Letter Writing

• Letter is a written message.

• We write a letter to persons who are far away from
us.
• We want to convey our message to them in a clear
and forceful manner.
• The exchange of written or printed communication.
• Writing letters is considered to be an easy thing to do.
• But very few write really good letters.
• A good letter should follow all the rules of good
conversation and good composition.
Types of Letters

• Personal Letters:
Personal Letters / Social Letters / Informal Letters
written to Relatives & Friends. Eg : Invitations etc.

• Business Letters:
Business Letters/Formal Letters written by the traders,
firms, companies etc. for business purposes. E.g. : Leave
Letter, Ordering Letter etc.

Official Letters:
Letter of application, Letter to Government Officials,
Letter to Newspapers, Job Applications, Recommendation
Letter, Reference Letter, Termination letter etc
Types of Personal Letters

• Apologies
• Appreciation and Thank You: For favors, kindness
• Congratulations
• Personal Complaints
• Invitations
• Offering Condolences
(sympathy or get well)
Guidelines for Writing Apologies:

• Write as soon as possible after the incident.

• Apologize, but do not go overboard by saying, "I am very, very,
very sorry."
• Keep it simple and to the point. Summarize what you are
apologizing for, and apologize only for the particular situation or
problem. Be brief.
• Apologize cheerfully and sincerely. Do not express feelings of
guilt.
• Explain what you will do to correct the mistake or situation.
• Do not put blame on another person and do not blame problems
on computer errors or carelessness.
Guidelines for writing personal appreciation / thank you
letters:

State what you appreciate and briefly explain why.

Do not add other news or information not related to the

appreciative gesture

Be brief, warm, and sincere. (Two to three lines should suffice.)

Example: Thank you for the character reference you
provided to Troy University on my behalf. I truly appreciate
your willingness to provide the reference, as well as your
time and attention to complete it. Again, thank you, and best
wishes. – Tina

Postcards may be used for short notes. Personal notes should

be handwritten.
When to Write a Personal Thank You, congratulations or
Appreciation Letters

To thank or show gratitude for:

• Gift
• Group efforts
• Introduction to other people
• Invitations to speak
• Helpful advice or suggestions
• Personal favors
• Recommendations for position or awards
• References
• Sympathy
• Volunteers
• Graduations
Letter Writing Components

• The Sender’s / Writer’s Address

• The Date
• An Inside Address for the Recipient/ Receiver's Address
• Subject line
• A Salutation
• The Body of the Letter
• A Complementary Close
• The Writer’s Signature
• Typed Names
SALES LETTER

Sales letter is used to convince the customers for an existing

product or a new particular product.

A sales letter should be persuasive and contain the main features

of the product.

GUIDELINES FOR SALES LETTER

• Get attention from attractive opening.

• Arouse interest in the product.
• Present reader benefit information.
• Close with a clincher sentence.
• Mention about enclosures if added.
CLAIM LETTER

A claim letter is also called as complaint letter.

It is written to rectify the mistakes made or wrongs done.

GUIDELINES FOR CLAIM LETTER

• Explain clearly what has gone wrong.

• Give sufficient data if necessary.
• Motivate prompt action.
• Specify clearly what adjustment you would consider fair.
Address the letter to a senior officer of the organization.
ADJUSTMENT LETTER

Adjustment letter is a reply to a claim letter. It should not be

sent in a moment of excitement or anger. Take sometime to
restore to one’s usual self before writing such letter.

GUIDELINES FOR ADJUSTMENT LETTER

• Convey good news first.

• Explain why things went wrong.
• Give additional information for the same product.
• Send new sales material about other product in which the
customer might be interested.
• Close the letter, emphasizing the action to be taken by
customer.
• Address the letter to the claimant by name.
COLLECTION LETTER

A collection letter is written to persuade the customers to

make them the delayed payment. Utmost tact should be
used in reminding them which should not affect the business
link.

GUIDELINES FOR COLLECTION LETTER

• Tone should be persuasive.

• Purpose is to get the money and maintain the business
link.
• Do not use straightforward language to ask for the
payment.
ENQUIRY LETTER

An enquiry letter is written to seek information from other

organizations. It may deal with a simple matter or a matter of
wider dimensions.

GUIDELINES FOR ENQUIRY LETTER

• Indicate the nature of enquiry at the beginning.

• State reasons for the enquiry.
• Clearly state what information you are seeking. Close with
a statement which would elicit quick response.
QUOTATION LETTER

A quotation letter is sent in reply to an enquiry letter. It should

contain point by point detailed information.

GUIDELINES FOR QUOTATION LETTER

• Mention the letter number and date of enquiry letter to

which reply is made.
• Give detailed information in points.
• Mention the terms and conditioned involved.
• Keep in mind that the letter will be examined from several
points of view: quality, price, promptness in reply, etc.
JOB APPLICATION LETTER

A job application letter is like a sales letter; it is written to sell

one’s services. A job application should be drafted carefully as it
is related with one’s career. It carries sequence of information
regarding the qualification and experience.

GUIDELINES FOR JOB APPLICATION LETTER

• The sequence of information in job application letter usually

follows the following pattern.
• Personal details.
• Educational details.
• Training its nature and duration.
• Experience – organization in which you worked, nature of
duties and duration.
• Other accomplishments – prizes and awards won, research
paper and books published.
Some other types of letters are :

• Good news message

• Use the direct approach
• Start your letter with the news the reader wants to hear
• Don’t postpone the opportunity to put your reader in the
right frame of mind
• Then provide any relevant supporting details,
explanations, or commentary

• Bad news message

• Use the indirect approach
• Start your letter with pleasant, positive words designed
to put your reader in a good frame of mind
• Explain the situation
• End on a positive, upbeat note
NOTICE
What is a Notice ?

It’s a formal means of communication.

What is its purpose?

• To Announce / Display information to a specific group of

people.

• To be pinned up on specific display boards in schools /

public places / newspapers
Important Contents

1. Name of the organization issuing the notice

2. The title ‘NOTICE’
3. The date of the Notice
4. Catchy Heading to introduce the subject
5. Body of the notice
6. Writer’s Sign, Name (in Capitals) Designation
Notice Writing

• In Passive Voice
• Presented within a box
• Word limit: 40–50 (only words in body counted)
• Information given must be clear
• Should not cause any misunderstanding or confusion
• Catchy, appealing – Attract attention at once
• Bold letters, catchy slogans, striking words/ phrases
• No Personal Pronouns
• Short but grammatically accurate sentences
Complaint Letter
• A complaint letter is a letter written to concerned
authorities if we are not satisfied with the service provided
by them. These letters are usually formal in nature.
Sometimes when we order a product and it is received
defective then we write the letter to the related person or
company, complaining about the product. Hence,
appropriate action will be taken by the concerned
department for the complaint raised.

• There could be many reasons for writing complaint letters

such as for wrongdoing, grievance, offence, resentment
arising out of product or service, etc. It is the right of every
citizen of the country to raise the complaint for unfair
things happening to them and get a productive result.
Format of Complaint Letter

Sender’s Address
Date:
Receiver’s Address
Subject: (Mention the reason for complaint)
Salutations (Dear/Mr./Ms.)
Body of the letter
Closing of letter (Yours sincerely/faithfully)
Signature
Tips to write the complaint letter are:

• Write the letter in a polite manner. Though you have a

complaint regarding something and you are frustrated, but
if you write the letter politely then it gives a good
impression to the concerned person and chances of
getting a resolution are also good.
• Always introduce yourself first at the left of the letter
• Never forget to mention the date of writing the letter
• The letter of receiver or recipient should be properly
mentioned along with Pincode.
• Mention the purpose of writing a letter in the subject line
• Start the letter with a salutation or proper greeting.
• Write the first paragraph by introducing yourself, and then
writing the purpose of writing the letter. It should be very
loud and clear.
• In the second paragraph give a brief description of the
complaint and what problems it is causing to you. Do not
deviate from the main topic.
• The third paragraph should include the conclusion part,
where you state the resolution for your problem.
• Close your letter by thanking the person for giving time to
the letter.
• Check the grammar and spelling mistakes if any.
• You can highlight the important points in the letter, to grab
the quick attention of the reader.
• Present the letter in a proper format.
Appreciation letter
• A letter of appreciation is a thank you letter used for different
situations in offices or sometimes in schools/colleges. It is a
formal letter written by an employee to his seniors or
managers for their support and achievement in a project.

• An appreciation letter can also be written by school teachers

to their students for good performance and scoring good
marks in the exams. An employer can write an appreciation
letter to his employee for great work done. It can be
presented by his/her boss or manager for good service by an
employee.

• It is not just for the good work but also for the contribution an
employee has made for his team or company, that he/she is
appreciated. Hence, appreciation letters play an important
role incorporate as well as in academics.
Types of Appreciation letter

There could be multiple reasons to write appreciation

letters. Such as:

• To appreciate an employee for his good job

• To appreciate an employee for his contribution in the team
and company
• To appreciate an employee for his promotion
• To appreciate a student for his good performance in exam
• To appreciate a student for achieving success in
competitive exam
Appreciation Letter Format

Address: The letter should have the writer’s address at the

top left corner. The address should be correct for both the
sender and receiver. It should be mentioned with proper city
name, state and pin code. Maintain the space between
address lines. Mention the designation of the recipient also.
Date: The date of writing the letter should be mentioned
always.
Subject: The subject should be written mentioning the
reason for writing the letter in brief.
Salutation: Start the letter with a proper salutation like Dear
or Mr./Ms./Mrs.
Body: The body of the letter should consist of three
paragraphs.
Paragraph 1: Introduce yourself and mention the reason to
write the letter
Paragraph 2: Appreciate the person for his work
Paragraph 3: Conclusion
Gratitude: Express the gratitude with thank you
Closure: The letter should be closed with “Yours Sincerely
or Faithfully”, name and designation.