A recipient should be able to quickly scan your business letter for the information she needs.
Business letters need to be accurate, concise and error-free. The old business adage "time is money" aptly describes business writing: the more time people spend reading and understanding business communications, the less time they have to make money. In business correspondence, transparency equals efficiency. The meaning of a sentence should become clear as a person is reading it; rereading wastes time. Ensure clarity, conciseness and organization by drafting your business letters before you write them.
Instructions
1. Jot down the characteristics of your audience. Who your audience is affects the tone, style, length and diction of your business letter. If the recipient works in the same field as you, you can safely use terms specific to your line of work, knowing he will understand. If the letter is to a client, however, avoid technical vocabulary unfamiliar to him.
2. Write down the needs of your audience. You can construct your business letter one of two ways, with a direct approach or an indirect approach, according to "A Concise Guide to Technical Communication." Write most business letters as directly as possible; if a person requires specifications or instructions, a direct approach is suitable. However, if you are conveying bad news, an indirect approach is more appropriate. For example, if you are informing a client you will be raising fees, letting an employee go or denying a staff member a raise, consider the indirect approach, which saves the bad news until the end, after you have established your case. This lets the recipient down gently.
3. Determine the tone of your letter based on your audience's needs. If the reader is seeking a price quote, you can write factually and efficiently. If the recipient is expecting an apology, your tone should be regretful, without sounding insincere.
4. Organize the order of information that needs to go in the letter and craft a clear topic sentence that states the purpose of the letter. Place topic sentences in bad news letters closer to the end. In all other letters, get right to the point.
5. List the information to follow and divide into paragraphs.
