Writing Business Letter - (4) Style/Organization

The first three areas dictate the content, direction and emphasis of the letter.
1. Know WHAT you’re writing about — SUBJECT.
2. Know WHO you’re writing for — AUDIENCE.
3. Know WHY you’re writing — PURPOSE.

Now you are ready to be concerned with HOW you are going to write the letter. The first three areas can be determined in a matter of minutes if you are familiar with the ideas that need to be communicated. The fourth area — style and organization — takes more time.

However, the basic organization for the body of a business letter follows.
Part 1 of Body: State your purpose.
Part 2 of Body: Explain what you want to happen or explain the information you have.
Part 3 of Body: Request a dated action, conclude or thank the reader for his response.

Notice that these are parts or sections rather than paragraphs.
In some cases, particularly Part 2, the parts may consist of more than one paragraph. Let’s take a look at each of these parts.

Part 1 of the Body
Get right to the point in the first sentence of the letter. When you read a novel, you expect to have background information before the story ever starts. When you read a business letter, you expect to be told immediately what will happen. Remember, your reader doesn’t have any more time to wade through a long letter than you do. This part is usually a short paragraph. Anything too long will cause the reader to lose patience.

Part 2 of the Body
This is the bread and butter of the letter. It explains the information you are giving, or it explains what you want the recipient to do. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, but it does need to include all of the information the recipient needs. If you have a lot of information, break it into short paragraphs, make a list or refer to an attachment. Underlining essential information is one way to highlight key points for your reader. Your letter should be organized to help the recipient understand what to know or what to do.

Part 3 of the Body
This, like the first part, is usually a short paragraph. In writing classes, it’s called the clincher — not a bad way to remember its function. Depending on the purpose of your letter, it will do one of three things.
1. Conclude. In an informational letter, this allows you to point out the most important item or draw all your key points into one statement.
2. Request action. In letters that require a response, such as collection letters, you define the action you want the recipient to take. In this part, you tell the reader what to do and when to do it.Being vague gets vague results. Be specific.
3. Thank the reader. In some letters, this part is simply a thank you for the recipient’s attention, response or concern.