Above all, if a letter is to be good, it must not be too short. In the
pursuit of brevity too many pupils in business English make the mistake
of writing altogether too little to get the reader's attention; and if
his attention is not aroused, the letter fails. The letter should be
long enough to suggest interest in the welfare of the reader and
enthusiasm for the subject under discussion.
Enthusiasm in business involves knowledge both of your project and of
your customer. You cannot attempt to write a letter of any kind unless
you know the facts that require it. Perhaps it is a complaint that you
must try to settle. Without a knowledge of the facts, of the truth or
the untruth of the claim, how can you write the letter? Sometimes it
requires both time and study to gather the necessary details, but they
must be gathered.
When you have your details and begin writing, be sincere. You must be so
absolutely in earnest that the reader will at once feel and begin to
share your enthusiasm.
Knowledge of the person to whom you are writing is fully as important as
knowledge of your subject. You must get his point of view, understand
his character, and appeal to the qualities that you recognize in it, to
the desires or ambitions, that it shows. To a certain extent all of us
are alike. There are certain fundamental interests that we all possess;
these may safely be appealed to at almost all times. But our employment,
our habits of life, our ways of thinking make us different. The same
argument, probably, will not always bring satisfactory replies from a
manufacturer, a farmer, a judge, a minister or priest, a carpenter, and
a woman. Some people like to receive a long letter that goes carefully
into detail; others will not take the time to read such a letter. Each
customer must be studied. This is so difficult a matter that no one can
expect to learn it all at once.
Finally, from the first word to the last be courteous. No matter how
righteous your indignation, be courteous. You cannot afford to lose your
temper. Courtesy does not imply flattery nor a lack of truth. Your
letter can be strong and yet polite in tone. Lose your temper, and your
letter will probably fail. Keep your temper, show thoughtfulness for the
reader's interest, and your letter will more likely fulfill its purpose.
=Exercise 216--The Form of the Letter=
Before we look at some actual letters to judge of their effectiveness,
we must learn the conventional form of a letter, the parts which many
years of use have shown to be necessary. There are six parts to a formal
or business letter: