Professional Letter Writing

Professional Letter Writing When you learn the basics of professional letter writing, you will soon notice that you have a skill that many business people do not have. Professional letter writing is just as important into today’s society as it was when guidelines for this standard of writing were set. This article outlines some tips that will help you to write effective and professional letters to your clients, other business, and your affiliates. Beginning a Professional Letter Professional letter writing begins with a proper greeting to your intended reader. It is important to address a person correctly when writing a letter. How you begin your letter sets the stage for how your reader will accept the letter. For instance, if you start a letter with â€Å"Hey there,† the person reading the letter will not be enthusiastic to read the rest of the letter because they feel unappreciated. On the other hand, if you begin your letter with, â€Å"Dear Mrs. Smith,† the reader will know that you have acknowledged them personally. Here are examples for opening a professional letter: Dear Ms. Smith: If you do not know if the reader is married or not Dear Mrs. Smith: If you are sure the lady reader is married Dear Mr. Smith: For any male whether married or not Dear Dr. Smith: If the reader hold this degree, whether they are male or female To Whom It May Concern: If you do not know if the letter is going to be read by a male or female The Body of the Letter The body of your letter is extremely important because this is where you convey your thoughts. Professional letter writing demands that you use grammatically correct sentences and that your spelling is impeccable. Be sure to use the spell check function on your word processor before sending off a letter to someone. Your thoughts must be organized and flow smoothly in your letter. If a letter is hard for the reader to understand, they may ignore the letter or simply toss it aside for another time. If possible, each point or new discussion in your letter should begin a new paragraph. Closing a Professional Letter Professional letter writing begins with an appropriate beginning, and, thus, must end with an appropriate closing. There are many options for how you choose to end your letter, but the main thing to remember is the right way to write out a closing. Take a look at these examples: Sincerely yours, Best regards, Yours truly, Best wishes, Do you notice any similarities in these four examples? The first word is capitalized, while the second word is not. This is the correct way to end a letter. Do not capitalize both words. A closing statement should feel comfortable to you, or go with the flow of your letter. In professional letter writing, the term â€Å"Sincerely yours,† and â€Å"Best regards,† are more suited when you do not personally the person that you wrote. The other two examples would make good closing statements for a friend or colleague. Professional letter writing becomes easier the more you practice using it, and it should become a habit, if you are serious about how you present yourself to others.