| Based on the feedback that I have been getting from | | | | addressee. Ifyou can, in your "mind's eye", imagine the |
| visitorsto my Web site, letter writing isdefinitely the | | | | intendedrecipient seated across a desk or boardroom |
| area where most people are looking for helpor | | | | table from youwhile you are explaining the subject of |
| guidance when it comes to day-to-day writing. | | | | the letter. Whatessential information does that person |
| Over 55% of the visitors to my site are seeking some | | | | need to know throughthis communication? What will be |
| sort ofletter writing information or assistance. The | | | | their expectations whenthey open the letter? Have |
| followinglists the Top Ten letters that people request | | | | you addressed all these issues? |
| informationon, in order of popularity: | | | | 4. Use Simple And Appropriate Language |
| * recommendation letter | | | | Your letter should use simple straightforward language, |
| * resignation letter | | | | forclarity and precision. Use short sentences and don't |
| * thank you letter | | | | letparagraphs exceed three or four sentences. As |
| * reference letter | | | | much aspossible, use language and terminology familiar |
| * business letter | | | | to theintended recipient. Do not use technical terms |
| * complaint letter | | | | and acronymswithout explaining them, unless you are |
| * cover letter | | | | certain that theaddressee is familiar with them. |
| * sales letter | | | | 5. Use Short Sentences And Paragraphs |
| * introduction letter | | | | Keep your sentences as short as possible, and break |
| * apology letter | | | | the textup into brief paragraphs. Ideally, a paragraph |
| The 7 Strategies | | | | should notexceed two to three sentences. This will |
| Here are a few practical letter-writing tips and | | | | make the lettermore easily readable, which will entice |
| strategiesto help you when writing that next letter: | | | | the recipient toread it sooner, rather than later. |
| 1. Keep It Short And To The Point | | | | 6. Review And Revise It |
| Letters involving business (personal or corporate) | | | | Do a first draft, and then carefully review and revise it. |
| should beconcise, factual, and focused. Try to never | | | | Put yourself in the place of the addressee. Imagine |
| exceed one pageor you will be at risk of losing your | | | | yourselfreceiving the letter. How would you react to it? |
| reader. A typicalletter page will hold 350 to 450 words. | | | | Would itanswer all of your questions? Does it deal with |
| If you can't getyour point across with that many words | | | | all of thekey issues? Are the language and tone |
| you probably haven'tdone enough preparatory work. If | | | | appropriate? Sometimesreading it out loud to one's self |
| necessary, call therecipient on the phone to clarify any | | | | can help. When youactually "hear" the words it is easy |
| fuzzy points and thenuse the letter just to summarize | | | | to tell if it "sounds"right or not. |
| the overall situation. | | | | 7. Double Check Spelling And Grammar |
| 2. Make It Clear, Concise, And Logical | | | | A letter is a direct reflection of the person sending |
| Before sitting down to write, make a brief | | | | it,and by extension, the organization that person works |
| point-formoutline of the matters you need to cover in | | | | for. |
| the letter. | | | | When the final content of the letter is settled, make |
| Organize those points into a logical progression that | | | | surethat you run it through a spelling and grammar |
| youcan use as your guide as you write the letter. The | | | | checker. Tosend a letter with obvious spelling and |
| logicalblocks of the letter should be: 1. introduction | | | | grammatical errorsis sloppy and unprofessional. In such |
| purpose,background/explanation, summary/conclusion, | | | | cases, the recipientcan't really be blamed for seeing |
| action requiredstatement. Use this outline process to | | | | this as an indication asto how you (and/or your |
| organize yourapproach and your thoughts, and to | | | | organization) probably do most otherthings. |
| eliminate any unnecessaryrepetition or redundancy. | | | | The foregoing basic letter writing strategies and tips |
| 3. Focus On The Recipient's Needs | | | | aremostly common sense. Nevertheless, you would be |
| While writing the letter, focus on the | | | | amazed howoften these very basic "rules of thumb" |
| informationrequirements of your audience, the intended | | | | are not employedwhen people write letters. |