Letter Etiquette

Letter etiquette is an important part of letter writing. A letter is a silent spokesperson and thus, must be written with extreme care and caution. A letter can be written for personal purposes or for business reasons. They say, letter writing is an art because the only the one writing the letter has the power of words to communicate with the addressee. A sloppy letter, never makes a point and leaves a bad impression on the reader.

Letter Writing Etiquette

Clear
The first rule of letter etiquette is clarity. This rule applies while writing both, business as well as personal letters. Without clarity a letter would be mere beating around the bush. This is primarily the reason why, a business letter has a subject line. This line brings attention to the bone of contention. This way the reader doesn't have to waste time in reading the letter, line-by-line and word-by-word.

Concise
A long letter is similar to a tortuously boring soliloquy. Thus, keep it short and sweet. A letter, professional or personal, must have short sentences, simple language and exact matter. Any form of verbosity, and the letter will be lost in translation. So, cut it short and keep it concise.

Correct
It is extremely essential that you provide the addressee with the correct details. While writing a sales letter or a letter of requisition for goods, it is very much possible that data can be misquoted. Also do keep your grammar in check while writing a letter. This can lead to misunderstanding, sabotaging the essence of nonverbal communication.

Courteous
You might be very tempted to use abusive language while writing a letter of complain. But, trust me, it's not going to work. Good manners and politeness are an integral part of letter writing etiquette. Using vehement language to complain, will vex the addressee. Instead, using phrases such as 'let me explain' or 'this is to inform you', will help in getting the work done.

Conversational
Being conversational while writing a letter, doesn't mean scripting an imaginary conversation. Making references such as: 'thank you for your letter of 8th March 1998, which has been passed to me for my attention', will add a tinge of emotions to the letter. Expressing regret, pleasure, anger, content and dismay, add an element of curiosity to the letter.

Convincing
Since the whole idea of letter is to communicate, convincing becomes an inseparable part of the same. The same is true in business letters such as proposals, offer letter, quotations, letters of complain, letters of request and apology letters. You must once again summarize all the key points and state the message in courteous and clear words.

Complete
A complete letter means a letter which states the facts, explains the same and makes a point. Do not deviate from the subject, by making vague references. This leads to confusion and languor, while reading the letter.

Lastly, do not forget writing the correct name, date and address. An incorrectly spelled name can be taken as an offense by the addressee.