PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE LETTER Wri ng

Clarity and Coherence:

In order to be effec ve, a good business le er should be concise, precise, relevant, concrete and
consistent. Be clear about what you want to say and then say it clearly. Difficult words requiring the
use of dic onary, flowery expression and poe c language should be always avoided. The words used
should not be vague or ambiguous. The le er must convey to the recipient the exact meaning which
the writer wants to communicate. The clarity of a le er, to a great extent, depends upon its unity or
coherence. Therefore, a le er should be wri en in a logical manner and reflect consistence of
thought. One thought should follow another in a proper sequence. An orderly arrangement of the
subject is necessary and the same should be expressed in appropriate words. It is be er to use short
sentences and short paragraphs that are easier to read. “Send telegrams, not essays.”

2) Considera on: The writer of the le er should place himself in the posi on of the reader and give
a considera on as to what does he need. Emphasize on “you-a tude” instead of “I-a tude”.

3) Brevity: A good business le er should be concise and exact. Economy of words is possible only if
the writer of le er has extensive vocabulary at his command. A long le er containing irrelevant
ma er gives a poor impression of the writer and also of the business house. But for the sake of
conciseness, completeness or clarity should not be sacrificed. The le er must explain in full what it
all desires. “Be conscious that the reader does not have much me”.

4) Courtesy and Friendliness: The tone of the business le er should always be courteous and polite.
While dra ing a business le er bluntness should never be regarded as a sign of strength. On the
contrary, a poor image is bound to result from an offensive a tude conveyed through the le er.
Courtesy is like the oil which removes fric on and creates goodwill. Courtesy should not be
restricted to obligatory words like “Thank you” or “please”. There must be politeness even in
declining a proposal. Words like “please and “kindly” always bring posi ve response. However, such
words ought to be used without sacrificing one’s self-respect and dignity.

5) Conciseness: A business le er should be concise and direct, wri en in simple language with a
natural flow of words. Wordy phrases and high flow expressions should be avoided. The le er should
not contain quota ons, or words which are pedan c (bookish) and which sound ar ficial. Business
people are very busy and may be irritated by unnecessary lengthy le ers. Therefore, one must focus
directly on the message.

6) Correctness: A business le er should be gramma cally correct and factually accurate. Incorrect
informa on and inaccurate facts conveyed through a le er are bound to make the posi on of the
writer vulnerable. The addressee, may stop further dealings with the writer of the le er. In le ers of
enquiry, orders, complaints, references, etc. informa on given should always be correct and exact. If,
for some reason, it is not possible to communicate the necessary informa on, the reason may be
clearly stated in a polite language.

7) Completeness: A business le er should include all the necessary facts and background
informa on that supports the message being sent. An enquiry which does not contain necessary
par culars, or explana on which is par al, is never appreciated. An incomplete le er may compel
the receiver to make further correspondence on the subject involving waste of me or prompt him
to act according to his own judgement which may lead to disputes.

8) Originality: Originality of form, expression and style are o en necessary to make business le ers
more appealing, par cularly for sales promo on, and on special occasion, such as introduc on of a
new product. Indeed, with changing mes, old and stereo-typed forms and expressions have been
replaced by more appealing forms, expression and style of presenta on of ma ers in business
le ers. For instance, the layout of the contents of a le er is o en intended to mark-out significant
lines. New phrases are used in place of old ones, and a conscious a empt is made to give a personal
touch where necessary.

9) Neatness: A neat and dy le er, clearly typed or wri en on a reasonably good paper with proper
paragraphing makes a le er a rac ve to the reader. Any overwri ng, or cu ng of expressions,
improper spacing between paragraphs etc. do not create a favorable impression. So, the appearance
of a business le er should be impressive, neat and dy to the maximum extent possible.

10) Effec veness: The ul mate goal of a business le er is the desired response in a posi ve manner
within a reasonable me. Obviously, delayed or nega ve response shows the ineffec veness of the
le er. The me and sta onery used in wri ng such le ers involve wasteful expenditure. Thus,
effec veness may be regarded as the most essen al feature for a business le er.