UNIT 13 --- Planning a Business Letter

   Planning a Business Letter

                  
                       A business letter is not a place for chit-chat. Unlike business conversations where a certain amount of small talk is used to break the ice, a business letter should be clear and concise. By taking time to plan our letter, we will save time in the writing and proofreading stages. During the planning stage, ask yourself a few simple questions. Jot down our answers to create an outline before we start writing.

• Who am I writing this letter to?

                   Identifying our audience always comes first. Are we writing to more than one person, to someone we don't know, or to someone we have known for a long time? This will help us determine how formal the letter needs to be. We may need to introduce ourselves briefly in the letter if the recipient does not know us. We may also need to find out the updated address and title of the recipient. This is a good time to confirm the correct spelling of first and last names.

• Why am I writing this letter?

                    The main reason for the letter should be understood from the subject line and first few sentences. We may cover more than one thing in one business letter, but there will almost always be a general reason for the letter. Identify our main goal and what we hope to accomplish. Review some example reasons why people write business letters on the introductory page of this lesson.

• Are there specific details we need to include?

                  Gather any dates, addresses, names, prices, times or other information that we may need to include before we write our letter. Double check details rather than relying on our memory.

• Do I require a response?

              Many types of business letter require a response. Others are written in response to a letter that has been received. Before we start writing, determine whether or not we require an action or response from the recipient. Our request or requirement should be very clear. In some cases we may even need to provide a deadline for a response. If we do require a response, how should the recipient contact us? Indicate this information clearly as well. We may want to provide more than one option, such as an email address and a phone number.

• How can we organize our points logically?

                 Think about how we would organize our thoughts if we were speaking rather than writing to the recipient. First we would introduce ourselves. Second we would state our concern or reason for writing. After the main content of our letter we would include information on how we can be contacted. The end of the letter is also a place to express gratitude, wish good-luck, or offer sympathy. Here is an example outline :

RECIPIENT
• Karen Jacobson
• Acquaintance (met twice before, briefly)
• Title: President, The Flying Club
• Address: 44 Windermere Drive, Waterloo, Ontario L1B 2C5

REASON
• To invite a board member to remain on the board for a second term.
• Other members suggested that she has enjoyed this position and has been thinking about staying on.
• No other volunteers have come forward to take over at the end of September.

SPECIFIC DETAILS
• If she decides to stay on she will need to be available for the national meeting on 5 November.
• Board members who stay for two terms are sometimes asked to take on extra duties, such as taking minutes or hosting social events.

RESPONSE
• She will need to respond by 1 September.
• She can contact me by email or phone.

ORGANIZATION • Return address of our institution
• Karen Jacobson's title and address
• Salutation: Dear Ms. Jacobson
• First paragraph : Introduce myself briefly--remind Karen where we met before. Provide my reason for writing: "I have heard from a number of board members that you may be interested in staying on for a second term. We would be very pleased to have you stay on for another year."
• Second paragraph : Explain what type of commitment this position will involve this year (once a month meetings, national meeting, plus possible extra duties)
• Third Paragraph : Provide deadline for response and how to contact me.
• Closing : Express thanks to Karen for volunteering her time this year

Writing a Business Letter
                The term "business letter" makes people nervous. Many people with English as a second language worry that their writing is not advanced enough for business writing. This is not the case. An effective letter in business uses short, simple sentences and straightforward vocabulary. The easier a letter is to read, the better. We will need to use smooth transitions so that our sentences do not appear too choppy.

  Salutation
              First and foremost, make sure that we spell the recipient's name correctly. We should also confirm the gender and proper title. Use Ms. for women and Mr. for men. Use Mrs. if you are 100% sure that a woman is married. Under less formal circumstances, or after a long period of correspondence it may be acceptable to address a person by his or her first name. When we don't know the name of a person and cannot find this information out we may write, "To Whom It May Concern". It is standard to use a comma (colon in North America) after the salutation. It is also possible to use no punctuation mark at all. Here are some common ways to address the recipient:

• Dear Mr Powell,
• Dear Ms Mackenzie,
• Dear Frederick Hanson:
• Dear Editor-in-Chief:
• Dear Valued Customer
• Dear Sir or Madam:
• Dear Madam
• Dear Sir,
• Dear Sirs
• Gentlemen:

        First paragraph
         In most types of business letter it is common to use a friendly greeting in the first sentence of the letter. Here are some examples:
• I hope you are enjoying a fine summer.
• Thank you for your kind letter of January 5th.
• I came across an ad for your company in The Star today.
• It was a pleasure meeting you at the conference this month.
• I appreciate your patience in waiting for a response.

After our short opening, state the main point of our letter in one or two sentences:
• I'm writing to enquire about...
• I'm interested in the job opening posted on your company website.
• We'd like to invite you to a members only luncheon on April 5th.

     Second and third paragraphs
             Use a few short paragraphs to go into greater detail about our main point. If one paragraph is all we need, don't write an extra paragraph just to make our letter look longer. If we are including sensitive material, such as rejecting an offer or informing an employee of a layoff period, embed this sentence in the second paragraph rather than opening with it. Here are some common ways to express unpleasant facts :
• We regret to inform you...
• It is with great sadness that we...
• After careful consideration we have decided...

       Final paragraph
           Our last paragraph should include requests, reminders, and notes on enclosures. If necessary, our contact information should also be in this paragraph. Here are some common phrases used when closing a business letter:

• I look forward to...
• Please respond at your earliest convenience.
• I should also remind you that the next board meeting is on February 5th.
• For futher details...
• If you require more information...
• Thank you for taking this into consideration.
• I appreciate any feedback you may have.
• Enclosed you will find...
• Feel free to contact me by phone or email.

  Closing
           Here are some common ways to close a letter. Use a comma between the closing and our handwritten name (or typed in an email). If we do not use a comma or colon in our salutation, leave out the comma after the closing phrase:

• Yours truly,
• Yours sincerely,
• Sincerely,
• Sincerely yours
• Thank you,
• Best wishes
• All the best,
• Best of luck
• Warm regards,

Writing Tips
• Use a conversational tone.
• Ask direct questions.
• Double-check gender and spelling of names.
• Use active voice whenever possible.
• Use polite modals (would in favour of will).
• Always refer to yourself as "I".
• Don't use "we" unless it is clear exactly who the pronoun refers to.
• Rewrite any sentence or request that sounds vague.
• Don't forget to include the date. Day-Month-Year is conventional in many countries; however, to avoid confusion, write out the month instead of using numbers (e.g. July 5th, 2007)