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The
Seven Cs of Business Letter Writing
Effective letter writing boils down to knowing why you are writing
a letter, understanding your reader's needs and then clearly writing
what you need to say. Every letter should be clear, human, helpful
and as friendly as the topic allows. The best letters have a conversational
tone and read as if you were talking to your reader. In brief
then, discover the Seven-Cs of letter writing. You should be,
• Clear
• Concise
• Correct
• Courteous
• Conversational
• Convincing
• Complete
When you write a letter, you are trying to convince someone to
act or react in a positive way. Your reader will respond quickly
only if your meaning is crystal clear.
Put yourself in the reader's shoes and write in a friendly and
helpful tone. Don't represent your company as one that cannot
make a mistake and must always be in the right. Try not to reply
in the normal bland and defensive way of organizations-write a
sincere and helpful letter.
Show you are interested in the reader's circumstances. If he or
she has mentioned something personal in the letter, refer to it
in your reply. This builds a bridge between you and the reader.
Read the original letter carefully and see if there is something
you can put in your letter to show your interest.
Important parts
• letter head or typed heading
• date
• inside address
• salutation
• body text
• Complimentary closing
• signature
• typed name
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