Greeting
Try to avoid using ‘Dear Sir’, ‘Dear Madam’ or (even worse) ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ as a greeting because they all sound vague and half interested – even the most modest effort would enable you to discover the name of the sales director, accounts manager or whomever you are writing to. Using the person’s first name or surname depends upon how well you know him or her and the relationship that exists between you. It may be wise to put ‘Dear Mrs Patel’ when congratulating a managing director on her success, whereas ‘Dear Sam’ could be used when thanking a colleague for a favour. Put the greeting some two to three lines beneath the name and address.
Subject Matter
This is an optional entry but can be included to identify quickly the subject of the letter and concentrate the reader’s mind upon it. Typically incorporated when the letter deals with one subject only, sometimes preceded by ‘Re:’ and in capitals, ordinary type or underlined as preferred, it should be placed one line below the greeting.
Message
Your message must be spread out over the required number of paragraphs. Each of these should deal with one main point and be of approximately equal length. Do attempt to create a well-balanced look if you can. The first paragraph should commence one line under the preceding entry, with one-line gaps separating subsequent paragraphs.
Continuation Sheets
Some lengthier letters will have to be written over two or more sheets. Use letterheaded paper for the first page, with subsequent ones being typed (or handwritten, as required) on plain paper. Leaving about six lines from the top of the page, put the page number, date and the recipient’s name, on three separate lines, down the left-hand side of the page. Then leave a further two or three lines before continuing with the letter.
Complimentary Close
End your letter with a complimentary close – ‘Yours sincerely’ if you began with ‘Dear Tom’ or ‘Dear Mrs Barham’, ‘Yours faithfully’ if you started (perhaps unwisely) with ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Dear Madam’. Alternatively, use a less formal ending such as ‘Yours’, ‘Best regards’, or ‘Kind regards’ if you feel it is appropriate to the situation. These are being used more frequently nowadays. Place the complimentary close one line beneath your final paragraph.
Signature
Make sure your signature is legible – a squiggle or scrawl creates the impression that you are too busy to be interested in the letter, and therefore its recipient. Allow approximately five or six lines for the signature, and then type or write your name, followed by your job title if appropriate, one line beneath that.
Enclosures
You may wish to indicate that an item (or items) is attached to the letter, or enclosed in the envelope – a sales catalogue, a draft contract or an invoice, as examples. If so, put ‘Enclosure’, ‘Enc’, ‘Enclosures’ or ‘Encs’, as appropriate, two lines below the last entry.
Copies
Should you want to inform the reader of the recipient(s) of a copy (or copies) of the letter, you can put ‘Copy: John Brownlow’, ‘Copy: John Brownlow, accountant’ or ‘Copies: John Brownlow, accountant, Sophie Henderson, solicitor’, as relevant. Place this two lines beneath the previous entry.
The Style of a Letter
Familiar with the planning, appearance and layout of a letter, you can then set about polishing that draft in order to produce a final version of the letter, ready for posting. You should consider these areas:
• format
• language
• tone
• accuracy.
Format
Your letter can be laid out in one of three basic formats: blocked, semi-blocked and indented. The blocked format has all entries tight against the left-hand margin, as shown in Letter 1.2. The semi-blocked format sets the references and date to the right margin for filing and retrieval purposes, with the remaining entries placed against the left margin. Letter 1.3 illustrates this. The indented format follows the same layout as either of the other two, but indents each paragraph by five or six spaces. This can be seen in Letter 1.4 . Not surprisingly, the format you choose depends upon your firm’s preference – these days, companies often blend them together to develop an individual house style.
Language
As a general rule, the letter must be clear and easy to understand. Use language to suit the recipient. Obviously, it is inappropriate to include technical expressions when writing to a member of the public. Similarly, it is unwise to incorporate simplified language when addressing a specialist in the field. In both instances, the recipients will feel alienated. Try to use short words, phrases and sentences whenever you can, as these tend to be unambiguous and are less likely to be misinterpreted. Steer away from in-house jargon, slang and local or regional expressions, which increase the risks of misunderstandings.
Your letter should also be concise, regardless of the subject. For example, the reader wants a straightforward apology, not a rambling explanation of the complexities of the matter. He or she requires an acceptance or a rejection of a request for a cash discount, not an aimless discussion on the respective pros and cons of such a policy. Keep that letter short and direct. Check through your draft, constantly asking yourself whether the statements are all relevant to the recipient. If not, eliminate them. Set out the rest of the points as crisply as you can. Avoid repeating yourself. State what you have to, move on and finish.
Tone
Whatever the letter, try to project some personality into it. Attempt to be courteous and friendly even if you are writing a difficult letter, such as one which is demanding money. It costs nothing to be polite and to say ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’, as appropriate. It also projects a dignified and positive image of you and your firm. Be sincere as well, attempting to write naturally in your own words. Don’t be reluctant to add personal touches when relevant, such as ‘Kind regards’ or ‘With good wishes’. Avoid giving the reader the impression that this is just another letter with little or no thought behind it – it isn’t!
Accuracy
Once the final version of the letter has been written or typed, it must be checked thoroughly again. The spelling and punctuation have to be perfect. An error can distract the recipient from your message, and does nothing to impress him or her about your expertise or standards of quality. A typographical mistake, for example, can not only make you look foolish but could be misleading as well: typing ‘right’ rather than ‘eight’ in the sentence ‘We want eight of these products’ could cause considerable confusion!
1.1: A draft of a letter
Dear Mr Tate
We’re sorry that the pushchairs delivered to you on 17 September were damaged. We think this must have happened on the van as our goods are always checked in the warehouse before being sent off.
We’re