Characteristics of an effective business letter

Writing an effective business letter is an art. It is an acquired skill and depends on constant practice. Regular practice lends fluidity to the style and brings a natural sense of expression. The characteristics of an effective business letter are:

scientific expression

Scientific expression means something said directly and briefly. A good composition is essential for a business correspondence. To that end, a letter must be clearly written. Clarity when writing letters is of particular importance because many people have a lot of letters to deal with and cannot waste time trying to decipher the meaning of the composition. A clearly written letter in simple language conveys the meaning immediately to the reader.

It is said that brevity is the soul of wit. Therefore, whatever you want to communicate, do it in a brief and forceful language. A short and concise letter contains only essential information. It should not be overloaded with irrelevant and superfluous details. The fewest words possible should be used, but the composition should not be abrupt or vague. In the busy world of trade and commerce, people do not have much time in the midst of feverish activities. Therefore, a wordy and circumlocutive letter irritates the reader instead of pleasing him.

Accuracy is important in a business letter; everything you communicate in a letter must be accurate. The facts mentioned by you must be true and genuine. The writer must use an appropriate style and a correct format. The rules of grammar and style must be followed. Correct sentence construction and punctuation are essential in a business letter.

There should be proper paragraph divisions in a letter. Each separate point should be expressed in a separate paragraph. For a new paragraph, both ‘intended’ and ‘block’ styles are currently considered correct. Some people start paragraphs on the left margin without leaving any space (indentation) and some of them think that it is okay to leave some space on the left side.

The scientific expression prefers everything in a systematic and orderly manner. A letter, therefore, must be written under the rules discussed above to bring effectiveness in communication.

association of ideas

The ideas and facts mentioned in the letter must be interrelated. It should be well planned so that the reader can easily understand it. The writer must address various facts one by one. You must prepare a diagram in his mind and work on it. Consistency in writing makes it interesting and positively affects the reader. Therefore, the association or interconnection of ideas is a point in favor of good business communication.

courtesy and optimism

Courtesy and optimism are the passwords in the business world. Business correspondence should be carried out in a courteous tone. Politeness costs nothing but pays big dividends. Courtesy wins sympathy, respect and mutual understanding. Everyone likes to be treated nicely, so you have to pay attention to it. ‘Please’, ‘thank you’, ‘thank you’, ‘sorry’, ‘could we’ etc. are certain words that convey courtesy or courtesy and induce the reader to respond to the writer in a similar way.