Characteristics of an effective business letter
Writing an effective business letter is an art. It is an acquired skill and depends on constant practice. Regular practice lends fluidity to the style and brings a natural sense of expression. The characteristics of an effective business letter are:
scientific expression
Scientific expression means something said directly and briefly. Good composition is essential for business correspondence. To that end, a letter must be clearly written. Clarity when writing cards is of particular importance because many people have a lot of cards to deal with and can’t waste time trying to figure out the meaning of the composition. A clearly written letter in simple language conveys the meaning immediately to the reader.
It is said that brevity is the soul of ingenuity. Therefore, whatever you want to communicate, do it in a short and forceful language. A letter written briefly and concisely contains only essential information. It should not be overloaded with irrelevant and superfluous details. As few words as possible should be used, but composition should not be abrupt or vague. In the busy world of trade and commerce, people do not have much time in the midst of feverish activities. Therefore, a wordy, circumlocutory letter irritates the reader rather than pleases him.
Accuracy is important in a business letter; everything you communicate in a letter must be accurate. The facts mentioned by you must be true and genuine. The writer must use an appropriate style and a correct format. Grammar and style rules must be followed. Correct sentence construction and punctuation are essential in a business letter.
There should be proper paragraph divisions in a letter. Each distinct point should be expressed in a separate paragraph. For a new paragraph, both styles, ‘intent’ or ‘block’, are currently considered correct. Some people start the paragraphs on the left margin without leaving any space (indentation) and some of them think it is okay to leave some space on the left side.
The scientific expression prefers everything in a systematic and orderly way. A letter, therefore, must be written under the rules discussed above to bring effectiveness in communication.
association of ideas
The ideas and facts mentioned in the letter must be interrelated. It should be well planned so that the reader can easily understand it. The writer must address various facts one by one. You must prepare a diagram in his mind and work on it. Consistency in writing makes it interesting and positively affects the reader. Therefore, the association or interconnection of ideas is a point in favor of good business communication.
courtesy and optimism
Politeness and optimism are the watchwords in the business world. Business correspondence should be conducted in a courteous tone. Politeness costs nothing but pays big dividends. Courtesy wins sympathy, respect and mutual understanding. Everyone likes to be treated nicely, so pay attention to it. ‘Please’, ‘we appreciate’, ‘thank you’, ‘sorry’, ‘could we’, etc., are certain words that convey politeness or politeness and prompt the reader to respond to the writer in a similar way.