COMMUNICATION THROUGH LETTERS
Letter-writing is an art. Very
often in our daily life, we have to express our mind on paper. whether for the
sake of passing the examination or to communicate our feelings and thoughts to
another fellow. Letter is a medium of conveying our feelings to our friends,
relatives or colleagues. It may be a business letter; it may be an official
letter; it may be a letter of invitation or appointment or in whatever form it
is, it communicates the sender's feelings to the recipient.
A letter should be written
clearly and precisely as our good writing depends on these qualities. To be
lacking in these powers proves our unworthiness. In writincr personal letters
particularly. a sense of nearness. intimacy and simplicity should be
maintained. Naturalness, not artificiality, is the main quality of a
letter.
Letter can be considered as a
means of sharing of ideas. There is perhaps no literate person in the world who
does not write letters. Letters are the reflections of feelings, sentiments in
one's personality. The pleasure one enjoys while expecting and getting a letter
is something beyond comparison.
Letter provides exchange of views
between two par ties through writing. It is a kind of written communication.
Unlike other system of communication like telephone, telegram, letter has
double effects. On the one hand the message is sent and simultaneously a record
of it is created. Another aspect is that in letters there is no face to face
contact between communicator and
communicatee.
Writing a letter means some sort
of building a bridge with another person. It is like entering into a personal
relationship. Hence every letter situation is a problem in hu man relations.
The problem must be thought out clearly before writing. First of all the writer
must have a clear purpose in mind, i.e., he must be sure about, why he is writing.
It has often been noticed that many people who are otherwise warm and friendly
become cold and rigid per sons in their writings.
While writing letters the writer
create's a Cordial relation with the reader who can trust whole heartedly. So
it must be remembered that the secret of good letter lies in its writing in a
simple, easy and natural way. One should create a feeling of friendliness
through writing letters.
Business Letters
A business letter is communication
of information on matters of trade and commerce. It serves not only as a communication
of information but it is a means of preserving record of the communication.
With the remarkable expansion of business,
it finds it very difficult to
deal with its customers and suppliers in persons. Therefore it is forced to
make
use of letters to maintain
business connections. The let ters act as the main channels through which a
business undertaking makes and keeps contact with the outside world. The
reputation of a business depends in a large measure upon the quality of the
letters which are sent out and the way
in which it is dealt with.
Mr. Herbert Kesson has commented,
"Every letter going out from is your sales representative. If carries a message.
It is silent, but not dumb. It attracts or
reples. It helps to make the
reputation of a firm........."
Objective of Business letter
The objective of business letter
is not just to inform the reader, but to influence his attitude and action. The
busi ness letter aims not just to communicate with the reader, but to achieve
the desired goal. For example, the objective of a sales letter is not just to
get an enquiry but to get an
order.
Writers desire
A writer who bears in mind the
reader's motives and feel ings and shape his messages suitably. The writer
influ- ences the reader's feelings,
thoughts and actions in such a way that his response will be
beneficial to the writer.
The aim of writing letter is therefore
not merely to tell some-
thing but also to create a favorable
response. This is the psychology of letter writing in business.
Readers desire
A writer who thinks only of his
own advantage and offers more to the reader does not succeed in getting the
things done. For this purpose the "you" attitude is the secret of
effective letters. It is an understanding of the readers motives and desires.
Usually the readers will watch what ad vantage that he is getting. Therefore
the letter writer must show the reader that it will be to his advantage to take
the action suggested in the letter.
Functions of Business Letters
In business, letter writing
performs a number of functions.
They are
It helps a business house to seek
or give the required information.
It promotes sales, i.e., creates
demand for new products, or expands the markets for the existing products.
It helps a concern to buy its
requirements
It helps a firm to collect the
outstanding dues from the customers.
It helps a business to get the
required credit from financiers or lenders
It helps a firm to adjust
complaints.
It helps a concern to clear up
misunderstanding
It helps a firm to enhance its
prestige and reputation and build up
goodwill.
i. Business letters serve as a
record for future reference
Business letters serve as written
evidence of business transactions entered into.
Importance of Business Letters
There are many modern communication
methods avail able today, but the
traditional business letter remains an
important means of sending printed messagea. As the busi ness letter acts as an
ambassador for the company, it is '
vital that it gives a good first impression. In this respect, it is good
business practice to ensure good quality stationery and printing of the letterheaded
paper. The business letter also conveys an impression of the company in many
other ways
The importance of business
letters is as follows:
The possible wav
No doubt, business relationship
through personal contact is preferable to that by letters. But it is physically
possible only within a limited area. In many cases, it is practically
impossible. But letters can establish business connections all over the world.
Less expensive
Even if the establishment of
business connections through personal contact is possible, it involves huge
expense. On the other hand, the establishment of busi- ness relations through
letters is cheaper.
Saves time
Time is money for a businessman.
Generally personal talks will be long, and the long personal talks result in
much loss of time.'-But such a difficulty will not arise with regard to
letters, as they are generally short. Even if the letters are long, they can be
kept aside during the busy time and read conveniently in spare time.
Confirmation
Of course, business transactions
can be conducted through telephones or telegrams. But transactions effected
through these means require to be confirmed
by written state-
ments. Further, these means are costlier than letters.
Reaches destination
Letters can reach places where
the salesmen fail to find access.
Characteristics of a Business Letter
While writing a letter. the
writer should bear in mind cer tain principles to make the letter effective.
Correctness
Correctness in every respect is
the supreme quality of busi ness letter. The language used therefore should be
accu - rate. The message should be appropriate to the situation. Appropriate
expression is an essential aspect to be remem bered in business letters. Since
identical words could be spoken in many different tones. giving rise to variant
re actions of the reader, one has to be very careful in choosing words while
writing a letter. Wrong or incomplete information is incorrect and it should be
avoided. Incorrect drafting leads to waste of time and loss of goodwill to the
organisation.
Clarity
A business letter should be
clear. It means that a business letter should be written in such a way that
there cannot be any scope of misunderstanding. So it has to be written in plain
and simple words and in a straight forward man ner. While focussing on clarity,
one should take extra care to write the opening and closing paragraphs because
they should leave a very good impression on the reader. The letter should be
" to the point" with clear and exact expres sion as needed in all
business writings. It is advisable to avoid commercial jargon and it is not
appropriate to use indirect and meaningless words of expression. The language
should be clear.
Conciseness
Fewest possible words should be
used for writing. Well thought ideas should also be used. Using more words than
necessary to express an idea makes the thoughts confused. It is more important
to keep the letter brief. It should be remembered that long sentences are
difficult to understand while short one containing definite information are
easier. Clarity and consciseness must go
together.
Courtesy
A business letter should be
courteous. It means that a business letter should be written in such a way that
it may not offend anybody or give rise to any hard feelings. Good feelings are
kept alive by the use of such words and phrases such as 'Thank you' for your
enquiry ·we appreciate' for your immediate despach, etc,.
Length ·
A letter may be written by
keeping the principle of optimum length. Though there may not be any fixed rule
regarding the length, the optimum length follows the body which needs to
present the message which is understand able to the reader. One of the things
that increases the length of any writing beyond measure is poor use of language
and bad writing habits. Avoiding the repetition and proper planning can reduce
and control the message.
Beginning and end
The effectiveness of a letter
depends on the beginning and end of the procedure of writing the letter. The
opening and end can contribute maximum for the effectiveness. The function of
opening sentence involves introduction, inviting response and presentation of
back reference. The function of closing sentence is to tell the reader, the
action to be taken and maintaining the goodwill.
Paragraphing
While drafting the letter
paragraphing is also an important task to the writer. The entire body of the
letter may not be so long. Generally one single thought of the body requires
one paragraph. It may further be divided into smaller units.
Qualities of Business Letter
Letters run or ruin business as a
company's letters are its spokes people. The customers form an opinion of a
firm from its brochures, notices and more often from the qual
ity and tone of its letters. They would 'read' twice before placing
orders to a company. While good letters look good on any company , bad letters
ruin the prospects of even the best of them. Inferior letters often imply
inferior products and low quality
service. Just as a man is known by the company he keeps, a company is known by
the letters it sends. ·
Simple and direct language is a
virtue in all types of letters. Simple words are more forceful and communicative
than complex ones. For example, get is better than rocure; start or begin than
commence. Writing simple and direct English is difficult but it is worth the
trouble to practice it. Simple letters simply come and conquer.
Choose concrete words and clear
images. No virtue lies in obscurity. Decide what you have to say and say ex
actly that. Choose the right word and convey just the right meaning using
definite words. Short sentences are far more dynamic than lengthy ones. Do not
write sentences which are so long winding that one tends to forget the
beginning by the time he reaches the end. Prefer short sentences, for short are
sweet. It is customary to use the passive voice in business letters. For
example. 'It was decided by the Council.. ...' is much more commonly used than
its active form The Council decided ..........use
the active construction as far as possible. It is always better to be active
than passive. Try to retain the
informal, conversational style in personal letter . Write as you speak, complete with con traction s. If you hide
your elf in a strictly formal style, your
friends may not find you in
your letters and you may be sorely
missed. Think before you write. Whether it is a business letter or a personal
letter know well what you want to convey. Planning makes letters crisp and
precise. There are many who write long letters because they just don't have the
time to write short ones.
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Some tips for good letters writing
Following are some of the useful
tips for writing· effective business
letters:
While writing a business letter
keep in mind whom you are writing to. Give all the information he needs clearly
so that there is no guessing on his part.
Catch the attitude of the
incoming letter and reply accordingly.
Use conversational language in
the letter. wherever required .
Be clear, courteous and precise.
Avoid ambiguity.
Be as polite and polished as
possible.
Avoid using high sounding words.
If the letter demands, the reply should be elaborate and detailed one.
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Use effective phraseology.
Avoiding monotony
and dryness, introduce
variety in the letter.
A long letter should be divided
into paragraphs.
The opening should be particularly catchy, as it has lasting impact
on the reader. -
Revise the letter before closing
it. 13.Avoid repetitions .
Layout of a Business Letter
A letter represents a business
organisation. So it must be attractive. Its spacing, paragraphing, typing
should create a good impression to the reader. It should also have a dig nified
letterhead and good quality of white bond paper. Business letters are
typewritten in a single sheet of bond pa per. In a letter of more than one
page, only the first sheet bears the letterhead. The size of the paper
generally used is 81/ xl 1. The envelope should conform in appearance .
For reducing typing work and
making the letter more attractive,
window envelope can be used .
The letterhead preferably printed
or eraved should contain the name of the company , the nature of the business
and the address. The telephone, fax, e-mail, cable address and branch office,
if available may also be included in the letterhead. A business letter
generally consists of the following parts.
Heading
Date
Reference
Inside address
Atten tion line
The salutation
Subject
Body
Complimentary close
Signature
Post script
Indentification mark
Enclosure
The layout of business letter is
given below
Heading
Date
Your Reference Our Reference
Inside Address
Attention
Salutation
Subject
Body
Post Script
Identification Marks
Enclosure
Complimentary Close
Signature
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