The need and demand to write effective letters has existed for long as a means of communication between two individuals. It holds a key importance in all aspects of life including social, personal, and professional.
However, in the present days, the importance of letters has been overpowered by the electronic media including phones, mobiles, and emails. These medium do not actually require writing a letter to put across an individual’s point of view but even then it is believed that the impact an effective letter can generate is unique in its own way.
If anyone wishes to streamline their communication and put across their point of view, then no electronic media can dominate the power of an effective and well-constructed letter.
Initiating the letter is the most challenging thing. Many people are often confused how to start the letter and some are paralyzed at the prospect of having to fill the sheet. After that another important tip to start effective letter writing is to draft a letter. Drafting is a rough sheet or an early version of the actual writing piece. In the sheet the individual can write all the words and sentences that come to his or her mind and then form a rough piece of the final letter. Write and re-write again and again so as to get a final edited version. Then, it is important that the writer knows the purpose of the letter that should be clear, precise, and effective. The purpose of the letter should be in the mind of the writer and should be presented in a way that it potentially reaches the mind of the reader.
Then another important aspect is the type of content. The content should be well organized in a form of effective paragraphs. The paragraph should be short and precise with simple and contemporary language. The spellings and grammar should also be checked again and again with utmost care. Vocabulary should also be within the experiential domain that the readers can easily understand. Use of language should be in accordance to the type of letter. For business letters, usage of formal language is appropriate with catchy headlines in order to draw the attention of potential reader.
Then, another important aspect is the length of the letter. In the busy lifestyle today, people don’t prefer reading long letters. So, the content should be brief and explanative, whilst putting across the actual point of view or the purpose of the letter. Some even put bullets in official letters to put across some important points in a precise and straightforward manner.
The letter should be ended with a clear conclusion or an ending statement. When the final copy is ready, read the letter twice or thrice to check out few errors and then rectify those effectively.