A well-crafted letter still gets the job done

In an age of hastily written emails, text messages and Tweets, business professionals run the real risk of not having well-developed correspondence writing skills. A formal letter these days may seem quaint, even archaic, but a powerful letter still remains a great way to earn goodwill with colleagues, stakeholders and partners. Four key things to remember: 1) Focus on the reader; write to what interests and drives them. 2) Use direct language and write simply.. 3) Ease into bad news, perhaps by including positive elements as a tonic. 4) Do not write in anger; mind your manners, even when writing a complaint.