Idea 49: How to get the tone right
Courteous asking breaks down even city walls.
Ukrainian proverb
The Oxford English Dictionary defines tone as ‘a particular quality, pitch, modulation, or inflection of the voice expressing … affirmation, interrogation, hesitation, decision, or some feeling or emotion’. Business letters are more likely to be effective if they are written in a tone of courtesy. Watch out for the negative viruses that can so easily infect the tone of your letters.
Some negative elements of tone
| Curtness | The virus of inordinate brevity communicates unconcern for your reader. |
| Sarcasm | Most people dislike being on the receiving end of this so-called form of wit, which ridicules by saying the opposite of what you mean. |
| Peevishness | Includes such whining remarks as ‘You ought to know better.’ |
| Anger | The roar of anger, even if it is under your breath, usually provokes an answering roar. |
| Suspicion | Often takes the form of being suspicious or even cynical about motives. |
| Insult | Intentional insults are rare, but unintentional ones are not uncommon – especially in replies to applications for jobs. |
| Accusation | It is obviously difficult to point an accusing finger and maintain courtesy. |
| Talking down | ‘In an establishment as large as ours, Miss Smith …’ The didactic or instructional tone grates in letters, and any teaching has to be done with a light touch. |
| Presumptuousness | Don’t presume that someone will do something before they have made up their mind to do it or include this presumption in a letter, as it could offend. The line between confidence and presumption is a fine one. |
Ask yourself
Will the reader hear what I say if the tone of my letter is shouting at them?