3 Incredible Tips on How to Write Business Letters

Your business uses letters to correspond with your clients and suppliers, advertise your products, and let your stakeholders know what's going on with your company. Effective business letters will enhance the reputation of your business, so take the time to learn how to write them well.

1) Always Use Proper Grammar

You want your business to be taken seriously by your customers, so represent your ideas with correctly spelled words and flawless grammar. Your suppliers also deserve the same attention to detail. Spelling and grammar errors hamper the readability of your document, which forces your audience to try to decipher your meaning rather than it being stated clearly for them. It may seem simplistic, but your letters will appear much more professional if your readers do not have to stumble over spelling and grammar mistakes.

2) Keep it Concise

A business letter that drones on and on will not keep the attention of your readers. Resist the temptation to over-explain yourself or overly praise the virtues of your business, products, or services. Your audience simply will not take the time to read a business letter that is too wordy.

To really get your message heard, find a shorter way to convey your meaning. Explain yourself using short sentences with a couple of effective adjectives. Emphasize your key points with catchy phrases. Avoid repeating the same message over and over again.

To really improve readability, monitor the length of your paragraphs. For example, if your first message contains a paragraph with seven long sentences, set a goal to reduce it to five short ones. It may take some time, but the result will be a more readable, more effective business letter.

Try using a readability formula to get an idea of how easy it is to understand your document. Most word processors contain readability results right in their grammar checkers. Aim for a Flesch Reading Ease score between 40% and 60%. To learn how to calculate readability yourself, visit ReadabilityFormulas.com

3) Use the Right Materials

Plain copier paper is flimsy and will not send a message of quality to your audience. Opt instead to print your business letters on heavier, high quality printer paper. Quality paper holds ink better and feels crisper in the hands of your readers, which will enhance their opinion of your company's professionalism.

Before printing, make sure that your ink cartridges are full, especially if you require colored ink for your logo or a graphic. If you do not have enough of the right colors, your words and pictures will look faded and distorted. Having enough of the right inks will make your letters look sharp and professional. If you're printing a large volume of letters (for a mass mail-out, for example), consider going to a printer to make sure your letters all turn out well.

In the eyes of your customers and suppliers, your business letters are a reflection of your business practices. Therefore, take the time to make them look professional. The result will be a more readable document that produces better results for your business.

3 Incredible Tips on How to Write Business Letters

Your business uses letters to correspond with your clients and suppliers, advertise your products, and let your stakeholders know what's going on with your company. Effective business letters will enhance the reputation of your business, so take the time to learn how to write them well.

1) Always Use Proper Grammar

You want your business to be taken seriously by your customers, so represent your ideas with correctly spelled words and flawless grammar. Your suppliers also deserve the same attention to detail. Spelling and grammar errors hamper the readability of your document, which forces your audience to try to decipher your meaning rather than it being stated clearly for them. It may seem simplistic, but your letters will appear much more professional if your readers do not have to stumble over spelling and grammar mistakes.

2) Keep it Concise

A business letter that drones on and on will not keep the attention of your readers. Resist the temptation to over-explain yourself or overly praise the virtues of your business, products, or services. Your audience simply will not take the time to read a business letter that is too wordy.

To really get your message heard, find a shorter way to convey your meaning. Explain yourself using short sentences with a couple of effective adjectives. Emphasize your key points with catchy phrases. Avoid repeating the same message over and over again.

To really improve readability, monitor the length of your paragraphs. For example, if your first message contains a paragraph with seven long sentences, set a goal to reduce it to five short ones. It may take some time, but the result will be a more readable, more effective business letter.

Try using a readability formula to get an idea of how easy it is to understand your document. Most word processors contain readability results right in their grammar checkers. Aim for a Flesch Reading Ease score between 40% and 60%. To learn how to calculate readability yourself, visit ReadabilityFormulas.com

3) Use the Right Materials

Plain copier paper is flimsy and will not send a message of quality to your audience. Opt instead to print your business letters on heavier, high quality printer paper. Quality paper holds ink better and feels crisper in the hands of your readers, which will enhance their opinion of your company's professionalism.

Before printing, make sure that your ink cartridges are full, especially if you require colored ink for your logo or a graphic. If you do not have enough of the right colors, your words and pictures will look faded and distorted. Having enough of the right inks will make your letters look sharp and professional. If you're printing a large volume of letters (for a mass mail-out, for example), consider going to a printer to make sure your letters all turn out well.

In the eyes of your customers and suppliers, your business letters are a reflection of your business practices. Therefore, take the time to make them look professional. The result will be a more readable document that produces better results for your business.

3 Incredible Tips on How to Write a Policies and Procedures Manual

Writing a policies and procedures manual can be a time-consuming, difficult task. Worse, even after you've put all that effort in, it will still likely be tedious to read. To make your policies and procedures more readable, take a look at the following helpful suggestions:

1) First Policy, Then Procedure

How does one define "policy?" What about "procedure?" Simply put, a policy is a rule developed by your company. A procedure establishes the correct method of following your company's policies.

For optimum comprehension, explain your policies before you explain their corresponding procedures. As an example, let's say that you're writing a policies and procedures manual for teachers in a high school. One important policy might be: "We always treat students with respect." The procedures that result from such a policy could be: "Speak to unruly students calmly and explain that their behavior is unacceptable. If they refuse to cooperate, send them to the principal's office. Avoid raising your voice or insulting the student."

In the above case, the procedures might make less sense if they had not been preceded by the overarching policy. By stating your policy first, you'll set up your readers to see the matter from your point of view. Then, once you've explained the procedures that go along with that policy, they will better understand what the policy means and how to act within its confines.

2) Write for Your Audience

Every policy and procedure will not always apply to each of your employees. Therefore, when you're writing, keep in mind the audience for whom the policies and procedures are intended.

Using the same high school example, let's assume another policy is: "Teachers must volunteer to lead one extra-curricular student activity." This will be a very important section for your teachers to read, but what about your school's caretakers and administrative staff? Clearly, such a policy does not apply to them.

This is not to say that you have to write a separate policies and procedures manual for every category of employee in your company. However, do organize the contents of your manual under subheadings that direct employees to read the areas that apply to them. A high school manual might have the headings "For All Employees," "For Teachers Only," "For Caretakers," etc. Be sure to include a table of contents so that your employees can find the policies and procedures they need to read.

3) Use Proper Grammar and Spelling

Correct spelling and grammar are the cornerstones of a successful policies and procedures manual. Your readers will have a much easier time absorbing such a complex document if the meaning isn't clouded with spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and typos. Take all the time necessary to get it right.

A well-run organization uses its policies and procedures as a backbone to support and guide the activities its members. Your document simply must be easy to read and structured for your audience. It's intuitive: if your policies and procedures document is well organized and grammatically flawless, your employees will be more likely to take its contents seriously.