Writing Business Letters Guidelines

Characteristics of Business Letters

• COMPLETENESS refers to the inclusion of complete information in a business letter, adhering to certain rules, restrictions, and formats, and using formal language.
• CONSISTENCY refers to the use of consistent formatting, language, and style throughout the letter.
• CONSIDERATION refers to the use of professional tone to show respect to the reader of the letter, anticipating the "YOU" attitude.
• CREDIBILITY refers to the personality of the writer, being truthful and accurate, avoiding unsupported claims or exaggerations.

Basics of a Business Letter

• LETTERHEAD: includes company name, company mailing address, contact numbers, and company logo.
• DATELINE: uses the American Standard (Month-day-year).

Writing Effective Business Correspondence

• To deliver negative information in a positive way: • Provide emphasis on what can be done, not on what cannot be done. • Focus on the solution, not on the problem. • Stress what something is rather than what it is not. • Open with action rather than apology or explanation. • Avoid words that convey unpleasant facts.
• Make your letters smile by: • Getting a smile into your letter, a bit of your personality, and an atmosphere of good will. • Using friendly phrases, such as "We shall be glad to...", "It is a pleasure to...", "Thank you...", "We appreciate very much...", "With our compliments...".
• Make your copy live by: • Creating a visual experience for the reader. • Letting the reader see himself doing something.

Techniques of Writing Business Letters

• Write from the "YOU" attitude, making the reader the primary focus.
• Accentuate the positive by: • Avoiding words with negative connotation, such as "argument", "careless", "complaint", "disagreeable", "error", "neglect", and "unfair". • Making it an absolute rule to never start or end a letter with a negative.