Letter Writing: Style and Tone
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
• To appreciate the importance of using the appropriate style and tone in letter writing
• To understand the essentials of the 4 Ps - being polite, being positive, being personal, and being professional
In letter writing, apart from choosing the appropriate content and adopting a suitable organisational framework, it is also important to pay attention to how you express your ideas in writing. The concepts introduced in the Language of Business handout are crucial to clear, concise, coherent, courteous and correct language use. In addition to those ideas, there are a few more that concern writing with an appropriate style and tone to project a positive and favourable image of you and your company and so as to foster a positive reader-writer relationship.
Style and tone can be considered as two sides of the same coin. Style is made up of the words and sentences that a writer chooses in order to produce a desired response in the readers. Tone refers to the unwritten or unspoken message that comes across in your communications – the message “between the lines” – which of course depends on the writer’s word choice and his expression of ideas. Style and tone has a profound influence on the effect the message will have on your reader.
This handout will examine the 4 Ps – being polite, being positive, being personal, and being professional, which, if applied to your letter writing, will help you establish a positive reader-writer relationship.
1. Being polite
No matter how aggravating the circumstances, always write courteously as this style of writing fosters a positive relationship with your reader and is more likely to bring about a favourable response. To come across as polite in your writing, you need to write in a style that:
? reflects an appropriate reader-writer relationship,
? does not convey a sense of superiority/anger/condescension, or
? does not embarrass the reader.
The table below gives some examples. (Note: ‘x’ indicates negative examples.)
Writing that: Examples
Reflects an appropriate reader-writer relationship
x (a) With effect from 14 July, I suggest that your goods be delivered at 7.00 am sharp instead of the usual 6.30 am. I seek your cooperation in this respect.
(b) My suggestion is that we deliver your goods promptly at 7.00 am instead of the usual 6.30 am. I hope this arrangement is convenient for you.
Does not convey a sense of superiority/anger/condescension
x 1(a) How do you expect us to send you the forms you requested if you carelessly omitted the identifying numbers?
(b) If you will send us the form numbers, we will be glad to send you all the papers you requested.
2(a) Although money for your grant is unavailable this semester, we hope you will reapply next semester.
x (b) We are sure you recognize the fact that we cannot grant everyone’s request for a grant.
Does not embarrass the reader
x (a) As you did not respond within 10 days, it should be clear to you that you did not qualify for the free gift.
(b) You probably did not notice that your order was mailed after our special gift offer had expired.
2. Being positive
Being positive in your writing also helps to generate a more favourable response to your message, so:
• use positive words and phrases, and
• stress what can be done.
The table below gives some examples.
Writing that: Examples
Uses positive words/phrases
x (a) There are no more places for the May 15 seminar and there will be no similar seminar organized until October.
(b) Due to its popularity, all places for the May 15 seminar have been filled. A similar seminar will be organized in October and we will be happy to reserve a place for you, if you like.
Stresses what can be done
(a) The problem will be resolved if you connect the wires according to the instructions given.
x (b) The problem would not have happened if you had connected the wires properly.
3. Being personal
The style and tone of your letter will also be improved if you could be more personal in your writing. The ways to achieve this include:
? adopting a “you” attitude,
? using personal pronouns, and
? avoiding pompous words/phrases.
The “you” attitude is a style of writing that looks at things from the reader’s perspective and expresses genuine consideration for the reader. To project this attitude in your writing, you need to recognise and understand the reader’s situation and you should be interested in helping in a sincere and courteous way. When writing with the “you” attitude, you need to emphasise what the reader wants to know, respect the reader’s intelligence and protect the reader’s ego.
The table below gives some examples that demonstrate the ways to make your writing more personal.
Writing that: Examples
Adopts a you attitude
x 1(a) We are happy to announce that we have increased the size of our store building.
(b) Now you will find a wider choice of merchandise in the greatly enlarged building.
2 (a) The full payment of the housing loan is due.
(b) You must pay the full amount of your loan immediately.
Uses personal pronouns
x (a) If there should be any questions concerning this matter, please call the number listed on the letterhead above.
(b) We look forward to working with you. Meantime, if there is anything further that we can do for you, please let us know.
Avoids pompous words/phrases X 1(a) I, as a frequent borrower, wish to inform you that I am pleased with the improvement in the quality of the National Library over the years.
(b) As a regular user of the National Library, I would like to express my appreciation for the improvements made in the last 10 years.
x 2(a) I want to cogitate further on the matter before giving a definitive answer.
(b) I want to think about the matter a little more before I give a final answer.
4 Being professional
Finally, you can also improve the style and tone of your messages by being professional in your writing. This requires you to look at situations in a detached, objective, professional manner. To do this, you must try to:
• generalise experiences and simplify examples,
• be objective,
• maintain dignity, and
• be sincere.
The following table gives some examples.
Writing that: Examples
Generalises experiences, simplify examples
(a) For example, I once waited 40 minutes for a service 197 bus because two previous buses passed without stopping.
x (b) There was one time when I spent nearly 40 minutes waiting for two buses on Service 197 which drove past without stopping. And then there was another time when …
Is objective
x (a) On top of that, the bus drivers of such oncoming buses would seize the opportunity to steer right and bypass the bus stop.
(b) Furthermore, the bus drivers who tailgate other buses also tend to bypass the bus stop.
Maintains dignity
(a) As a valued customer, you can rest assured that we will take every precaution to ensure that you get the best service in the future.
x (b) Since you are our valuable customer, we hope you will give us another chance to prove that we can do a good job.
Is sincere x (a) Your phenomenal contribution to our understanding of tax laws is remarkable.
(b) We would like to thank you for helping us gain a better understanding of tax laws.