Amy asked, "How do you make writing letters so easy?"
Letters are a little different from talking because they are a record of what you want to communicate to the other party. You need a bit of tact, common sense and a clear mind. As long as you know what you want to achieve with your business letters, you will be able to write it right. Just remember that whatever you write today may be read five years from now by someone who is unaware of your current situation."
"I have always known that letter writing is important, but I have never realized that you could get into trouble by the way you write it."
"For complicated items, get another colleague to read through the letter and ask if there is any area that is not clear. But if you have other reference points such as meeting minutes, contracts or memorandums of understanding, you only need to refer to the specific document in the letter. Don't try to summarise any one of those in your letter because it will cause a lot of confusion in the future."
"Why is that?"
"Contracts usually have escape clauses and some actions are based on certain situations. Trying to summarise the whole thing may start a messy argument between our legal counsels. It is all right to note specific clauses in your letter though, like what you did in the warning letter."
"I've talked with the other secretaries, but none of them take letter writing as seriously as you."
Olga shrugged. "Anything you send out from the company creates an image for the company. That is why you must be extra careful with your words. While you are at it, check your spelling and grammar. If you have to read a sentence twice to understand what you are trying to say, you must rewrite. One way is to chop it up into shorter sentences, or maybe cut out unnecessary flowery words."
Amy tapped at a letter on her desk, "This letter uses words I understand but is confusing. Why is that?"
This software facilitates intranet communication and calculating data.
Olga snorted. "This is a case of non-parallel sentence. Whoever wrote this should take extra English classes. 'intranet communication' is a noun, while 'calculating data' is a combination of verb and noun. The sentence should be rewritten as 'This software facilitates intranet communication and data calculation.' Always make sure that you use the same structure and tenses in a sentence."
Amy frowned then she looked up and asked, "I notice that you use 'I' for some letters and 'We' for others. How come?"
"It all depends on how formal you want the letter to appear. 'I' is less formal and more personal. 'We' gives the impression that the writer is wholly backed by the organization. Which expression you use will depend on the situation or the recipient of the letter. Some cultures prefer the personal format. You just have to play it by ear. However I advise that serious letters use the 'We' format, as it implies that the writer is not writing by his own accord but by consensus."
Olga picked up her papers and asked, "Oh by the way, I saw you writing by hand today. Why?"
"It's just a hello note to my mother. She likes getting mail with the company logo from me."
"The company letterhead is meant to show that the writer is a representative of the company and that whatever she wrote is written on behalf of the said company. It's not a good idea to use it for personal reasons. Don't make the same mistake again," Olga said then walked away.
Amy hunkered over her keyboard as the chill of Olga’s reprimand ran up and down her spine.
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