Instant Business Letters. Iain Maitland

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СКАЧАТЬ with the planning, appearance and layout of a letter, you can then set about polishing that draft in order to produce a final version of the letter, ready for posting. You should consider these areas:

      • format

      • language

      • tone

      • accuracy.

       Format

      Your letter can be laid out in one of three basic formats: blocked, semi-blocked and indented. The blocked format has all entries tight against the left-hand margin, as shown in Letter 1.2. The semi-blocked format sets the references and date to the right margin for filing and retrieval purposes, with the remaining entries placed against the left margin. Letter 1.3 illustrates this. The indented format follows the same layout as either of the other two, but indents each paragraph by five or six spaces. This can be seen in Letter 1.4 . Not surprisingly, the format you choose depends upon your firm’s preference – these days, companies often blend them together to develop an individual house style.

       Language

      As a general rule, the letter must be clear and easy to understand. Use language to suit the recipient. Obviously, it is inappropriate to include technical expressions when writing to a member of the public. Similarly, it is unwise to incorporate simplified language when addressing a specialist in the field. In both instances, the recipients will feel alienated. Try to use short words, phrases and sentences whenever you can, as these tend to be unambiguous and are less likely to be misinterpreted. Steer away from in-house jargon, slang and local or regional expressions, which increase the risks of misunderstandings.

      Your letter should also be concise, regardless of the subject. For example, the reader wants a straightforward apology, not a rambling explanation of the complexities of the matter. He or she requires an acceptance or a rejection of a request for a cash discount, not an aimless discussion on the respective pros and cons of such a policy. Keep that letter short and direct. Check through your draft, constantly asking yourself whether the statements are all relevant to the recipient. If not, eliminate them. Set out the rest of the points as crisply as you can. Avoid repeating yourself. State what you have to, move on and finish.

       Tone

      Whatever the letter, try to project some personality into it. Attempt to be courteous and friendly even if you are writing a difficult letter, such as one which is demanding money. It costs nothing to be polite and to say ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’, as appropriate. It also projects a dignified and positive image of you and your firm. Be sincere as well, attempting to write naturally in your own words. Don’t be reluctant to add personal touches when relevant, such as ‘Kind regards’ or ‘With good wishes’. Avoid giving the reader the impression that this is just another letter with little or no thought behind it – it isn’t!

       Accuracy

      Once the final version of the letter has been written or typed, it must be checked thoroughly again. The spelling and punctuation have to be perfect. An error can distract the recipient from your message, and does nothing to impress him or her about your expertise or standards of quality. A typographical mistake, for example, can not only make you look foolish but could be misleading as well: typing ‘right’ rather than ‘eight’ in the sentence ‘We want eight of these products’ could cause considerable confusion!

      1.1: A draft of a letter

      Dear Mr Tate

      We’re sorry that the pushchairs delivered to you on 17 September were damaged. We think this must have happened on the van as our goods are always checked in the warehouse before being sent off.

      We’re pleased to agree to your suggestion that we deliver replacement goods and collect and credit the damaged ones at the same time, which seems the fairest and quickest way of resolving the matter. Therefore we’ve instructed our despatch department and the carriers to do this for you.

      Please accept our apologies for the trouble caused to you by this.

      Yours sincerely

      Rajesh Munglani

       Sales Manager

      1.2: The blocked format

      Our ref: HEM/TL Your ref: RJD/BC

      24 August 1996

      Mr R J Dhalival

      Mossman and Sons

      20 – 26 Windmill Road

      Littleton

      Sussex

      RH17 OYS

      Dear Mr Dhalival

      Re: Wayliner Mark II

      Thank you for your catalogue and price list.

      We enclose an order for your attention and ask you to deliver these goods to us at your earliest convenience.

      We would be pleased to see your representative on a regular basis to discuss new lines and related matters. We look forward to his call.

      Yours sincerely

      Harold Mitchell

       Proprietor

      Enclosure

      Copy: Rachel Cohen

      1.3: The semi-blocked format

      Our ref: JP/MA

      12 September 1996

      Debbie Taylor

      Smart Moves

      2–6 Brightwell Road

      Esbury

      Yorkshire

      IP10 7NG

      Dear Debbie

      I write to introduce you to David Cooke who worked with me at Kaleidoscope for 12 years.

      An innovative and hard working person, David is currently working on a new exercise cycle which may be of interest to you and will be contacting you in due course to arrange a meeting.

      I am sure it would be very worthwhile for you to agree to see him.

      Kind regards

      Jacquie Phillips

       Product Development Manager

      1.4: The indented format

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