| Business Letters: How They Should Sound |
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| Thursday, 29 December 2011 | |
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Formality and professionalism is what most business letters should sound. Business letters should do more than communicate your message clearly. They should also exhibit tone and other qualities that reflect the professionalism expected out of similar correspondences. How do you present information that bears the appropriate attitude for business letters? 1. Confident. Your writing should sound confident. If you don't trust your message and your ideas, there's no reason for anyone else to. Avoid the use of probabilistic language to show self-assurance, all while filling it with specific and concrete words. 2. Courteous. Giving your recipient appropriate respect should be mandatory, both when addressing them directly and with your use of language throughout the piece. Avoid condescension even when you feel like your grasp of the topic is stronger - establishing your role in the pecking order is not what business letters are supposed to do. 3. Professional. Writing done for business carries a certain air - one befitting of the respect among professionals in a field. Your own letters should have these as a default (a business writing software should help you out plenty), lest lose many potential recipients from your inability to communicate at the level they're used to. 4. Inclusive. In terms of business writing, this refers to using gender-neutral terms and other language that avoid exclusion of any groups. It's not that easy to get away with lazy language anymore. Use your thesaurus to find inclusive alternatives when you notice any of your English use leaning towards keeping people out. Business Letters: How They Should Sound Business letters should do more than communicate your message clearly. They should also exhibit tone and other qualities that reflect the professionalism expected out of similar correspondences. How do you present information that bear the appropriate attitude for business letters? 1. Confident. Your writing should sound confident. If you don't trust your message and your ideas, there's no reason for anyone else to. Avoid the use of probabilistic language to show self-assurance, all while filling it with specific and concrete words. 2. Courteous. Giving your recipient appropriate respect should be mandatory, both when addressing them directly and with your use of language throughout the piece. Avoid condescension even when you feel like your grasp of the topic is stronger - establishing your role in the pecking order is not what business letters are supposed to do. 3. Professional. Writing done for business carries a certain air - one befitting of the respect among professionals in a field. Your own letters should have these as a default (a business writing software should help you out plenty), lest lose many potential recipients from your inability to communicate at the level they're used to. 4. Inclusive. In terms of business writing, this refers to using gender-neutral terms and other language that avoid exclusion of any groups. It's not that easy to get away with lazy language anymore. Use your thesaurus to find inclusive alternatives when you notice any of your English use leaning towards keeping people out. About the Author: Keyword Tags: letter-writing, professional letters, Business Writing, formal tone, formal writing |
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