Modern business correspondence is no longer the formal stationery that it was in previous decades. It has a place for effective communication, emotions, and assessments. With a single amendment - all communication takes place in an official business style.
The rules for writing business letters, samples of correctly composed appeals, and an analysis of the most common mistakes in business correspondence can be found in this article.
Modern business correspondence is a process of communication in a business and official environment using official letters. Letters can be sent not only by e-mail but also in messengers and chats.
Business correspondence can solve many tasks: from welcoming a new employee to finding new partners and closing large-scale deals. It is most often used for:
The rules of writing a letter may change depending on the context and its type. By content, business letters are divided into the following types:
Type of business letter |
Description |
Information letter |
Contains information of a business nature: instructions, rules, regulatory documents, etc. |
Notification letter |
The key purpose of notification letters is to communicate changes that have occurred. An example of a business letter with a message can be information about a change in payment details, the company's address, the presence of debt, etc. |
Cover Letter |
It is used when sending documentation that does not have an address component. |
Claim letter |
It is made in the event of violation of previously agreed conditions of cooperation by one of the parties. The goal is to receive compensation for damages. In accordance with the rules of correspondence, documents confirming the existence of a violation and having probative value are attached to such a letter. |
Application |
Sent for the purpose of obtaining information, documents or official data. An example of such a service letter can be a request to provide a product catalog of products with prices or terms of cooperation. |
Informative letter |
Informs about the upcoming event, invites to participate in it. It must contain information about the date and place of the event, the program, organizational points. |
Request |
One of the most common types of business letters. It is used if the company needs to receive additional information about services or goods, to agree on further actions within the framework of cooperation, etc. |
Response |
Such letters are in response to letters of inquiry, requests and notifications. They can be both positive and negative. |
This is not an exhaustive list of possible types of business letters. Disassembly of official notices can be extremely diverse and contain, for example, invitation notices, thanks, congratulations, guarantee notices, rejection letters, and other impersonal types of official correspondence.
The general structure of the presentation of a service letter, for the most part, looks like this:
The standard length of a letter, with the exception of greetings and farewells, is 4–10 sentences, divided into paragraphs according to content.
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Compliance with the rules of business correspondence, unfortunately, does not always guarantee the effectiveness of communication. Very often, senders make mistakes that reduce the effectiveness of written communication. Let's consider in more detail the most common among them.
The subject creates a first impression and sets the tone for further communication. It should reveal the request and attract the attention of the recipient - the speed of the response and its availability in general depend on this.
What not to do:
The optimal length of the subject is up to seven words, which reflect the purpose of the official appeal and are a sample of a well-written letter.
With the help of the structure, the sender places semantic accents, highlights the main thoughts, and makes reading and perception of information as comfortable as possible for the recipient. If the sender does not know how to properly format the letter according to the standard structure, the addressee will have to make their way through the flow of the sender's thoughts.
What not to do:
Before writing a letter, it is necessary to clearly define its purpose and make an approximate structure.
Although formal letters involve the use of a business style, correspondence should still be understandable to both parties. Simple and clear appeals should be made, without complex constructions and phrases that can be interpreted twice or mislead the recipient.
Avoid in your letters:
Competent writing of a letter is a sign of respect for the recipient and an example of showing respect for a business partner. Errors, even if they are caused by autocorrect or are trivial typographical errors, indicate that the sender did not burden himself with proofreading the text and correcting mistakes.
What to avoid in official letters:
If necessary, text literacy can be checked through special services, such as text.ru, Advego, "Orfogramka" or even using standard Google Docs tools.
A sample of writing an official letter with a proposal to fill an open vacancy:
An example of a formal Appreciation Letter:
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Business correspondence has its own rules, the implementation of which helps to maintain a business reputation and establish effective communication. Follow the correct form and structure of writing a letter, remove stationery, watch the tone, and be sure to proofread the text before sending, and your communication in the professional sphere will allow you to consolidate your professional status and help you win new partners.