Letter-writing is an asset in today’s world of modernisation. It is a skill which comes in handy in business relations.
It is essential to remember that the purpose of a letter is communication, as it takes a message across and express certain ideas. Clear, correct and simple language is the basis of good letters.
The following are the guiding principals of letter writing which should be properly understood and followed in order to make letter writing a pleasure.
Make it a point to be timely
See that you are not late in writing whenever needed, because which aims at meeting an obligation, fails in its purpose if it arrive late. It can also cause a lot of inconvenience.
Make it a point to be natural
See that you are as natural as possible while writing letters. Try to keep the thinking of the reader in mind and visualise his reaction after reading the letter. For this, you need to keep in mind the reader’s taste, interests, hobbies etc. In fact, your letter should genuinely express your feelings and views and should be written in such a style as if you are talking to the reader.
Make it a point to remember who you are writing to
Whoever the addressee, whether your employer, or the chairman of a company, you should make sure that letter is directed to that person only and nobody else.
Make it a point to choose the correct language and style
Remember that correct choice of words and expressions go a long way in making any and every letter lucid and readable. In letter writing, try to be as natural as possible and avoid unnecessary or obsolete words. The meaning of which may not be very clearly understood by the reader.
Make it a point to give importance to paragraphing and punctuation
Paragraph and punctuation are the elements which give the letter a proper form and order and are thus indispensable to a good letter. Thus, whatever one has to convey must be properly arranged.
You should see to it in a letter, a group of similar ideas are expressed at one place only. The paragraphs should never begin from the edge or the margin of the paper you are writing on. Instead they should be indented about two or three centimeters. With the change in topic try to introduce a new paragraph. This principal applies particularly to commercial letters. Inside every paragraph, it is the punctuation that controls the flow. The fact is that a long letter which is not properly paragraphed, is irritating to read and long sentence without proper punctuation, are clumsy and can even suggest wrong meaning.
Make it a point to keep guard of the length of your letter
There is definitely no prescribed limit for any letter, but every letter should be as long as its subject demands. Thus its length can range from two lines to any number of pages. But it is essential to rate that every letter should be rounded off on a gentle note.
In short, after analysing the principals of effective letter writing mentioned above one can conclude that business letter should be aimed at doing good business.
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