Writing a Business Letter

Working professionals are busy people. They have no time to read lengthy and confusing letters. Therefore, letters for them are carefully written in a predefined style than informal letters. They are commonly known as business letters. Some of the examples are job letters, ordering letters, business contract letters, and complaint letters. Though all letters have a different format and a different writing style, yet there are some guidelines that are common to all. They are:

Use polite and humble expressions

Business relations cannot be taken for granted unlike personal relations. Your business partner will do something for you in return of some intended benefit. Hence, you cannot be bossy or dominating in your tone.

Certain forms of polite expressions that you can use at the beginning and at the end of the letters are:

• I shall be much obliged if you grant me leave for two days
• I shall be grateful to you if you consider my plea for transfer
• I hope that all the key product information has been enclosed with the letter for your convenience
• We wish to call your attention to …

Remember, the beginning of the letter is equally important as its ending. The introductory phrase creates the first impression on the reader about what’s going to follow, and he decides his response accordingly.

Avoid jargons

Though they are commonly used but are inappropriate in letter writing. Your text should be written in everyday language because your objective is to get across your message clearly and not to boast your knowledge.

Avoid abbreviations

You are writing a letter and not an e-mail or a phone text message. So, stay away from short forms even if they are the ones that are commonly used. For example, avoid substituting ‘Advt.’ for ‘Advertisement.’ Also, don’t omit obvious pronouns like ‘I’ or ‘We.’ For example, say ‘I have received the box’ instead of ‘Received the box.’ You are not in a hurry to complete your letter. Writing business letters is a serious task.

Include accurate information

Be sure of the facts you are mentioning. Wrong information can have serious implications. Especially while writing an order letter, pay special attention to the description of the articles. Give a list of the articles with the quality and quantity required while dispatching the goods.

Further to these guidelines, you can tweak these to fit your kind of letter in the most appropriate manner.

To know more, check Business Letters.