About Addressing a Letter

Technology has come a long way insofar as allowing us to communicate with one another faster, cheaper and over greater distances than ever before. Who among us can get through a whole day anymore without text messaging, using a cell phone or checking email? Convenient as these modern marvels are, they have yet to eliminate the occasional need for and value of a formal letter that will be put in a stamped envelope and delivered to its recipient by a postal worker.

Function

The purpose of a letter is to communicate with friends, family or other loved ones, or convey an opinion or a request for which we seek a response. Unlike a telephone call or a face-to-face meeting that carries the expectation of an instant answer that can potentially induce stress, a letter can be read at the recipient's convenience, re-read to ensure understanding, filed for future reference, or delegated to someone else for response. A letter also serves as a memorialization of events and conditions that can subsequently be used as evidence in legal proceedings. In addition, a letter is seen by many as a more articulate way of expressing emotions that could be awkward or embarrassing for either party if shared in person.

Types

Whether you're composing a personal letter or one in the context of business, the individual you address it to depends on the nature of the content and the action you'd like it to generate. If you're writing a letter of commendation/appreciation, these are usually addressed to the person who provided the outstanding service along with a "cc" to that person's supervisor or owner of the company. If, on the flip side, you're making a complaint against someone in a large company, your letter would be addressed to the immediate supervisor, the department/division head, or the HR office. If it's a small company or shop, your letter of complaint would be addressed to the owner. If you're writing a letter of recommendation for someone, it would be addressed to the prospective boss, department chair (at a university), or owner of the company. The exception is if the applicant doesn't yet know how many places she'll be shopping her credentials; with colleges in particular, a letter addressed "To Whom It May Concern" would be acceptable. Campaign letters to solicit funding or votes are addressed to individual citizens and to the owners of companies and shops. Letters seeking to introduce one's talents or sell the fruits of one's labor (i.e., novels, consulting services, new products) are addressed to individuals in the target market's hierarchy who have been vested with the authority to say "yes". An editor, for instance, who is specifically in charge of reviewing romance novel submissions is closer to rendering a decision about your work than the owner of the entire publishing house, who may not even know the names of all of his staff members.

Time Frame

A letter of praise or criticism should be written and mailed as soon after the event occurs as possible. If you wait 6 months to complain to the owner of a shop that you were treated rudely by one of her employees, there's a high likelihood that (1) the employee no longer works there, (2) the shop has continued to lose business and doesn't know why, or (3) the employee has become absolutely stellar at customer relations and won't understand why he is suddenly being chewed out by his boss for an incident he doesn't even remember. Likewise, a letter of praise that is sent shortly after you have been impressed with someone going above and beyond will reinforce that positive behavior and create lasting goodwill. If you're the recipient of a letter that calls for a response, you should try to answer it within 2 weeks or less. If you have not received a reply to one of your own letters within what you believe to be a reasonable period, it is permissible to send a duplicate copy of the original letter along with a short note or follow-up by phone to query if the original letter was received.

Features

All business letters should be neatly typed on company letterhead or white bond and utilize a font and font size that will be easy for the recipient to read. Times New Roman, Courier and Bookman (all in 12 pt.) are the most common. The ink should be black, the margins should be 1 inch all around, and the content should be printed on one side of the paper.
The components of an effective letter include:
1. The current date;
2. The name, title and complete address of the recipient;
3. A subject line so that the reader knows at a quick glance what the letter is about;
4. A salutation that uses the recipient's last name (Dear Dr. Jones, Dear Ms. Smith);
5. A first paragraph that identifies the intent of the letter ("The purpose of this correspondence is to recommend So-and-So for your graduate arts program");
6. A second paragraph that provides additional background;
7. A third paragraph that, where applicable, requests a course of action; and
8. The sender's complete contact information (address, phone, email).
As a courtesy, a self-addressed, stamped envelope should be included if you expect a reply. The exception is if you directly mention in the body of the letter that you prefer a response by phone or email.

Size

Letters should be typed singled-spaced on 8 1/2-by-11 inch paper and confined to one page. If your content goes to multiple pages, you're probably rambling and should go back and cut out all of the extraneous fluff. Busy people don't have the time to sit and read letters that go on and on and on without ever making a point. The shorter your letter, the more likely you are to get an expeditious response.

Warning

There's no excuse for sending a letter that is messy and full of typos, or one that demonstrates the sender hasn't done any research on who to send it to to. If, for example, you're angry that a streetlight hasn't been installed at a busy intersection in your town, a letter that's addressed to "The President of the United States c/o The White House" is probably going to result in a pretty long wait for an answer, an answer that could have been provided much faster by a city or county official within your own ZIP code. Nor is it wise to fire off vehement rants to total strangers without providing concrete examples of why you're dissatisfied and what you'd like to see the recipient do to reasonably remedy the problem. Unfortunately, many people have come to believe that sending a letter absolves them from any obligation to be polite. If you're upset enough about something to send a letter, it's always a good idea to either keep it for a few days until you have cooled off or have a neutral party read it first and listen to the response. On a final note about addressing correspondence, people tend to respond more favorably to letters that spell their names correctly and that respect the titles they have earned. Never assume a level of familiarity that doesn't exist; until such time as you're specifically invited to call a recipient by her first name, keep things formal and courteous.

Resources

• Writing Business Letters
• The Owl at Purdue
• The Side Road