Effective Business Letter Writing with Stylewriter
Effective letter writing boils down to knowing why you are writing, understanding the reader’s needs and then clearly writing what you want to say. Every letter should be clear, human, helpful and as friendly as the topic allows. The best letters have a natural conversational tone and read as if the writer were talking to the reader.
Too many business and official letters are stilted, over-formal and impersonal. They are usually longer than they need to be and full of stock words and phrases.
Follow these guidelines for good letter writing:
1. Think of your reason for writing. Whenever you write a letter, you should have a specific aim in mind. You need to ask yourself what your reader wants to know.
2. Think of your reader’s needs. Your letter should answer your reader’s questions. You should match your reason for writing with your reader’s needs. For example:
Your Reason Your Reader’s Needs
To generate sales What attracts a customer to your product?
To answer a complaint What will satisfy the disgruntled customer?
To pass on information What does the reader need to know?
To ask someone for a service What do I need to say to persuade them?
To gain an interview What can I offer an employer?
3. Include only relevant information. You should decide what is relevant to your reader and include only that information. Don’t say more than is necessary.
4. Write as you would speak. Use a clear, natural style as if you were talking to your reader. Use personal pronouns (I, we, you, your, our, my) and contractions (I’ll, we’re, it’s) to produce a conversational tone. Avoid stilted business phrases.
5. Use plain English. Use active verbs, short sentences and paragraphs, and familiar, everyday words.
6. Be helpful, be friendly and be yourself. Your reader wants to feel there is a person at the other end of the letter who is taking notice and showing interest in his or her concern. The more sincere your letter is, the better. Try to sound – and be – helpful and friendly.
7. Write a strong opening paragraph. Start your letter by answering your reader’s question so he or she knows your response straight away. You can then go on to explain your reasons. Don’t refer to previous correspondence in your first paragraph. Avoid weak openings such as
Further to our recent correspondence…
I write in reference to…
In reply to your letter of…
Thank you for your letter of…
We write to inform you…
With reference to your letter…
Note: If the reader needs to know which letter you are referring to, place this reference at the top of the letter: Your Ref: Letter of July 27, 1993
8. End your letter strongly. Don’t let your letter fizzle out or end with stale phrases such as:
Assuring you of our best attention at all times…
I hope this proves satisfactory…
I trust this clarifies the position…
Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information…
Should you have any further…
Thanking you in advance for…
9. Make sure your letter flows between paragraphs. Try to make sure you organise your information in a logical order and deal with different points one by one.
10. Explain technical terms and avoid jargon. If you have to use technical terms, make sure you explain them in simple words. Avoid jargon and abbreviations that you can’t be sure your reader will be familiar with. If necessary, take your time to explain difficult information clearly.
When you select Letter as your writing task, StyleWriter Software adjusts its statistical measures as follows:
| Style Index | Average Sentance | Passive Index | Long Sentance Limit | |
| Excellent Range | 0-15 | 13-18 | 0-15 | 35 |
Letter Writing Checklist
Keep it Short
Cut needless words and needless information.
Cut stale phrases and redundant statements.
Cut the first paragraph if it refers to previous correspondence.
Cut the last paragraph if it asks for future correspondence.
Keep it Simple
Use familiar words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
Keep your subject matter as simple as possible.
Keep related information together.
Use a conversational style.
Keep it Strong
Answer the reader’s question in the first paragraph.
Give your answer and then explain why.
Use concrete words and examples.
Keep to the subject.
Keep it Sincere
Answer promptly.
Be human and as friendly as possible.
Write as if you were talking to the reader.
Plain English Writing Task Styles in Stylewriter
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