Techniques of Letter Writing and the Approaches ( Process)

Techniques of Letter Writing

A. Prewriting:

1. Determine your objective

2. Gather data 

3. Answering the reporter’s questions. 

• Who is your audience?

                        -High-tech audience

                        – Low-tech audience

                        – Lay reader

– Management

– Subordinate

• Why are you writing?
  • What do you want the reader to do next?
  • When do you want the reader to act?
  • Why is this date important?  

B. Writing:

Once you have gathered your data and determined your objectives, the next step in the process is to begin your rough draft. Doing so requires the following:

• Study the letter criteria. ( Introduction, Discussion, and Conclusion)
• Review your prewriting. Reviewing your prewriting will help you determine whether, in fact, you have provided the correct details. Have you deleted unnecessary information?
• Organize the data for your discussion paragraph(s).  Place the most important information first. But in bad-news letter, you need to begin your letter indirectly.
• Draft your correspondence. 
• Finally, after you have organized your information , the last step is to write your rough draft. If you worry about the correctness of every word while you write it, you will never complete a sentence.

C. Rewriting:

To revise your letters, consider the following revision criteria:

1. Add for clarity and correctness.

Check once again the following:

Reporter’s questions

Letter components

2. Delete for conciseness

 Delete irrelevant content. Get to your point immediately; delete the unneeded background data.

3. Simplify to aid easy understanding.

 You should avoid old-fashioned words and phrases, such as pursuant, accede, supersede, and in lieu with. Better use after, accept, replace, and instead of. This simplified style helps your readers understand your content, and that is the goal of good writing.

4. Reformat for reader-friendly ease of access.

5. Review your letter format.

Before you type your final copy, answer the following questions.

• Have you used enough white space?
• Should you underline a key word or phrase?
• Are bullets appropriate in your discussion paragraph, or should you use numbers instead?
• Would boldfacing help you draw attention to a key concern?

6. Enhance the letter’s tone.

If the letter is high-handed, abrupt, offensive, or mean spirited, then you must alter the tone.

To do so, add more pronouns, especially you-oriented ones; add positive words to give your letter and upbeat tone( optimistic tone).

7. Correct errors.

• Check and double-check your grammar
• check and double check your mathematical computations
• A mistake can cost your company money and your job
• Proofreading is boring, but save yourself from future problems by proofreading your letter.

Effective Business Writing ( Book)

A. Plan

B. Write

C. Complete

A. Plan:

• Analyze the Situation : Define your purpose and develop an audience profile.
  • Gather Information: Determine audience needs and obtain the information necessary to satisfy those needs
    • Select the Right Medium: Select the right medium( oral, written, visual, or electronic)
    • Organize the Information: Define your main idea, limit your scope, select a direct or an indirect approach, and outline your content. 

B. Write:

• Adapt to Your Audience:
• Be sensitive to audience needs by using a “ you” attitude, politeness, positive emphasis, and unbiased language. Build a strong relationship with your audience by establishing your credibility and projecting your company’s preferred image. Control your style with a conversational tone, plain English, and appropriate voice.
• Compose the Message: Choose strong words that will help you create effective sentences and coherent paragraphs.

C. Complete:

1. Revise the Message:

Evaluate content and review readability, edit and rewrite for conciseness and clarity.

2. Produce the Message:

Use effective design elements and suitable layout for a clean, professional appearance.

3. Proofread the message:

Review for errors in layout, spelling, and mechanics.

4. Distribute the Message:

Deliver your message using the chosen medium: make sure all documents and all relevant files are distributed successfully.