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Simon has been a professional writer, university lecturer and business owner for nearly forty years.
All of us need to write formal letters at different times in our life. Many of them will be for legal questions or problems. Some will be inquiries, complaints, job applications or requests for information. And some could be to support a legal appeal.
For many people, these letters can be a real pain to put together. And in prison, where there’s no internet, people have an even tougher time of it. In all the prisons I’ve been in I’d say less than one person in six has any confidence writing a letter.
Decades ago, when I worked in the Commonwealth Public Service, I learnt that most people struggle to write letters. A lot of the time, in our department, we had to ask for further information. This delayed inquiries even more. Even worse, loads of letters didn’t even make sense. It was usually obvious the writer was angry or in some kind of need, but we couldn’t work out exactly what they needed. And if someone was rude, well, best of luck getting a quick or helpful reply. Those letters were dumped into the “angry box” to cool off for a couple of months – or years.
Last year, the Better Business Bureau in the US warned that a half of all letters sent to companies are very weak, confused or even useless. Either they aren’t clear enough about what’s needed, or they aren’t precise enough. In other words, most letters miss the mark. They certainly miss opportunities to have
an impact.
So here’s a quick 4-step guide to writing a smart and powerful formal letter.
Before you begin, ask yourself “what exactly do I want to achieve with this letter?” Am I crystal clear about what I want? Do I know exactly what I need, where it is and who I should ask? And importantly, is there something better I might ask for? Spend just five minutes thinking about all this.
If you just want to vent about a problem or about your situation, make sure you sharpen your arrow. Pick your battle. Be smart. Don’t rant!
Spend time finding out where to send the letter. This may not be as obvious as you first imagine.
This is the design part. Think about how the letter might look. What are the different sections and what will you put in them? Write a few words for each of the following steps. You can bulk it out and make it look pretty later.
This bit provides your basic information and should fit into one paragraph at the start of the letter. It should include a very brief description or what you want. So, who am I? Where am I? What’s my ID info or number? Why am I writing this letter?
In many cases you’ll need to provide more information on your individual circumstances. This is the second paragraph. Unless you’re lodging some kind of appeal, keep this part short and simple. The reader doesn’t want or need to know what you had for breakfast back in the summer of ’69. If they need more details, they’ll ask for them.
This might be a narrative of the history of your case. It might include names, dates and particulars (remember though that most letters won’t need this level of detail).
This is the final paragraph. It restates what you need and repeats your request. You would normally only do this in a fairly long letter.
When you start writing, there’s a Goldilocks principle to keep in mind. Make sure the temperature is just right.
Always ask about alternative steps or other avenues in case they can’t help you.
Tip: If you’re not sure who will read your letter, just start the letter with “Good morning.”
Look carefully over your letter. Does it say what you need it to say? Is it clear and logical? Are there any spelling mistakes?
Make sure you sign the letter as well.
Tip: If you know exactly who you are writing to, sign off with “Yours sincerely.” If you don’t know, it’s “Yours faithfully.”
Simon has been a professional writer, university lecturer and business owner for nearly forty years.
All of us need to write formal letters at different times in our life. Many of them will be for legal questions or problems. Some will be inquiries, complaints, job applications or requests for information. And some could be to support a legal appeal.
For many people, these letters can be a real pain to put together. And in prison, where there’s no internet, people have an even tougher time of it. In all the prisons I’ve been in I’d say less than one person in six has any confidence writing a letter.
Decades ago, when I worked in the Commonwealth Public Service, I learnt that most people struggle to write letters. A lot of the time, in our department, we had to ask for further information. This delayed inquiries even more. Even worse, loads of letters didn’t even make sense. It was usually obvious the writer was angry or in some kind of need, but we couldn’t work out exactly what they needed. And if someone was rude, well, best of luck getting a quick or helpful reply. Those letters were dumped into the “angry box” to cool off for a couple of months – or years.
Last year, the Better Business Bureau in the US warned that a half of all letters sent to companies are very weak, confused or even useless. Either they aren’t clear enough about what’s needed, or they aren’t precise enough. In other words, most letters miss the mark. They certainly miss opportunities to have
an impact.
So here’s a quick 4-step guide to writing a smart and powerful formal letter.
Before you begin, ask yourself “what exactly do I want to achieve with this letter?” Am I crystal clear about what I want? Do I know exactly what I need, where it is and who I should ask? And importantly, is there something better I might ask for? Spend just five minutes thinking about all this.
If you just want to vent about a problem or about your situation, make sure you sharpen your arrow. Pick your battle. Be smart. Don’t rant!
Spend time finding out where to send the letter. This may not be as obvious as you first imagine.
This is the design part. Think about how the letter might look. What are the different sections and what will you put in them? Write a few words for each of the following steps. You can bulk it out and make it look pretty later.
This bit provides your basic information and should fit into one paragraph at the start of the letter. It should include a very brief description or what you want. So, who am I? Where am I? What’s my ID info or number? Why am I writing this letter?
In many cases you’ll need to provide more information on your individual circumstances. This is the second paragraph. Unless you’re lodging some kind of appeal, keep this part short and simple. The reader doesn’t want or need to know what you had for breakfast back in the summer of ’69. If they need more details, they’ll ask for them.
This might be a narrative of the history of your case. It might include names, dates and particulars (remember though that most letters won’t need this level of detail).
This is the final paragraph. It restates what you need and repeats your request. You would normally only do this in a fairly long letter.
When you start writing, there’s a Goldilocks principle to keep in mind. Make sure the temperature is just right.
Always ask about alternative steps or other avenues in case they can’t help you.
Tip: If you’re not sure who will read your letter, just start the letter with “Good morning.”
Look carefully over your letter. Does it say what you need it to say? Is it clear and logical? Are there any spelling mistakes?
Make sure you sign the letter as well.
Tip: If you know exactly who you are writing to, sign off with “Yours sincerely.” If you don’t know, it’s “Yours faithfully.”
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