Business Letter Writing Tips

One of the most important skills you need to learn as a budding entrepreneur is efficient business writing. It's a special category of writing that deals with the creation of business letters and other official correspondence. You may be thinking of all the creative essays and poetry you've written in the past and confidently assume you won't have any problems with business writing. However, creative writing and business writing are two very different types of writing.

In fact, many creative writers are surprised to find that will all their literary skills, they still have a lot of difficulty when it comes to business writing. To perfect the art of writing official business documents, there are certain skills and strategies you have to learn. Following are a few tips to help you get started.

Tips on Writing the Basic Business Letter

A basic business letter has the following parts.

• The return address of the sender: This is given, basically, so that the reader knows where to send the reply of the letter.
• Date of the letter: This is primarily for legitimate reasons. It is a proof that the letter was sent on a specific date.
• Complete name, title and address of the recipient: For obvious reasons, the name of the recipient has to be written in full. Make sure you prefix it with the appropriate title as well. The address is written for sake of convenience, as well as, tradition.
• Salutation: Just like any communication, a business letter also needs to begin with salutation.
• The body of the letter: This part of the letter is the actual message that you are looking at conveying through the letter.
• Closing: Just like you need to end a conversation appropriately, a letter needs to be closed properly as well.
• Enclosures: Enclosure are basically attachments that one may have to send with the letter. This part of the letter is to inform the reader of the attachments, so that they make sure they peruse through them.

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Best Tips for Better Letter Writing

 Following Some Best Tips for Better Letter Writing :-

1. AVOID BIG WORDS.

Some writers prefer to use big, important-sounding words instead of short, simple words. This is a mistake; fancy language just frustrates the reader. Write in plain, ordinary English and your readers will love you for it.

2. PREFER THE SPECIFIC TO THE GENERAL

Your readers want information — facts, figures, conclusions, and recommendations. Do not be content to say something is good, bad, fast, or slow when you can say how good, how bad, how fast, or how slow. Be specific whenever possible.

3. BREAK UP YOUR WRITING INTO SHORT SECTIONS

Long, unbroken blocks of text are stumbling blocks that intimidate and bore readers. Breaking up your writing into short sections and short paragraphs makes the text easier to read.

If your paragraphs are too long, go through them. Wherever a new thought starts, type a return and start a new paragraph. In the same way, short sentences are easier to grasp than long ones. A good guide for keeping sentence length under control is to write sentences that can be spoken aloud without losing your breath (do not take a deep breath before doing this test).

4. USE VISUALS

Drawings, graphs, and other visuals can reinforce your text. In fact, pictures often
communicate better than words; we remember 10 percent of what we read, but 30 percent of what we see.

In the days when letters were written on typewriters, the idea of using visuals was out of the question. Today, software makes it relatively easy to add a chart, table, or graph to your letter. Why not do so, if it helps get your point across in a clearer and more persuasive fashion?

5. USE THE ACTIVE VOICE

Voice refers to the person speaking words or doing an action. An “active verb”
stresses the person doing the thing. A “passive verb” stresses the thing being done. In the active voice, action is expressed directly: “John performed the experiment.” In the passive voice, the action is indirect: “The experiment was performed by John.” When possible, use the active voice. Your writing will be more direct and vigorous; your sentences more concise.

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