for Teachers for Schools for Enterprise
for Teachers for Schools for Enterprise
Copyright
Course Navigator
Purpose, Content & Structure of EmailsNext Lesson 

Following the Writing Process for Letters

Chapter 11 /  Lesson 3   Transcript
Try it risk-free for 30 days

An error occurred trying to load this video.

Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support.

Coming up next: Purpose, Content & Structure of Emails

You're on a roll. Keep up the good work!

Take Quiz Watch Next Lesson
 Replay
Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds
  • 0:00 Why Bother With a Letter?
  • 0:49 Prewriting a Letter
  • 1:52 Writing a Letter
  • 2:38 One Last Look
  • 3:25 Lesson Summary
Add to Add to Add to

Want to watch this again later?

Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course.

Login or Sign up

Timeline
Autoplay
Autoplay
Speed

Recommended Lessons and Courses for You

Lesson Transcript
Instructor: Kevin Newton

Kevin has edited encyclopedias, taught middle and high school history, and has a master's degree in Islamic law.

Despite all of the ways we have to communicate today, business letters are still one of the bedrocks of how we communicate in the business world. In this lesson, we learn the writing process for business letters.

Why Bother With a Letter?

You may be asking yourself why bother with a letter. After all, your role as a sales manager has meant that you're pretty much in constant contact with your customers. In fact, you have a standing golf tee time with two of them during the spring and are tennis doubles with another - why do you have to send them a stuffy letter? The truth is quite simple - to offer them, you, and your respective companies some form of paper trail. We constantly are encouraged to put things in writing, especially when it comes to business decisions. Business letters let us do just that. But don't start banging away at that keyboard yet. For business letters to be effective, they have to be written with a purpose and a process. In this lesson, we'll take a look at the writing process for business letters.

Prewriting a Letter

First, let's think about if a letter is really necessary. Letters should only be used in cases of a substantive change. For example, if your company is willing to take delivery of that shipment of widgets a week early but can still wait if necessary, that can be communicated via letter. However, if the truck driver is caught in traffic and will be 15 minutes late, that does not require a business letter. On the same theme, confirming a contract should require a letter but merely following up with someone you met at a widget manufacturer's convention does not.

So, let's say that you're writing a letter to confirm a new contract. Like I said, that is the sort of thing that requires a letter. During this prewriting period, or the letter writing work before actually formatting the letter, think about what you want to say about the contract. Some boilerplate, or standardized language, is likely to occur, but use this time to point to issues that could require clarification. Also, think about the business relationship itself.

To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account

Register to view this lesson

Are you a student or a teacher?

Unlock Your Education

See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com

Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a Member  Back
What teachers are saying about Study.com
Try it risk-free for 30 days
Description

Earning College Credit

Did you know… We have over 160 college courses that prepare you to earn credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. You can test out of the first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. Anyone can earn credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level.

To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page

Transferring credit to the school of your choice

Not sure what college you want to attend yet? Study.com has thousands of articles about every imaginable degree, area of study and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you.

Research Schools, Degrees & Careers

Get the unbiased info you need to find the right school.

Browse Articles By Category

Browse an area of study or degree level.

Recommended Articles
You are viewing lesson Lesson 3 in chapter 11 of the course:

 Back To Course

English 305: Advanced Technical Writing

17 chapters | 131 lessons | 11 flashcard sets

Ch 11. Technical Writing in Business...
Ch 12. Technical Resumes & Cover...

Following the Writing Process for Letters Related Study Materials

Create an account to start this course today
Try it risk-free for 30 days!
Create An Account

Explore our library of over 75,000 lessons

Browse by subject
Support