Good letter writing skills are the essential element for a good project manager. Here I will introduce the main parts of a letter. In this blog, the first 5 elements will be firstly introduced:
1: The Letter-Head
Letter-heads include the essential particulars about the writer. For example, the name and the address. But in Email, it is not the necessary.
2: The Reference and Date
Most letter- heads provide for reference letters and numbers. When one firm writes to another each will give a reference. But for emails, this part is not necessary.
3: The inside name and address
The preferred position for the correspondent’s name and address is the upper left-hand of the sheet, three or more line-spacing below the line of the date. But for emails, this part is not necessary.
4: The Salutation
The salutation is the complimentary greeting with which the writer opens his letter. The particular form used depends upon the writer’s relationship with his correspondent. To some extent it settles the form of the complimentary close; The two must always be in keeping.
For ordinary business pruposes Dear Sir (or Dear Madam for both single and married women) is used for addressing one person, and Dear Sirs or Gentlemen for addressing two or more.
5: The body of a Letter
This is the part that really matters. When writing, pay attention to the following:
a: Write simply, clearly, courteously, grammatically, and to the point.
b: Paragraph correctly, confining each paragraph to one topic.
c: See that your typing is accurate and the display artistic. Aim at attractive and
pleasing appearance for your letters. Margins especially are important, since they serve to “frame” your letter.
For very short letters you may adopt double line-spacing except for your correspondent’s name and address for which single line-spacing should always be used.