274 / SPEAKING AND WRITING
Writing a business letter
Business letters are primarily external documents, although
managers will occasionally use letters to correspond with
subordinates and executives within their organization. Good letters
are crisp, concise, and organized so that readers can follow and
understand the content with little effort.
Writing successful letters
Your success as a business writer
depends, in large measure, on your
ability to convince others that what you
have written is worth their attention.
This is more likely if your letter meets
three criteria: it should be concise, it
should be informal, and it absolutely
must be organized. Be careful, however.
Brevity is desirable, but you can overdo
it. Make sure that your letters are
not too brief or curt. It is extremely
important to make sure that your reader
has enough information to understand
the subject. Include each issue relevant
to the subject, and explain the process,
the outcome, or the decision to the
satisfaction of the reader. If you
were receiving the letter, would
the information be sufficient?
Would you be satisfied that the
writer had taken you seriously?
Showing interest
When responding to a letter you have
received, aim to show that you are
genuinely interested. The person writing
to you thought the issue was important
enough to write about; you should think
so, too. Show by your words and actions
that you care about the person and the
contents of the letter.
Give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
Don’t automatically assume that the
person corresponding with you is doing
so for the purpose of cheating you or
your company.
BE PROMPT
When you receive a business
letter, always send an answer
within three business days.
If you can’t reply within this
time—because you need to
speak with someone else
or gather information—drop
the writer a note to let them
know that you are working
on their problem.
Tip
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WRITING A BUSINESS LETTER / 275
Hitting the right tone
If a correspondent makes a joke, play
along. Show that you have a sense of
humor; however, consider the culture
of your audience and keep in mind that
some humor may not translate well.
If you have to deliver bad news by
letter, say you are sorry. Use phrases
such as, “I am sorry to say that…” or
“I regret to say that we’ll be unable to
[do something] because…” You can
soften the blow by saying that you’re
sorry it happened, or that you regret the
outcome. If it’s bad news and your reader
thinks you don’t care, you may spark an
unwanted reaction. If you’re bearing
good news, say that you are glad: “I am
delighted to tell you that…” Alternatively
use a phrase such as: “You will be
pleased to learn that…”
FORM LETTERS
It may be tempting to compile a “one-size-
fits-all” approach to writing when there
are many recipients, but it is usually a
recipe for disaster. A letter must answer
all of the questions its audience is likely
to have, responding to their fears, doubts,
and concerns. In situations in which
it is absolutely necessary to use this
approach, you can test market form
letters, by showing them to several
people who are (or have been) members
of the audience in question and asking
for suggestions for improvement.
In focus
A letter should
be informal and
organized. Brevity
is desirable, but you
can overdo it: make
absolutely sure that
your reader has
enough information
to understand
the subject
Keep a cool head
Never write and quickly send off an
angry letter. Venting your spleen in
an angry, hostile reply to someone may
make you feel good, but it’s almost never
a good idea to post such a letter. Take your
time and cool down before you compose
an angry letter. Then, if you have written
something you aren’t sure about, wait until
the following day so that you can reread
it before sending. Chances are, you’ll
think twice about mailing.
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