Characteristics of business letter

A business letter is a formal written letter which is sent from one business organization to the other. The characteristics a business letter depends upon the message it holds. The major feature of a business letter is that it transfers a business message from one organization to the other. Secondly, the general information enclosed in a business letter includes date of writing; return address, recipients address, salutation/greeting, message, closing and signature. Moreover, a business letter is free from grammatical mistakes, layman language and informal content.

Good Business Writing Tip #1: Be as brief and concise as possible. Resist the urge to impress your readers by using jargon or "big" Words-this will all be lost in the decoding of the message you are trying to send. Use plain English and avoid slang and abbreviations. Always keep your audience in mind. The trick to good, brief business writing is to avoid long sentences. This will also make it easier for your audience to pay attention and correctly interpret your message.

Good Business Writing Tip #2: Organization is key. Establish the main point of your business writing and state that in the introduction. Then, hit all of your main points and make sure to back them up with evidence. In your conclusion, be sure to sign off with a request for feedback and action. Most of your business writing will be requesting action on the part of your audience, unless it's a simple thank-you letter. Use lots of nouns and verbs to create stronger language, and use a conversational tone while avoiding humor and intimacy.

Good Business Writing Tip #3: Proofread, proofread, proofread. Let your business writing sit for a day or two before returning to it with fresh eyes. Carefully proofread and edit your writing quickly, but be as thorough as possible. Let a colleague look at it as well-it will be easier for them to spot grammatical and spelling errors because their eyes have never seen it before. If there are many errors in this article, it will decrease your credibility.