Business 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 Clear, Concise, Correct, Courteous, Conversational, Convincing, and 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.

   

Getting the clear picture of your reader:

• Who are my readers?
• What do they already know about the subject?
• What do they need to know?
• Will they understand technical terms?
• What information do they want?
• What do I want them to do?
• What interests or motivates them?
• What prejudices do they have?
• What worries or reassurance them?
• What will persuade them to my view?
• What other arguments do I need to present?
• How are they likely to react to what I say?

     

  Ask yourself, Why am I writing? And What do I want to achieve? The clearer you are in your own mind about what you want to achieve, the better your letter.

     

  Draw up an outline to plan your letter. Follow these steps:

• Make a list of the topics you want to cover but don't worry about the order
• Under each topic, list key words, examples, arguments and facts
• Review each topic in your outline for relevance to your aim and audience
• Cut out anything that's not relevant to your aim or audience
• Sort the information into the best order for your readers

     

  Good closing sentences:

• I would again apologize for the delay in replying and I trust that this has clarified the points you have raised, however, if you wish to discuss any points I have not clarified, or need any further information, you may wish to telephone or contact me accordingly.
• I look forward to hearing from you and in the meantime, should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
• I regret that I cannot be of more assistance in this matter, and should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
• We hope you are happy with this arrangement but if you have any questions, please contact us.