was finished in the date line. When writing to

companies within the United States, use the American date format. For example:June 11, 2001)

Write out the month, day and year two inches from the top of the page. Depending on which
format you are using for your letter, either left align the date or center it horizontally.

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Sender's Address

Including the address of the sender is optional. If you choose to include it, place the address one

line below the date. Do not write the sender's name or title, as it is included in the letter's
closing. Include only the street address, city and zip code. Another option is to include the

sender's address directly after the closing signature.

Inside Address

The inside address is the recipient's address. It is always best to write to a specific individual at

the firm to which you are writing. If you do not have the person's name, do some research by
calling the company or speaking with employees from the company. Include a personal title

such as Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Dr. Follow a woman's preference in being addressed as Miss, Mrs., or

Ms. If you are unsure of a woman's preference in being addressed, use Ms. If the person to

whom you are writing is a Dr. or has some other title, use that title. For international addresses,

type the name of the country in all-capital letters on the last line. The inside address begins one

line below the sender's address or one inch below the date. It should be left justified, no matter

which format you are using.

Salutation

Use the same name as the inside address, including the personal title. If you know the person

and typically address them by their first name, it is acceptable to use only the first name in the
salutation (i.e., Dear Lucy :). In all other cases, however, use the personal title and full name

followed by a colon. Leave one line blank after the salutation.

If you don't know a reader's gender, use a non-sexist salutation, such as "To Whom it May

Concern." It is also acceptable to use the full name in a salutation if you cannot determine

gender. For example, you might write ‗Dear Chris Harmon:‘ if you were unsure of Chris's

gender.

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Body

In the first paragraph, consider a friendly opening and then a statement of the main point. The

next paragraph should begin justifying the importance of the main point. In the next few
paragraphs, continue justification with background information and supporting details. The

closing paragraph should restate the purpose of the letter and, in some cases, request some type

of action.

Closing

The closing begins at the same horizontal point as your date and one line after the last body
paragraph. Capitalize the first word only (i.e., Thank you) and leave four lines between the

closing and the sender's name for a signature. If a colon follows the salutation, a comma should

follow the closing; otherwise, there is no punctuation after the closing.

Enclosures

If you have enclosed any documents along with the letter; such as a resume, you indicate this

simply by typing Enclosures one line below the closing. As an option, you may list the name of

each document you are including in the envelope. For instance, if you have included many

documents and need to insure that the recipient is aware of each document, it may be a good

idea to list the names.

A note about format and font

When writing business letters, you must pay special attention to the format and font used.

Block Format: The most common layout of a business letter is known as block format. Using

this format, the entire letter is left justified and single spaced except for a double space between

paragraphs.

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March 16, 2001

Ernie English

1234 Writing Lab Lane

Write City, IN 12345

Dear Mr. English:

The first paragraph of a typical business letter is used to state the main point of the letter. Begin

with a friendly opening; then quickly transition into the purpose of your letter. Use a couple of
sentences to explain the purpose, but do not go in to detail until the next paragraph.

Beginning with the second paragraph, state the supporting details to justify your purpose.

These may take the form of background information, statistics or first-hand accounts. A few
short paragraphs within the body of the letter should be enough to support your reasoning.

Finally, in the closing paragraph, briefly restate your purpose and why it is important. If the

purpose of your letter is employment related, consider ending your letter with your contact
information. However, if the purpose is informational, think about closing with gratitude for

the reader's time.

Sincerely,

Lucy Letter

123 Winner's Road

New Employee Town, PA 12345

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Modified Block Format: Another widely utilized format is known as modified block format. In

this type, the body of the letter is left justified and single-spaced. However, the date and closing

are in alignment in the center of the page.

Example:

March 16, 2001

Ernie English

1234 Writing Lab Lane

Write City, IN 12345

Dear Mr. English:

The first paragraph of a typical business letter is used to state the main point of the letter. Begin

with a friendly opening; then quickly transition into the purpose of your letter. Use a couple of
sentences to explain the purpose, but do not go in to detail until the next paragraph.

Beginning with the second paragraph, state the supporting details to justify your purpose.

These may take the form of background information, statistics or first-hand accounts. A few
short paragraphs within the body of the letter should be enough to support your reasoning.

Finally, in the closing paragraph, briefly restate your purpose and why it is important. If the

purpose of your letter is employment related, consider ending your letter with your contact

information. However, if the purpose is informational, think about closing with gratitude for

the reader's time.

Sincerely,

Lucy Letter

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Semi-Modified Block Format: The final, and least used, style is semi-block. It is much like the

modified block style except that each paragraph is indented instead of left justified.

Example:

March 16, 2001

Ernie English

1234 Writing Lab Lane

Write City, IN 12345

Dear Mr. English:

The first paragraph of a typical business letter is used to state the main point of the letter. Begin

with a friendly opening; then, quickly transition into the purpose of your letter. Use a couple of

sentences to explain the purpose, but do not go in to detail until the next paragraph.

Beginning with the second paragraph, state the supporting details to justify your purpose.

These may take the form of background information, statistics or first-hand accounts. A few

short paragraphs within the body of the letter should be enough to support your reasoning.

Finally, in the closing paragraph, briefly restate your purpose and why it is important. If the

purpose of your letter is employment related; consider ending your letter with your contact

information. However, if the purpose is informational, think about closing with gratitude for

the reader's time.

Sincerely,

Lucy Letter

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Another important factor in the readability of a letter is the chosen font. The generally accepted

font is Times New Roman, size 12, although other fonts such as Arial may be used. When

choosing a font, always consider your audience. If you are writing to a conservative company,

you may want to use Times New Roman. However, if you are writing to a more liberal
company, you have a little more freedom when choosing fonts.

As far as punctuation after the salutation and closing is concerned, the standard is to use a colon

after the salutation (never a comma) and a comma after the closing. There is also a less accepted

format, known as open punctuation, in which punctuation is excluded after the salutation and

the closing.

Practice:

1. Write a letter to your Bank Manager complaining about the rude treatment given to you

by Deputy Manager when you requested him for allotting a locker to you.

2. Write a letter to the Head Office of your Bank praising the quality of service rendered by

you branch since your opening a current account for your business with them about six

months ago.

3. Write a letter to your elder brother from the town in which you have just joined a new

appointment describing the interesting features of the town, of the people with whom

you are associated and of the work you are required to do.

4. Write a letter as Manager of a Bank to a leading limited company dealing in construction

business requesting them to open their current account with your Bank. Explain the

nature of service you will be able to render to attract their account.

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5. You are Branch Manager of a Bank. Write a letter to Head office recommending

installation of ATMs in your Office premises and also in the Extension counter in an

Engineering college. Elaborate the progress your branch will be making on account of

this move.

6. You are the Chairman of local Business Establishments Committee. Write a letter to the

Manger of local Bank branch requesting that banks' working hours should be increased

by one hour in the evening to facilitate depositing of cash by your members into their

account. Give additional reasons justifying your request.

7. Your friend has been attending bank interviews for the last two years. He did not get

selected in his fourth interview for which results were announced recently. He is feeling

dejected. Write a letter to him in 150 words suggesting that if he prepares well for the

future exams he will succeed.

Examples

Letter to the Manager - Point out the haphazard manner in which files are maintained in the

office & propose some innovative methods for the above

ABC

19, Block – C

Nelson Towers

Chennai – 600029.

14th July, 2016

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To

The Manager

XYZ Office

Chennai - 600030.

Sir,

Subject: Suggestions to Improve File Maintenance

I, ABC would like to bring to your notice the haphazard manner in which the files in the office

are maintained. As a result of not keeping the files in order or a proper place, the staff face
quite a bit of challenges.

Firstly, it’s difficult to locate a specific file when in need or if there is an emergency as

everything is kept in a heap. A lot of time is wasted in this process. Secondly, there is no easy
access or convenient place to store the files.

I would like to propose a systematic way in which this can be addressed and resolved.

 Use label markers to find documents easily

 Shred old and unnecessary files but move necessary and old files into deep storage.

 Design a couple of cabinets to ensure enough storage space for easy file removal and

replacement.

By doing this, I’m positive we can function in a more systematic manner and enhance our work

experience.

Request your approval to begin work and ensure this is completed in the next couple of

business days.

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Yours Sincerely,

Signature

(ABC)

II

Letter to the Editor of a Newspaper - on cyber crimes taking place in your city & suggest

measures to curb this menace.

ABC

Address

14th July,2016

To

The Editor

The Hindu

Bangalore

Sir,

Sub: Measures to curb cyber crimes

I, ABC, a resident of Koramangala would like to draw your attention to the increase in the

number of cybercrimes in the city and want to emphasize the need to implement immediate

measures to curb this menace.

To begin with not all of them using a computer or the internet are aware of the nature of

cybercrimes and how to tackle the issue. Raising awareness about how information is being

protected and the tactics criminals use to steal information is the way forward.

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We are running an awareness campaign in our locality addressing the following:

 How hackers operate

 How to prevent virus attacks

 To recognize pattern of phishing and spoofing e-mails

 To employ measures such as unique/synchronized passwords, firewalls, run anti-virus

sources.

I urge you to publish the same in your newspaper article so that others could replicate similar

campaigns in their respective localities and ensure we as consumer stay safe and not be victims

of cybercrime.

Yours Truly,

Signature

(ABC)

III

Letter to an aged teacher - Thank him/her for contribution to your success as a human being.

ABC

Address

14th July, 2016

Dear Sir/ Hi Sir/ Hi Mr.XYZ

This is ABC from class 2012, ‘B’ section, Computer Science and Math stream. Hope you are
doing well. I wanted to take the time to thank you for being yourself and I owe my

accomplishments to your unique teaching style and positive behavior.

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Your attention to not just academic performance but for my growth as a person was truly

remarkable. Your humor and quick wit taught me to take things light. Your ability to look at

problems from a different perspective and your famous saying – ‘Life is not easy but there is

always a way out and that time will change everything’ helped me face life challenges and I

begin to learn from the process than focus on the problem. .

Your courage and strength is infectious. I have looked upto you and still do. You truly are my

inspiration and role model. Thanks once again for showing me what a true guide, friend and

well-wisher means. I would like to catch up with you on my next visit. Will keep you posted.

Take care

Yours Affectionately,

Signature

(ABC)

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