Effective Written Communication: BUSINESS LETTERS

An Overview

10 Tips for Effective Communication

1. Use correct grammar.

• “They’re” vs. “their” vs. “there”

• “Effect” vs. “affect”

• “Would have,” NOT “would of”

2. Don’t use a fancy word if a simple word will do.

3. Punctuate carefully.

• “Don’t” NOT “dont”

• “Wasn’t” NOT “wasnt”

4. Use fonts that are easy to read.

• DON’T USE THIS FONT!

• DON’T USE THIS FONT!

10 Tips Continued…

5. Be clear and concise.6. Vary your sentence structure.7. Use an appropriate tone.

WRONG- “We can’t wait to work with you and tell you all we can do to solve your problems! It’ll be cool!

RIGHT- “We look forward to discussing your specific needs and the services we can provide to address them.”

8. Use spell-check. No slang or text abbreviations! WRONG- “U r rly kewl. C u l8r!” RIGHT- “You are really cool. See you later!” [although

this is the wrong tone!]9. Proofread your work.10. Have someone else proofread your work!

Components of Business Letters

DateMonth/day/year formatExample- June 15, 2009

Sender’s AddressYOUR full address, email, phone, and faxThis info may already be in letterhead

Inside AddressRecipient’s full name (with title), company,

and address

Components Continued…

Salutation “Dear” then name of recipient (with title) Use a colon after name- “Dear Mr. Smith:” If not written to a specific person, then salutation

should be “To whom it may concern:” Body Text

Explain purpose of letter in 2-3 paragraphs Straightforward and formal tone Keep it as brief as possible! Spaces between paragraphs Do not indent new paragraphs

Components Continued

Closing – “call to action” Include how recipients can respond to the letter Examples: contact information, also how you plan

to follow up on the letter

Signature Block Sign in ink above a typed version of your name Include your title or position underneath your name