How to Proofread a Business Letter
Sending a business letter without thoroughly proofreading it can mean professional suicide, particularly if the letter is seeking employment. Joe Grimm, author and editor-in-residence at Michigan State University's School of Journalism, cautions that one mistake may be enough to send your letter to the trashcan. Proofreading a business letter is not only about spelling, but also tone, context and word choice.
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Instructions
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Ask a friend or co-worker to proofread the letter, or run it through a grammar and spell checker if it was typed on a computer. Most word processing programs have a spell checker built into the software; and some, like Microsoft Word, also check grammar. Run your document through a site like Grammarly.com if your word processor does not have grammar-checking abilities.
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Reread the letter after the first round of proofreading, paying particular attention to the spelling of words that spell-checking software would be unfamiliar with, such as people's names, company names and corporate acronyms. Also look for words which are spelled properly, but are misused. Dr. Jeffrey Kahn of Illinois State University says that common writing mistakes include improper use of contractions, combining singular and plural words in the same sentence, overuse of commas and confusing like words, such as "affect" and "effect."
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Choose the British or American spelling of words, and make sure that you are consistent throughout the letter. If you choose American spelling, which you should if your letter is directed to an American company, change words like "behaviour" to "behavior," and "analyse" to "analyze." Make sure that you have used the proper terminology, as well, to avoid confusing the letter's recipient. Brits use the term "solicitor" instead of "lawyer," for instance, and "ordinary share" instead of "common stock."
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Read the letter out loud, paying particular attention to the tone and context used. A proper business letter should sound professional, authoritative and succinct. It should clearly state the reason for the correspondence, such as seeking employment or proposing a business deal, and provide necessary information and action items. Get rid of unnecessary words, fluff and filler.
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Use the correct salutations, and avoid a tone that is overly familiar. Unless you have a close relationship with the letter's recipient, you should use their full name in the salutation, such as "Dear Mrs. Jones."
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Tips & Warnings
Do not put anything into a business letter that you would not want others to see. When proofreading a business letter, make sure that you eliminate any negative or disparaging comments about other companies or people.
References
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