3.4: Writing Letters

Learning Objectives

  • Explore when letters are used for communications
  • Identify the parts of effective letters
  • Plan, write, revise, and edit letters that are organized, complete, and tailored to specific audiences

When Are Letters Used for Workplace Communications?

As one of the most formal documents you can send, a letter conveys a high degree of respect to its recipient. Sending a letter is your way of saying that the recipient matters. Letters are usually one- to two-page documents sent to people or organizations outside of the organization from which they’re sent whereas memos are equivalent documents for formal communications within an organization.

Although we use email for many of the occasions when we used to send letters, they are still used for several purposes for letter-writing including the following:

  • Cover letters to employers in job applications
  • Thank-you letters and other goodwill expressions
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Letters of transmittal to introduce reports or proposals
  • Campaign initiatives, such as for fundraising or political advocacy
  • Official announcements of products, services, and promotions to customers
  • Claims and other complaints sent to companies to create a formal paper-trail record as evidence in case matters escalate into the court system
  • Formal rejection notices to job or program applicants
  • Collection notices to people with overdue payments

In these cases, letters offer the advantage of formality, confidentiality (it’s illegal to open someone else’s mail), and a record of evidence.

What Are the Considerations When Choosing Letters?

Table 3.4.A. captures some of the advantages, disadvantages, and expectations that you should consider when determining whether a letter is the best form of communication for your audience and purpose.

Advantages Disadvantages Expectations/Considerations
  • Shows respect through formality and effort
  • Ensures confidentiality when sealed in an envelope and delivered to the recipient’s physical address (it is illegal to open someone else’s mail)
  • Can introduce other physical documents (enclosures)
  • Is slow to arrive at the recipient’s address depending on how far away they are from the sender
  • Can be intercepted or tampered with in transit (albeit illegally)
  • Can be overlooked as junk mail
  • Is time-consuming to print, sign, seal, and send for delivery
  • Costs more than email
  • Follow conventions for different types of letters and provide the sender’s and recipient’s address, date, recipient salutation, closing salutation, and author’s signature
  • Use company letterhead template when writing on behalf of your organization

Table 3.4.A: Letter Advantages, Disadvantages, Expectations, and Considerations

What Are the Guidelines for Writing Letters?

There are two main types of letters: block-style letters and modified-block style. Though you may see minor format variations from company to company, both types of letters have a number of major parts.

Guideline #1: Include a return address or use company letterhead
Guideline #2: Include a Date Line
Guideline #3: Include a Recipient Address
Guideline #4: Consider a Subject Reference
Guideline #5: Include an Opening Salutation
Guideline #6: Include an Closing Salutation
Guideline #7: Include a Signature and Signature Block
Guideline #8: Note Enclosures
Guideline #9: Proofread and Format Carefully

TRY IT

Exercise 3.4.A: Write Effective Letters

Write a cover letter. 

Find a job that you are interested in, and write a cover letter for it. Ensure that the letter is written correctly, using a formal style that applies the guidelines shared on this page.

References & Attributions

References 

Doyle, A. (2018, April 6). How to format a business letter. The Balance Careers. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-format-a-business-letter-2062540

Leuca, A. (2008, March 13). Modified block business letter. Savvy Business Correspondence.com. http://www.savvy-business-correspondence.com/ModifiedBlockBizLetter.html

Purdue OWL. (n.d.). Writing the basic business letter. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/01/

Attributions

Content on this page is adapted from 4.3: Writing Business Letters by Melissa Ashman; Arley Cruthers; eCampusOntario; Ontario Business Faculty; and University of Minnesota, which is is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

 

License

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Writing in a Technical Environment (First Edition) Copyright © 2022 by Centennial College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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