Appearance of a business letter1

1. Appearance of a business letter . Discuss the importance of appearance in a business letter. How would you ensure that your letter makes a favorable visual impression?

2. Physical APPEARANCE All persons are in some measure influenced by appearances. The “dress” of the letter is, therefore, as important as its contents. Faults in its physical make up reduce considerably its chances of winning favorable attention. It is interesting to note that no less a genius than Shakespeare has stressed the importance to men and women of dressing well.

3. Shakespeare “Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy; But not expressed in fancy; rich but not gaudy; For the apparel oft proclaims the man.” HAMLET

4. The advice that poet gives is applicable to the “dress” of the business letter as well. The paper on which the letter is written should be of as good a quality as the writer can afford (“costly thy habit as thy purse can buy). The letter must conform in every respect to established usage. Nothing about it should be odd or fantastic (“not expressed in fancy).

5. The colour of the letter – paper and the design of the letterhead should not be vulgar or showy (“rich but not gaudy”).

6. The character of a firm is often judged by the general appearance of its letters. It should, therefore, regard the general appearance of its letters as a matter of great importance (“for the apparel oft proclaims the man).

7. Salesman As in the case of any other article, the appearance of a letter is as important as its contents. The letter takes the place of a salesman and represents the firm sending it. Like a salesman, the letter should create a good impression on the mind of the reader. A salesman representing his firm will create a poor impression about the firm if he is poorly dressed or shabbily combed, if he has unshaven chin, if his shoes are unpolished, or if he does not know the etiquettes of approaching and presenting himself.

8. Similarly, a letter bearing an unpleasant appearance fails to catch the reader’s eye even if it contains an attractive proposal . “A letter is looked at before it is read and the first impression which it makes on the reader’s eye is often an important factor which influences the reader’s opinion of the sender of the letter. In Sanskrit, it is said that appearance tells about the inner quality of a person or a thing. External appearance creates a very good visual impression. The first impression is the last impression. It is true that external appearance may be deceptive but it always plays an important role. The appearance of a letter depends on all the different aspects of letter writing.

9. PAPER The quality of paper should be good. It is always advisable to use white paper. The size of paper should also be taken in to consideration. Paper should be durable, smooth and of best quality. Poor quality of paper crates bad impression.

10. SIZE Standard sheets measuring 11”x 8 1/2 are preferred these days. This size has found wide acceptance because it is reasonably large. It fits in standard office file drawers. Bigger sizes would be awkward to handle. Smaller size would look cheap.

11. Colour coding & Psychological effect. Colour coding makes papers stand out. They are easy to trace at any point of time. Sometimes your particular colour becomes a symbol of your organization. Colours also have a psychological effect. Your specific colour will help to project your logos, trademarks, advertising and your imager Colours also have a very strong association with moods and attitudes. Here are some common colour association . Blue: - Sincerity, harmony. Green: - life, coolness, freshness. Grey: - Confidence, wisdom. Pink: - feminine, grace, healthiness. Yellow: Cheerfulness, vigor. Purple: tradition, high rank. Brown: - strength, usefulness. Red: - excitement, danger.

12. TYPING Handwritten letters are now out of fashion. Hand written letters are not advisable in business because they are often illegible or even difficult to read . Most business letters are now typed on electronic typewriters or composed on Micro word processors. They are neat, clean and attractive. Typing should be quite neat, clean, and correct. It must be free from corrections, erasures, and over typing. Typing must be neat, without cancellations or corrections. There should be equal spacing between words and between lines. The letter should be placed carefully in the centre of the page, leaving equal margins on the sides and at the bottom. The margins are usually one – and – a – half inch on the left, one inch on the right, and at least one inch at the bottom.

13. PARAGRAPHS: In business letters paragraphing is also very important. In a letter, the paragraph should be of moderate length. It should not be more than four of five lines. Opening paragraph should be short, the middle paragraph may be of moderate length and the closing paragraph should once again be short. Paragraphing should be made in such a way that it must be readable or logical. Paragraphing is also needed for a pleasing appearance. In a business letter, paragraphing is important for appearance as well as for composition.

14. FOLDING: - Folding of a letter is a minor thing but it gives the letter a good shape and neat quality. Careless folding spoils the shape of the letter.

15. Letterhead: The first page of a letter should be typed on a letterhead. Modern letterheads usually occupy about two inches at the top of the page. The following information is neatly printed or embossed on the letterhead.

16. (1)The full name of the firm or individual . (2) Address (3) Pin code (4) Telephone number ( 5) Fax number (6) E – mail address ( 7) WWW URL ( WWW URL is the address of the home page of the organization/ institution/ individual on the internet.)