COMMUNICATION ASSESSMENT FILE

TITLE:

EFFECTIVE LETTER WRITING

Submitted To: Submitted By:

MS. LEKHA RANI SINGH Sourabh Agarwal

DEPARTMENT: AICC B.TECH- 3IT-1

A2305309043

ASET

AMITY UNIVERSITY

INTRODUCTION

It is said that letter writing is nothing but an art. Even though letters have transformed into e-mails and SMSes, the art still remains, only the medium has changed. Letters can be broadly classified into formal letters and informal letters. As the name suggests, formal letters include business letters, official letters, applications, complaints, letter to editors, letters written to people whom we want to convey certain important information. On the other hand, informal letters include personal letters, letters that are written to our friends and family. While formal letters follow certain format, one can be flexible while writing informal letters. Nonetheless, letter writing is a skill that needs to be honed over time with practice. It is a pleasurable task once you know the basic rules.

BASICS OF LETTER WRITING

Formal Letter Writing:

You need to write your full name, address and date before you begin the letter.

Address the person you are writing the letter to with correct name and designation.

It is always advisable to start the letter with ‘Respected Sir/Madam’ or ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ and then mention the name and the address.

Before beginning to write the letter you must state the purpose of the letter in one line titled ‘Subject’.

Your letter should be very crisp giving out only that information which is required.

You letter should state action/information required/supplied or requesting action to be taken.

While closing, do not forget to end your letter politely by using phrases like ‘thanking you’ and undersigning your letter using ‘Yours faithfully/sincerely’ (Name).

This is the basic structure of a letter. You can modify it according to the purpose for which it is written and the person to whom it is addressed. For example, if you are writing a letter for job application, then you may need to attach your resume along with the letter and also mention the same in it.

Informal Letter Writing:

Write your full name and address even if it is an informal letter.

Divide your letter in small paragraphs.

Keep your writing simple.

Make a good choice of words especially if you are writing an apology letter or a letter to express your condolences in case of a death.

Most people close the letter with phrases like ‘Yours affectionately/With love/All the best/Take care’ etc.

COMMON MISTAKES IN LETTER WRITING

Some of the very common errors according to a survey were:

1. Addressing letters, “Dear Sir:” or “Dear Sirs:” As you know, many readers today are women. If gender is unclear, the salutation should be something like “Dear Hiring Manager,” or “Dear Human Resources Manager.”

2. Addressing letters, “To whom it may concern.” Find out who will receive the correspondence, and address it personally. One company received a letter addressed to “Dear Whomever,” to which an employee replied, “I'll answer to anything but this!”

3. Enclosing a photo. Skip the photo unless you’re a model or an aspiring actor.

4. Handwriting or typing over an old resume or letterhead. If you’ve moved, start over. Changes on old documents aren’t acceptable.

5. No signature. Even if you type your name at the end of correspondence, you should sign the page in your own handwriting to give it a personal touch.

6. Spelling errors. One applicant said he was well suited for “writting and editing chores... contac t (sic) me at the adrwss (sic) below.” Would you give him your editing work? Another writer said she would enjoy “hearing form (sic) us.” Word processing spell checkers make mistakes; so proof everything.

7. Not checking grammar. One person wrote, “It sounds exciting and give me (sic) the opportunity to use my skills.” Check your letters for correct sentence structure. Have friends review them too.

8. Handwriting letters. Brief 30-word thank you notes can be handwritten, if legible. All other correspondence should be typewritten or word processed, even if you have to borrow a word processor or pay a secretarial service. Handwritten letters don't say “business.”

9. Using a Post-It Brand Note as a letter. Post-It Brand Notes aren't letters. Using one says, “This isn't important. I was too busy to write a real letter.”

10. Using the word “I” too much. Some letters are filled with 20 or 30 I’s. Make sure yours aren’t. Advertising is about “you.” Emphasize “you” rather than “I.”

11. FAXing letters unexpectedly.

12. Forgetting to include your phone number. One woman wrote, “Please call me at home,” but didn't include a phone number.

13. Cluttered desktop publishing. With the advent of PCs, some job seekers feel the urge to “be creative” using various type sizes and fonts. Avoid this in business correspondence. Except in rare cases, business letters should look conservative. Creativity should be shown only in choice of words.

14. Using a post office box as an address. Except in rare cases, such as conducting a confidential job search, use a street address. Post office boxes seem “transient.”

15. Oddball phrasing, such as “an opportunity to expand my strengths and delete my weaknesses . . . ” Or, “You may feel that I'm a tad overqualified.” Or, “Enclosed herewith please find my resume.” Do you talk that way? You should write the way you talk. Avoid bad phrasing by having others critique your letters.

16. Typos, like “thankyou for your assistance.”

17. Mailing form letters. Some letters contain “fill in the blanks.” Generic forms don't work well.

18. Not saying enough. One want ad letter read, “Please accept my enclosed resume for the position of Executive Director. Thank you.” That’s too short. A letter is an opportunity to sell. So say something about yourself.

19. Ending with “Thank you for your consideration.” EVERYONE ends their letters this way, so please don't. Try something different, like “I'm excited about talking further,” or “I know I could do a good job for you.” The same goes for “Sincerely,” and “Sincerely yours.” EVERYONE uses them. Find something different like “Good wishes,” “With best regards,” or “With great enthusiasm.”

20. WRITING IN ALL CAPS. IT’S HARD TO READ. DON’T DO IT.

21. Abbreviating Cir., Ave., Dec., and all other words. Take time to spell words out. It looks so much better.

22. Forgetting to enclose your resume. If you say you’re enclosing one, then do.

23. Justifying right margins. When you “justify right,” you create large gaps between words inside your sentences.

24. Forgetting the date and/or salutation.

25. Using lousy printers. Whenever possible, use a laser printer, even if you have to borrow one.

26. Talking nonsense. “I work in instilling proper conduits for mainstream educational connections while also encouraging individual creative forms.” What?

27. Forgetting to put the letter in the envelope (one company once received an empty FedEx package).

28. The 300-word paragraph. The worst mistake in marketing is writing too long. Limit sentences to seven or eight words, and limit paragraphs to four or five lines. In letter writing, short is usually better. I try to limit my own letters to one page, seldom two. I believe if I can’t say it well in one page, I probably can’t say it well at all.

LETTER WRITING TECHNIQUES

Often the pen—or computer—really is mightier than the sword. And you don't have to be Shakespeare! Writing letters to newspapers, businesses, and legislators is an easy, effective way to help animals. Here's how ...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

You can get great exposure for animal rights issues by writing letters to the editors of newspapers or magazines. Not only will you be reaching thousands of readers, you will also be bringing your concerns to the attention of policymakers, who often refer to the opinion pages to learn what issues really matter to the public. It's easier than you might think.

Read local papers and magazines to get ideas for letters. Watch for articles, ads, or letters that mention animals. e.g. Ads for rodeos, circuses, and fur stores Articles about medical experiments on animalsFeatures about local humane groups or companion animal care, etc.

Letters don't have to be rebuttals. Circus in town? Noticing a lot of strays? Let people know how you feel. You can also use the calendar for inspiration: At Easter, tell readers why they shouldn't buy bunnies. On Mother's Day, remind your community of the animals whose babies are taken from them on factory farms.

Write on good news as well as bad. Thank the paper for its coverage of an anti-fur protest or for running profiles of animals available for adoption at shelters.

Be brief! Sometimes one pithy paragraph is enough. Three hundred words is the maximum length that most papers or magazines will allow without cutting, and it's better for you to do the cutting than for the editor to do it. The ideal length is 100 to 150 words (10 to 15 typed lines).

Type if possible. Otherwise, print legibly. Be sure to use correct grammar and spelling, and remember to have your letter proofread by someone with good language skills.

Make the first sentence catchy to get the readers' attention, and stick to one issue.

The letter should be timely. If you're responding to an article, send it no more than three days after the article was published.

Use information from PETA literature and our Web site to help you write your letters. Our materials are not copyrighted and may be distributed freely.

Make sure you include your name, address, and telephone number in your letter. Some newspapers verify authorship before printing letters.

Don't just send letters to the biggest paper in town. The smaller the paper, the better the chances of getting your letter printed. Small weekly papers can help you reach hundreds or even thousands of people.

Occasionally, you may have the chance to write an opinion piece for the local paper, especially if you are involved in a controversial campaign. These are longer articles of 500 to 800 words that summarize an issue, develop an argument, and propose a solution. Send the article to the editorial page editor with a cover letter explaining why it should be printed. The opinion piece has a better chance of getting printed if it is signed by someone prominent, even if you wrote it for him or her.

You can also write (or call) television and radio stations to protest the glorification of cruelty to animals or to compliment them on programs that promote animal rights. For example, after NBC's Today aired a show about how to kill lobsters, it reported that it had received more angry mail about that segment than it had for any other.

SOME TIPS ON STYLE

Increase your credibility by mentioning anything that makes you especially qualified to write on a topic.

For instance, "As a nutritionist, I know that a vegetarian diet is healthy," or "as a mother," or "as a former fur-wearer," or "as a cancer survivor," etc.

Try to tell readers something they're not likely to know (such as how chickens are raised to produce eggs) and suggest ways to take action (such as to stop buying eggs).

Whenever appropriate, include something for readers to do.

Keep personal grudges and name-calling out of letters; they'll hurt your credibility.

Don't give lip service to anti-animal arguments. Speak affirmatively.

Example: "It's not true that vegetarians are weaklings." Better: "Vegetarians are healthier and slimmer and live years longer than meat-eaters."

Avoid self-righteous language and exaggeration. Readers may dismiss arguments if they feel preached to or if the author sounds hysterical.Example: "Only a heartless sadist could continue to eat animals when any fool knows that animals' lives are snuffed out in screaming agony for the satisfaction of people who can't be bothered to take a moral stand." Better: "Most compassionate people would stop eating meat if they saw the miserable lives that animals raised for food endure."

Don't assume your audience knows the issues.Example: "Don't support the cruel veal industry." Better: "Calves who are factory-farmed for veal are tethered in small stalls and kept in complete darkness. Their mothers also endure sad fates, starting with the loss of their infants a few days after birth."

Inclusive language helps your audience identify with you.Example: "Eating meat is bad for your health." Better: "We know that eating meat is bad for our health."

Use positive suggestions rather than negative commands.Example: "Don't go to the circus." Better: "Let's take our families to non-animal circuses."

Personalize your writing with anecdotes and visual images.Example: "Steel-jaw traps can trap an animal by the face, leg, or stomach." Better: "Have you ever seen a yearling fox with her face caught in a steel-jaw trap? I have, which is how I know that traps tear into animals' faces, legs, and stomachs."

Avoid speciesist language. Instead of referring to an animal with an inanimate pronoun ("it" or "which"), use "she" or "he" and "who."

Avoid euphemisms ("negative reinforcement," "culling the herd"); say what you really mean ("painful electric shocks," "slaughtering deer").

Criticize the cruelty, not the newspaper.Example: "There is no excuse for your article promoting the circus." Better: "There is no excuse for the abuse that goes on in the circus."

LETTERS TO BUSINESSES

Use your clout as a consumer to protest companies that exploit animals. Tell cosmetics manufacturers that you will purchase other brands until they stop testing on animals, or tell a store that you won't shop there until it stops carrying live animals—and explain why. If a business offers a fur as a prize, explain why you object to wearing fur and ask the sponsor to offer a prize that does not cause animal suffering, such as a trip or jewelry.

LETTERS TO LEGISLATORS

While everyone is good at complaining about politics to their friends, too few citizens express their opinions to those who can do something about it: legislators. Constituent input really does make a difference.

The governor of Virginia vetoed a bill putting a bounty on coyotes because he received so much mail against it.

According to former member of Congress Billy Evans (D-Georgia), "Legislators estimate that 10 letters from constituents represent the concerns of 10,000 citizens. Anybody who will take the time to write is voicing the fears and desires of thousands more."

If that's not enough to convince you, ask yourself this: If you don't communicate with the officials representing you, who will? While you're complaining to your friends about gruesome animal experiments, someone who disagrees with you is communicating with your representatives.

You're probably not going to single-handedly convince your legislators to outlaw the fur trade. But many legislators share your objectives and just need to be convinced that there is sufficient public support before putting their necks on the line. The Advocacy Institute explains: "When votes are secured or changed, it's most likely the aroused constituent-activists—the grassroots—who can claim the credit."

Here's How to Make Our Voice Count:

Find out who your federal and state representatives are.

Identify yourself as a concerned citizen, not as a member of an organization; legislators want to get feedback from their constituents, not lobbyists.

Keep letters brief—no more than one page. If you're writing about a specific bill, mention in the first paragraph the bill's name (and number if you know it) and whether you support or oppose it. Include reasons and supporting data in the next paragraph or two. Conclude by asking for a response.

Focus on a specific topic. Don't ask the legislator just to "support animal rights bills." Very few legislators vote in favor of all animal protection bills, because different issues are at stake with each one.

Be polite and concise. Keep everything relevant to the bill or issue in question. Never be threatening or insulting. Remember, each letter pertaining to a particular piece of legislation is usually counted as a "yes" or "no."

Don't get overwhelmed by the project. Just get those letters written and in the mail! As few as 10 letters on any one topic can sway a legislator's vote. Several hours of letter writing every month can make a big impact. And don't be discouraged if you receive unfavorable responses; the more we communicate with public officials, the sooner they'll change their positions.

SOME EXAMPLES OF POPULAR FORMS

Formal Letter:

Informal Letter: