letter writing help

letter writing help

Letter Writing Tips and Tricks

1. Introduction

And so the purpose of this article is to provide some useful guidelines to those who, while not claiming to be artful dodgers, feel that they are less than competent in letter writing and wish to raise their standard. This is not to say that a good letter is not written in a relaxed and informal style. But a letter can be too informal, or worse still too relaxed leading to grievous errors of spelling, grammar or syntax. I shall make many points by illustration; and while there may be more depths to plumb I hope that they will provide food for thought to those who may feel that letter writing is important and that they would like to do it better.

And so I have resolved to try to raise my own standard and to encourage others in letter writing whether it be to newspapers, to MPs, or in the case of my own many public sector colleagues, writing to ministers. This should always be our first port of call, our simple direct mode of communication, whether to state a case or to ask a question of senior management. And thus, if we can improve our letter writing we can improve the quality of our public services.

Writing letters does not come easy to me. Often I am guilty of dashing off a note, a scrawl on a card, or worse a garbled messaging text, that is frequently misinterpreted and almost always regretted. I would have been better to have made no response at all, to have slept on it and written the next day, or not have dealt with the matter at all. But the more I realize my own incompetence in letter writing, the more I realize how crucial, how vitally important is the letter in decision making, in policy or legislative issues, how essential it is in stating a case, how potent it can be for the common good.

Letters are the most basic, simple, and direct method of communication other than face-to-face interaction. A well-written letter has the power to change an argument into a constructive meeting, a complaint into a thank you, a problem into a business opportunity, a house sale into a work of joint fiction. But, while everybody can tell when they have received a good letter, not everybody can write one. Writing letters is an art, and it costs more to write one than to buy a poster. It is an art that if you wish to write well, you will never entirely master, and I have been practicing for the last 30 years!

2. Structure and Format

These vary from culture to culture, and it’s very useful to consider reader expectations when deciding how to structure a letter. For example, Spanish letters often sprinkle inverted exclamation and question marks at the beginning of phrases that are considered exclamation or question, and the standard English language business letter takes the reader step by step through the letter to a call for action at the end. Understanding a reader’s expectations will increase the chance that they will read the letter and respond as wanted.

It’s unwise to use one structure when writing emails. Many letters, particularly those written to people within organizations, follow a broader structure based on: purpose, background, current situation, response wanted. However, letters to strangers, to thank people or those whose actions we want to reinforce or stop, take on a standard persuasion structure – stating the case for what is being thanked, reinforced or stopped; showing the effects of this, and then asking for what the letter wants.

3. Language and Tone

Always reread your letter after a few hours or the next day and think about whether it will create the right image of you in the reader’s mind. A much-used technique in letters is writing the same way as you would speak. This can give your letter a clear and realistic feel.

Let’s say you have a friend who is always joking around and never seems serious. If you write a serious letter to him, he may get very worried about something! It’s always a good idea to write in a way that will express your feelings in the best possible way. This will not only help you convey the message properly, but it will also make your letter more understandable. Effective and varied language can be used to change the atmosphere of the letter. Using long and sophisticated words with complex meanings can make the letter seem important and grave, whereas small words can give a lighthearted and carefree feel.

Use words that are appropriate for the reader. You should always try to be courteous in your writing and use polite expressions. Think about the person who will be reading your letter. What do you know about them? What would be the best way to talk to them? Consider their age, opinions, character, the way they dress, and their way of living, etc. This will help you imagine what kind of language would be the most appropriate.

4. Effective Communication

In many instances, the receiver is known only by a kind of person or a job title. Then the writer must ask themselves, what do I know about this kind of person or this job? What are their likely responsibilities here and what are they supposed to do with this information? The more the writer can visualize the person, the easier it will be to write a message that has a clear understanding and an easy-to-follow plan.

The more the writer knows about the receiver, the more specific they can be. But very often a message is not specific enough. This is frequently the case when it is “self-serving” for the sender who unconsciously writes for themselves, instead of the receiver.

The responsibility for effective communication depends largely on the sender. This is especially true in written communication. The person writing must think about the receiver’s needs while preparing the message. Only then can the right tone, approach, and style be selected. What sort of knowledge does the receiver have about what you are writing – how familiar are they with the products, services, situation, or issue?

5. Conclusion

In addition to this, handwritten letters can form a much more personal bond with the receiver. The development of new technologies, such as email, has taken the lightning-fast, instant gratification aspects of letter writing. This is an added bonus. However, the security and privacy of one’s letters could be somewhat compromised by these new technologies, as digital information is a lot easier to track and intercept than letters. Furthermore, email is significantly easier to just ignore or accidentally delete. This may mean that you could either receive no response to your letter and then feel upset, or that your letter is not responded to due to it being overlooked. Email is also less concrete, and it is a lot less fulfilling to stare at a screen rather than a nice letter on quality stationery. An immediate response can also be obtained from the receiver of a letter. Email letters are very often responded to at a later date, and physical visits are quite uncommon. A replied letter, however, is usually responded to in another letter, a phone call, or a visit in person.

In conclusion, letter writing is a skill that is continually becoming lost behind cell phones and email. Society is moving at a fast pace, and many people do not take the time to write a letter. However, it is a wonderful skill to have. Formal letters are different from informal letters. We write formal letters to a bank, a doctor, a government department, a solicitor, your local council, or a company. We write informal letters to friends and family. The structure of formal and informal letters is quite different, so it is important to understand the different words and expressions to use in each type of letter. Step by step advice on a good basic structure of a formal letter is provided.