How to write letters and emails effectively?

The purpose of this article is to help professionals and future managers in email and letter writing process. 

How to give your written communication an extra punch?

Some pointers to help you write hard-hitting business or personal documents:

• Time spent on planning your communications will pay dividends. Make a rough draft of what you want to write or say, so that you can experiment with various versions. Remember that language is important because the words you choose convey your attitudes as well as information.
• Get to the point from the beginning. Cut the small talk and make a good impression by being crisp and business-like. Documents that do not do this waste the readers’ time and may end up in the waste bin or ‘Recycle Bin’.
• Use straightforward language rather than jargon. People prefer to be treated as human beings, not computers! Technical language has its place, but it is impersonal and should be used only when necessary.
• Use sentences that are short and to the point, not sentences that ramble on and cannot quite decide what they want to say or how to say it – like this one!
• Steer clear of the passive voice, since it is an indirect way of speaking and creates distance between you and your audience or reader. For example, if you say, “We will attend to your order promptly,” that promotes more confidence than if you say, “Your order will be attended to soonest.” This lacks the personal touch and may give the impression that you do not want to accept responsibility for your work.
• It is very important that you think about the audience you are writing or speaking to and make a real effort to communicate with them.
• A basic issue that business people sometimes ignore is spelling. Incorrect spelling makes a poor impression. If you are unsure about the spelling of any words you have used it is worth the trouble of running a spell check on your computer. However, computer dictionaries are often limited and therefore many technical terms may still need to be checked manually.
• Correct grammar is as important as spelling. Some word processors now have grammar checkers that operate in the same way as spell checkers.
• Finally, always read carefully through a talk or letter to check for typographical and other errors. Are the facts and dates accurate? Reading aloud is a good idea, because you can hear how the communication sounds: the ear provides a cross-check for what the eye may have missed.

If you want a book on writing effective emails (my favorite) for improving your written communication you can consider ordering the book titled – The Business Letter Handbook (How to Write Effective Letters & Memos For Every Business Situation) – Purchase Online from flipkart.com

Author: Vineet Patawari

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1. Writing Effective Emails
2. How to improve your vocabulary?
3. Managing Your Time Effectively