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The modern business environment is based on strong commercial relationships and clear exchange of information. Despite the modern communication channels (emails, newsletters, video conferences, etc) the old-fashioned letter still plays an important role in the informational process. Learning how to write clearly structured letters should be an important part of your communication strategy at both internal and external levels.

Business letters are probably the most difficult to compose. They need a clear purpose and the writing style should be unambiguous and concise. When you write a business letter you have to “visualize” your reader and his/her availability and desire to read your message. Business people are often too busy to read long rambling letters. So try to resist the temptation of writing too much and, if you are “new at the job”, ask someone else to read and review the critical letters prior to sending them out.

To produce the ideal business letter (and the same principles apply to other letters as well) you need to:

• plan what you want to say – eventually make some notes to structure your ideas before actually writing the letter;
• write the letter – and avoid using slang, technical and unusual terms, sarcasm (which is often misleading on paper and people might find it offensive);
• read the letter out loud – by doing so you’ll get a better sense of the flow of your message and how it might sound to the person reading it;
• print out your letter and reread it – this time edit it by cutting out all the useless words and phrases: keep it short and simple;
• check your spelling, punctuation and sentence structure;
• make all the necessary corrections on the original copy, then send.

A business letter has a standard structure, quite easy to summarize: the date, the official’s name and address, the correct salutation, the body of the letter and your signature.

The body of the letter at its turn has a pretty clear structure too:

• in the opening paragraph you explain why you write;
• in the next parts you stimulate the interest of the reader through a positive tone and a clear presentation of your message;
• in the ending paragraph you stimulate action from the reader by telling her/ him what is the next logical step.

There are many types of business letters. Among them the sales later requires the most advanced writing skills. Hopefully, after you write your first successful standard letters (acknowledgement letters, adjustment letters, complaint letters, inquiry or response letters, etc) you’ll be prepared to take your skills to the next level. If you are still insecure, there are enough free tutorials and free samples online to help you out.

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