Business
Letters
The Seven C's of Business Letter 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
- 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.
Put yourself in the reader’s shoes and write in a friendly
and helpful tone. Don't represent your company as one that
cannot make a mistake and must always be in the right. Try
not to reply in the normal bland and defensive way of organizations—write
a sincere and helpful letter.
Show you are interested in the reader’s circumstances.
If he or she has mentioned something personal in the letter,
refer to it in your reply. This builds a bridge between you
and the reader. Read the original letter carefully and see
if there is something you can put in your letter to show your
interest.
Elements of Business Letter Writing
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