Business Letter Forms - September 15, 2010

Business Letter FormsBusiness letters are indispensable for professional communication. They are required to update known and unknown recipients on certain information, invite responses, advertise, and keep track of communications within and outside an organization. Writing business letters is not an easy task, though. The intent, audience and language have to be considered so that the message is communicated in the way desired. Aesthetics and formatting also play a role in creating an impression on readers. To ease this process, business letter forms can be used.

Business letter forms are great, especially for those who need a more professional look, are not satisfied with existing ones, want to create a brand image and identity or want to save time on formats. Many companies specialize in creating standard and customized business letter forms for all possible purposes like writing a resignation, offering employment, informing of new schemes, announcing the launch of products and so on. These templates can be easily modified on the computer. They are especially useful when a letter has to be drafted quickly.

They may vary in the style and attitude, which can be formal, informal, indifferent, or personal. However, the basic format remains the same, with basic courtesies that are nice to follow. The trends of business letters have also changed over the years. The format acceptable these days has everything aligned to the left. Business letter forms also follow guidelines which conform to spacing, alignment, margins, address format, salutation, and the body of the text.

Forms are easily available online for free download on many websites. They are supported by Microsoft Office or Acrobat Reader and can easily be modified by changing and adding logos and text. Some forms are available by subscription or in paid all-in-one packages, and in some cases can be customized by vendors. Users need to check the quality of forms against their needs.

With the easy availability of business letter forms, there is no need to spend time on drafting out letters from scratch. Templates can either be created or taken from other sources so you can focus on more important things than writing letters.

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Basic Tips in Writing an Application Letter - September 5, 2010

Application LetterApplication letter plays an important role in landing a job. It must be well-written and attractive in the eyes of your potential employers. Application letter serves as an advertisement of your abilities. Employers receive countless application letters and resume daily, how you can be sure that he will notice your application letter?

Let me show you some basic tips in writing a letter. First, use a high quality paper. Write your letter with passion and enthusiasm. The potential employers must feel that you are really interested to the job you’re applying for, not just for earning money.

There are four essential parts of a cover letter: heading, introduction, main body and closing. In the heading, you will include contact information such as name, position of the person addressed in the letter and address. In your introduction, you can state who you are and why you are writing. Introduction must be eye-catcher to grabs the attention of potential employer.

Education details, work experience, skills and abilities, training and other qualification related to the position applied can be included in the main body parts of your letter. Remember that your employer must be able to see the match between your qualifications and requirements for the job.

In closing paragraph, specify how the potential employers keep in touch and when is the best time for setting an interview. This is the place where you can urge your potential employer to call you for an interview.

Last but not the least, readability, grammar, and proper use of business letter format must be observed in writing an application letter.

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9 Tips For Writing Better Business Letters - September 1, 2010

Writing Better Business LettersIt’s quite amazing how often business people fail to follow basic guidelines when it comes to writing their business correspondence. That might explain why so many people come to my writing help websites looking for help with their business letter writing. Just as businesses need to be focused and efficient to thrive and succeed, so too does the primary communications tool of most businesses – the business letter.

Following are a number of tips and guidelines that I have compiled while reading and writing many hundreds of business letters over the past 25+ years.

1. Limit Them To One Page

By definition, business letters should be short and to the point, preferably one page in length. Studies have found that busy business people do not like to read beyond the first page, and will actually delay reading longer letters. So, if you don’t want your letter to gather dust in an in-basket, keep it as short as possible.

2. Be Reader-Friendly

Always try to focus on the needs of the reader and make an effort to see things from their perspective. Put yourself in their position and imagine what it would be like for you to be receiving your letter. Anyone can do this, since we are all “customers” of some other business in some part of our lives.

3. Keep The Tone Formal And Factual

Generally speaking, the tone and content of business letters should be formal and factual. Feelings and emotions do not have a place in business letters. So, avoid phrases like “we feel” and use “we believe” or “we think” instead. A cordial, friendly approach is fine. Just keep it businesslike, but avoid overly formal terms like “heretofor”, “as per”, “herewith”, etc.

4. Carefully Plan Your Letter

Before writing the letter, take a few minutes to list all of the specific points you need to cover. Sometimes it may even mean a phone call to the recipient or his/her company to confirm a specific point. Remember, the purpose of the letter is to tie up all of the details on the subject at hand, so that more letters won’t have to be written back and forth.

5. Make It Clear, Concise And Logical

Use a clear and direct writing style that uses simple words and straightforward phrases. Make sure that your flow follows a logical progression, first identifying the main subject, elaborating on it, and then drawing the logical conclusion.

6. Accuracy And Timeliness Are Key

By their very nature, business letters need to be accurate and timely. They almost always have financial implications and related impacts on other businesses and/or people. Double-check all of the facts stated in the letter, and make sure that any future dates specified give others enough time to realistically complete what is expected of them.

7. Relegate Technical Details To Attachments

Often it is necessary to include detailed technical information as part of a business letter package. In such cases, use the main letter as a cover letter that lists and briefly explains and references the attached (or enclosed) documents.

8. Use Non-Discriminatory Language

Make sure that you avoid language that is specific to gender, race, or religion in all business letters, either to other businesses, or to customers. For example, use “workforce” instead of “manpower”, or “chairperson” rather than “chairman”. Most style guides contain detailed lists of the offensive terms and some suggested substitutes.

9. Eliminate Redundant Words And Phrases

There are certain words and phrases that one often sees in business correspondence that tend to make the language more complicated and cumbersome than necessary. For example, instead of the phrase “in spite of the fact that” use “although”; or instead of “in the normal course of events” use “normally”. There are many such redundant phrases, so review your letter and eliminate them.

If you are running any type of business in which business letters are important communication tools, you would do well to take careful heed of the above tips and advice. Remember, the business correspondence that you issue is a direct reflection of the overall products and/or services offered by your business. Poorly-written, amateurish, and/or shoddy business letters will surely result in lost sales.

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