Adjustment letters

These follow a complaint letter and encompass the company or individual response to a complaint. The tone has to be humble, as it is a goodwill-building exercise. The complainant has been inconvenienced; this letter should acknowledge the mistake and list out concrete solutions for resolving the issues.

Inquiry letters: These are letters of request for something or a response to a request sent by someone. The purpose of the letter is to obtain the information or object requested.

Order letters: Also known as purchase orders, these letters are used to order or buy material. Essentially documenting a transaction between buyer and seller, this is a legal document.

Response letters: These are in response to a received letter. They generally list the fulfilling of a request or detail steps taken to fulfill a request made by someone.

Congratulatory letters: These are "good news" letters and are fairly easy to write. Such letters are used to encourage or reward an employee, business associate, or a consumer. Such letters are a goodwill-building exercise and are written to build or strengthen any business relationship. When you write a congratulatory letter, do it as soon as possible after a good event has taken place. At the outset, mention what the event is that has motivated you to write the letter; follow it up with approval or praise for the accomplishment; and, finally, keep it concise and honest. A congratulatory letter should be a one-page document, and it should not sound fake or mocking.

Bad news letters: As opposed to the good news letter, a bad news letter, such as dismissal and rejection letters, need to be handled carefully. While you need to maintain the concise and professional tone of a business letter, you also need to be sensitive to the reader's feelings. In a bad news letter, instead of conveying the bad news to the reader outright, you need to place it in the middle of the text.

Here are a few guidelines that you can keep in mind while writing a bad news letter:

· The opening of the letter needs to be polite. Always give the reader's efforts and feelings importance.

· Following the opening, the details of the issue need to be stated.

· State the news or the decision.

· Inform the reader about the reasons behind the decision taken.

· Close professionally and politely.

A bad news letter should present the bad news in a positive light. It needs to reassure the reader that all necessary aspects of a particular issue were taken into account before making a decision. A bad news letter should not leave the reader with a bad taste in his or her mouth; instead it should leave the person with the feeling that the decision was fair and just.

Letters of request: As the name suggests, these are letters sent to a company or professional seeking help. One could be asking for time, money, services, or products; the fact is that, when you ask for someone's help, you are subliminally potentially putting yourself lower than the other person. Whether you feel it personally, this feeling needs to come out through your words, without sounding needy. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

· A letter of request should be humble but not sound as if you are groveling.

· The language of the letter should be non-emotional and neutral. For example, instead of saying, "We really need this urgently," say, "This would be most helpful to us."

· Avoid the use of too many adjectives, as it tends to make the language emotional.

· A request letter should clearly express the need for something and show appreciation for the help you hope to receive.

Memos: The other most common form of business communication is memorandums, or memos. Though they provide information similar to a letter, they are very different in their format. Here are the key differences:

· They are almost always meant for circulation within the organization.

· They are direct in style, and very to the point.

· They do not have salutations.

· They do not have a complimentary closing.

· They are used to convey communication that is not sensitive.

· They have a format distinct from a letter.

When formatting a memo, one should be aware of the strict format that memos stick to. Memos always begin with a bottom-line statement, or the statement of the exact purpose. Memos are extremely crisp, to the point, and use a businesslike tone. Memos usually are short bits of information that get to the point quickly and inform, announce, or request something. The terms "memo" and "memorandum" can be used interchangeably. There is no need for a signature line or any of the other formal endings or closings that letters require. Sometimes the person whom the memo is from will initial next to the name on the memo to indicate she or he has read and approved it before it has been distributed or posted. Think of a memo as being similar to making a company announcement on a loudspeaker to those in your office. You would be direct and to the point and let people know the information you need to share.