22 Writing a Letter
Business Letters
Letters are brief messages sent to recipients that are usually outside the organization. They are often printed on letterhead and usually take up one or two pages.
While email may be used more frequently today, the business letter remains a common form of written communication. It can serve to introduce you to a potential employer, announce a product or service, or even communicate emotions. We’ll examine the basic outline of a letter and then focus on specific types.
Your organization may have its own letter format, but this chapter outlines common elements across business letters. There are many types of letters, and we’ll look at two primary purposes—good news and bad news—in this chapter. We’ll first discuss the elements of a block-style letter.
Letters may serve to introduce your skills and qualifications to prospective employers, deliver important or specific information, or serve as documentation of an event or decision. They may deliver information with a positive, negative, or neutral tone. Regardless of the type of letter you need to write, it can contain up to 16 elements in five areas. While you may not use all the elements in every case, they are listed in the following table.
A letter has five main areas:
- The heading, which establishes the sender, including address and date
- The introduction, which establishes the purpose
- The body, which articulates the message
- The conclusion, which restates the main point and may include a call-to-action
- The signature line, which sometimes includes the contact information
TIP
When formatting a full-block business letter, keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Apply single spacing throughout
- Use 1” – 1 ½” margins
- Left-justify all contents
A sample letter is shown below with guiding notations in bold. Rather than placing the return address at the top of your page, you could instead use company letterhead showing the logo and company address.
Example Letter (Guide)
Return Address (if not in letterhead logo):
123 Cockburn Road
Anytown, MB A1M 2P3
Date: September 14, 2015
Recipient Note (optional): CONFIDENTIAL
Inside Address:
Ms. Zoe Maeve
123 Arbuthnot Drive
Anytown, AB T1A 2B3
Salutation: Dear Ms. Maeve:
Subject Line (optional): The myth of the paperless office
Introduction: This letter is to inform you that the myth of the paperless office, where you will not be required to produce hard copy letters on company letterhead, is just that: a myth.
Body: While email has largely replaced letter writing for many applications, several reasons for producing a hard copy letter remain. The first is that many employers still produce letters as a normal part of business communication. Next, we must consider that paper sales in business have increased across the last decade, showing no signs of the decrease we would associate with the transition to the paperless office. Finally, business letters may serve many functions, and your proficiency in their production will contribute to our personal and professional success.
Conclusion: Letter writing is a skill that will continue to be required in the business environment of today and tomorrow.
Close: Sincerely,
Murray Moman
Signature: Murray Moman
Reference Initials (optional): ARJ
Enclosure Notation (optional, if needed)
Copy Notation (optional): cc: Beth Lloyd
Mailing Notation (optional)
Remember that letters represent you and your company in your absence. In order to communicate effectively and project a positive image, you’ll need to:
- be clear, concise, specific, and respectful
- ensure each word contributes to your purpose
- ensure each paragraph focuses on one idea only
- form a complete message
- keep your writing free of errors
Good News or Neutral Information in a Business Letter
Writing a letter that contains good or neutral news is fairly straightforward. Your intention is to get the news across quickly and clearly while making sure the reader has a positive image of you and your company. You can do this by following these steps:
- State the news simply and directly.
- Give the reasons/details.
- Close with a goodwill statement.*
Bad News in a Business Letter
Saying no is more challenging than saying yes! This is true for all kinds of communication, but in a professional context, this can be challenging because you may not know the recipient of your message personally or be able to predict how they will react. When writing a letter that contains bad news, for example, when you need to tell a customer that they will not be receiving a refund, your challenge is to send a negative message while maintaining a positive relationship between your company and the receiver. Bad news can make the receiver feel a number of emotions, from disappointment to irritation, anger, and confusion. You can minimize these negative effects by structuring your letter in a specific way.
When you write a letter that contains bad news, your goals are to
- make the news easy to understand,
- let the receiver know that there will be no change in status (and avoid further communication),
- leave the receiver with a positive impression of your company.
Direct and Indirect Approaches to Writing Business Letters
There are two different ways to deliver bad news in a letter: the direct approach and the indirect approach. You’ll decide which approach to use based on the type of news you are delivering.
When using the direct approach, you’ll follow these steps:
- State the bad news simply and directly.
- Give the reasons.
- Give an alternative, if possible.
- Close with a goodwill statement.*
* What is a goodwill statement? It is an assertive but professional statement that demonstrates care about the ongoing positive relationship.
The following letter uses the direct approach.
Example Letter (Direct Approach):
Dear Mr. Moore:
The reference you are looking for doesn’t seem to have originated with our company. While looking through our record of corporate speeches on the effect of free trade on agriculture, we haven’t come across anything similar to the remarks you mentioned. When I asked Mr. Lockhart, he had no recollection of anyone in the company having made that type of analogy.
We have conducted a quick Internet search and have found a number of sites that may well give you the information you are seeking. The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada website at www.agr.gc.ca is probably a good starting point for your search.
We hope you find this information helpful.
When using the indirect approach, you’ll follow these steps:
- Begin with a buffer statement.*
- Discuss the circumstances leading to the bad news.
- State the bad news as positively as possible.
- Give a helpful suggestion or alternative.
- Close with a goodwill statement.
* What is a buffer statement? It is a gentle but professional statement that sets the tone of your letter.
Choosing an Approach
You would typically use the direct approach in all business letters, except when
- you are delivering bad news and it is unexpected;
- you don’t know the reader very well, and a negative emotional reaction is likely to occur.
In these situations, the indirect approach is a better choice.
In situations like these, the reasons you would give in the direct approach (in Step 2) could be viewed as excuses, so it is best not to present them. Instead, you should place the bad news in the middle portion of the letter, providing an explanation before it, and closing with positive or neutral language, as in the indirect approach. It is important to avoid a canned, insincere, inappropriate, or self-serving closing in any letter, but particularly so when you are using the indirect approach.
There are three key things to do in a letter that follows the indirect approach:
- Provide proof that persuades the reader to accept the bad news.
- Give the bad news.
- Give options for future success.
The following letter uses the indirect approach.
Example Letter (Indirect Approach):
Dear James:
Clerks in our office must be ready to serve customers by 9:00 a.m. According to company policy, arriving at work on time is a mandatory element of your employment here.
This month you have been late to work four times. Only two late arrivals are permitted before management must intervene. Since you have exceeded those limits, it is necessary for me to give you a written warning and put you on probation.
If you are on time each day within the next 90 days, I will remove this from your employment record. You will then be able to work towards a promotion and salary increase. I would be pleased to discuss this with you at your convenience.
TIP
When using the indirect approach, you should follow these guidelines:
- Don’t mislead the reader with an opening that is too positive.
- Do keep reasons as short as possible.
- Do make sure the reader is clear about the bad news.
- Do avoid negative words and phrasing.
- Don’t end with a statement that is artificial.
When you are writing a letter that contains good news or neutral information, you should use the direct approach.
Check Your Understanding
Instructions: Please review the business letter below and then answer the multiple-choice questions that follow.
Aspen Country Lodge
November 14, 2015
Dorothy Allen
12345 Stream Ave.
St. Augustine, FL 34567
Dear ________(#1):
As the holiday season approaches, we are reminded of the blessings that are bestowed on us throughout the year. At Aspen Country Lodge, the pleasures we share year after year with our Legacy clients are among our most cherished blessings.
And so, as our staff looks forward to spending time with friends and family, we are also thinking of special friends like you and hoping you are enjoying good health and good cheer. We take pride in being your home away from home and reserve a special place in our hearts for the memories we’ve shared with you.
Thank you for making Aspen Country Lodge part of your annual traditions. Have a blessed Christmas and a peaceful, joyous, and prosperous New Year.
______________(#2),
Theodore P. Hyde, Owner/Manager
Aspen Country Lodge • 402 Aspen Way • Cold Bluff, CA 98765 • (303) 346-7889
