Many businesspeople breathed a sigh of relief when email gradually replaced more traditional forms of communication. Even in the modern era, processing business letters is tedious and time-consuming compared to the effortless ease of email.
You are aware, however, that there are still instances where pen and paper are required. Many so-called “professions” (law, accounting, etc.) in the UK, at least, still need written letters for any official communication. Since its confidentiality cannot be ensured, they have a healthy distrust of email. At the very least, business letters are quite discreet; one can well presume that email may be snooped on far more quickly and efficiently than an envelope steamed open over a pot of boiling water.
In other cases where an unalterable record of commercial dealings, complaints, employee warnings/terminations, and the like must be cut into tablets of stone, printed letters give a more tamper-proof formal record. (On paper, at least.)
Structure from the past, furnishings of the present
The informality of electronic communication, such as email, has made the archaic formality of the business letter seem downright Dickensian and entirely out of place with modern business practices.
However, there is a solution. Use the formality and structure that have helped establish the business letter as a tried-and-true means of communication. You have a win-win situation when you add in the concise, straightforward tone typical of email correspondence.
Let’s start with the framework or the etiquette that provides the framework.
The norms of polite behavior in each English-speaking market varied slightly. The most common British forms of address are shown below. If I knew the Australian, New Zealand, or South African equivalent, I would have used that instead.
Consensual letters
When you don’t have a specific person to whom you should write your letter, you can use a generic salutation like “Dear” or a title like “The Chief Executive Officer” to address the letter. Addressing a letter to someone with a title requires the use of “Dear Sir,” “Dear Madam,” or, to err on the safe side, “Dear Sir/Madam.” You can address a letter to a company with “Dear Sirs,” “Dear Madams,” or “Dear Sirs/Madams” if you want to be safe yet repeat yourself.
Depending on where you live, you may end with “Yours faithfully” (UK) or “Yours truly” (US & Canada).
Casual correspondence
You’ll find your name right here. Here’s where you can get in trouble if you misgendered the person. A person with the initials “J C” might be a Jack or a Joanna. Leslie Matthews could be either a male or a girl (the female form of the name is Lesley, while the masculine form is Leslie, although I know at least one female Leslie).
Watch out for names that can be used for either sex, such as Joey, Joey, Bobbie, Bob, Alex, Rob, Robin, Carol (yes, really), Billie, Chris, Darryl, Eddie, Sam, Jackie, Nicky, Frances (f) vs. Francis (m), Freddie, Gabrielle (f) vs. Gabriel (m), Georgie, Gerry/Jerry, Charlie, Nat, Harry, Jessie (f) vs., And that’s not even considering names from languages other than English!
Modern individuals rarely use titles such as “Mr.” or “Ms.” when introducing themselves. If you have any doubts, it’s best to call the relevant authority and ask rather than risk public humiliation.
When addressing someone, some take a terrible cue from electronic correspondence and use the full name, as in “Dear Suzan St. Maur.” I don’t know about you, but this drives me crazy and is something I definitely wouldn’t advise doing.
The correct salutation for a letter to “Mr. J C Jennings” is “Dear Mr Jennings.” You can probably take a chance and address the letter to “Dear Ms. Jennings” if all you have is “Joanna C Jennings.” There may not be any male Joannas, but I wouldn’t put it past me to meet one.
A typical closing phrase is “Yours sincerely.”
Letters with even less formality
Here’s where the internet’s influence can be welcomed, providing a welcome break from the stiff formality of more formal letters.
It is appropriate to use “Dear (name)” as a salutation when writing to someone you know well, and you can sign off with “yours” or whatever else you like. “Warm regards” (US), “kind regards,” “best wishes,” etc. are common ways to sign out.
Layout
Modern practice has relaxed this requirement, and it is acceptable to center a letter’s layout on a company’s letterhead. The following components are necessary anywhere they are placed:
The name and location of your business (often included in the letterhead’s layout).
Time of day
Name, position, and location of the recipient’s company
The formal greeting (“dear so-and-so”)
The letter’s focus (“re:” something).
The letter’s main content
“Yours whatever” is the sign-off.
Your genus and class
Your address and the date should always appear in the upper right corner of a letter. Addressee information goes on the line below, aligned left. After a space or two, the “Dear (whoever)” goes behind that. Put “re: (topic)” or just the topic in bold and italics two spaces below.
After you’ve finished the letter’s body, leave a space or two and sign your name, ranging to the left or indented a few tabs to the right. Make sure there are enough blank lines to sign, and then type your name (and title, if applicable) such that the first letter of your name appears right under the “Y” in “Yours.”
If your letter requires a second page, insert a space before pressing the right arrow key and typing “contd.” Simply typing “page 2” and moving down a few areas will take you to the beginning of the next page. On the second page, some people include an underlining that spans the entire page, followed by the addressee’s name, the date, and the page number. If the two pages ever separate from each other, this will help.
Okay. What shall we say now that we have laid the foundation?
Maintain a clean, uncluttered look.
Business correspondence is not the same as literature. They are verbal workhorses designed to convey information and the desired action to the reader as efficiently as possible.
Make some notes to yourself in the first person. You can be as honest as you like since you have nothing to lose and nothing to gain by writing to yourself. Don’t limit yourself to a framework just yet. Just start writing anything that comes to mind that belongs in the letter.
Now, arrange your notes in one of the “skeletons” below in the order given. Get rid of any messages that aren’t necessary.
If you construct your letter this way, you’ll have a clear and direct writing style, free of the flowery adjectives, adverbs, business jargon, “corporate speak,” and other nonsense that some people use in professional correspondence.
After that, a thorough edit and spelling/grammar check is all that remains. (Although many individuals have a forgiving attitude toward misspelled emails, grammatical errors in printed letters stand out like a sore thumb and make you look quite incompetent.)
Use a “skeleton” to build your material around.
The usual format for introducing the letter’s subject is “re: Your Outstanding Account” or, in a less official tone, simply “Your Outstanding Account” in bold and underlining. Then, using this outline as a guide, jot down, or bullet points, the essential points you want to cover:
In most cases, these include:
1) Context
Invoices for this sum were sent to you four months ago, and monthly statements have been sent out ever since.
The thorny problem
We can’t allow this to continue, especially since you haven’t contacted us about increasing your credit limit.
What I hope will happen right now
Within the following week, I expect payment.
4. If not
We’ll have no choice but to take legal action against you.
Sugar substitute
If you send a payment in, we’ll stop harassing you and reinstate your 30 days of credit as previously.
6a. Next Step
Contact me as soon as possible and fill me in on your plans.
Different information, the same framework
This basic format can serve as the basis for many business letters. However, not all business letters put you in the driver’s seat. Imagine you received this letter and are trying to negotiate an extension on your payment due date. The building blocks are the same, but our perspective is new.
1) Context
That was brought to my attention, and I appreciate it. Sorry for the late payment; I was unaware.
The thorny problem
We have taken measures to fix our cash flow issues and expect them to be resolved over the next three weeks.
What I hope will happen right now
I was hoping you might be willing to let us keep using your credit for a while longer if we paid an agreed-upon interest rate.
4. If not
Unfortunately, if we get into a dispute, our connection and goodwill will be destroyed, and we can no longer purchase supplies from you.
Sugar substitute
I want to reassure you that our current cash flow situation is temporary and that we value maintaining our business connection with you.
6a. Next Step
In the coming days, I will call you to discuss payment options.
Develop your framework.
While the complete 6-point structure isn’t appropriate for all business communications, having a streamlined version is helpful because it can be expanded upon to meet the specific requirements of every given letter. Here’s the one I use as a starting point:
1) Context
The main problem
When, where, and how will this occur
4. What Should I Do Now?
Any other suggestions? Remember that you should always aim for brevity when writing a business letter. That’s trickier than it first appears. Someone prominent (I forget who) once sent a lengthy apology letter, explaining that he had no time to compose a brief note. Concise writing is challenging, but the preceding suggestions for formatting and outlining will help.
Use the letter to provide an overview of the problem and a call to action; any additional information should be included in a separate (but attached) document.
I’m no social psychologist, so I can’t give you a scholarly explanation. Still, it’s been my experience that when you put the most critical information first, people tend to read everything else more carefully. This is likely because making the two parts distinct presents the information in more manageable portions. Anyhow, it’s effective!
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