2. Writing a good letter is not easy. The impression left by your letter is not only vital to the success of your message, but also to the image you want to present.

3. To make things worse, the person who receives your letter now has a permanent copy to refer to. It is very difficult to ‘undo’ the damage done by badly written or poorly presented letter.

4. If the letter we have written carries the wrong tone, contains grammatical or spelling errors, or is poorly structured, then we’ve sent the wrong message and the wrong impression of ourselves.

5. Good Letter Writing Includes:  Correct Grammar  Punctuation  Correct Use of Capital Letters  Format  Structure  AND…………

6. SPELLING!!

7. BUT I CAN’T SPELL!

8. Why is spelling difficult? The simple answer is - because it's difficult. English spelling isn’t easy for anybody. In some languages, like Italian for instance, the sound of a word and the way you spell it are very close, and you pretty much write down what you hear. Also, you can usually tell how to pronounce a word by looking at it. So spelling in Italian is pretty easy. This just isn't so in English.

9. The Spell-check on the Computer can do it for you…can’t it?

10. WRONG! Firstly the computer checks and suggests American spellings: e.g: Organization instead of Organisation. Also Because they have a fairly small database of words, they can't handle anything which isn't in that database.

11. Spell-checks are good at catching a lot of common mistakes but you can't rely on a Spell-check to do your spelling for you. It's a help, but DON’T rely on it.

12. MAJOR SPELLING CRIMES!

13. There Are 2 Main Problem Areas 1)Using The Right Word But Wrong Spelling; eg: Wensday instead of Wednesday 2)Using One Word When You Mean Another. Except when you mean Accept Affect when you mean Effect Advise when you mean Advice It’s when you mean Its Its when you mean It’s There when you mean Their To when you mean Too THE LIST GOES ON!

14. Most Spelling Errors Can Be Avoided With A Little Care. TIP Try reading your letter from back to front. You may pick up errors you didn’t see at first. (The human brain often takes things for granted when you read in the ordinary way.)

15. LAYOUT & CONTENTS Most formal letters have a standard layout and will include at least 3 W’s: Who You Are Why You Are Writing What You Can Offer

16. LAYOUT Flat 7 33, Shearer Rd Portsmouth Hampshire PO2 7RD Tel: 02392-795265 Email: chriswatson@hotmail.com The Manager HMV Records Commercial Rd Portsmouth, Hants. PO3 7QZ29.09.08 Dear Sir or Madam, I write to enquire if there are any vacancies currently available within HMV, particularly within the areas of systems, stock control or loss prevention. You will see from the attached curriculum vitae that I have lengthy experience within the field of retail including 15 years with Virgin Retail Ltd where I progressed from a buyer’s position to Department manager. I am team and training focused and have been responsible for teams of up to 20 staff, achieving and exceeding store operations targets. I have special levels of experience in the upkeep and interpretation of EPOS systems and was the regional systems and stockcheck coordinator for several years. I am an excellent communicator, computer literate and possess a keen eye for detail. I am flexible, empathetic and adaptable with a good sense of humour and a positive outlook. Despite my experience I am keen to learn and add to my skillset, therefore any position that offers the opportunity to progress would be of especial interest. I would be delighted to supply any further information to evidence my achievements and thank you for your attention to this initial enquiry. Yours faithfully, C.R.Watson (Mr) YOUR DETAILS WHO TO FAITHFULLY OR SINCERELY? Simple really..if your letter is to Sir/ Madam, you end it with Yours FAITHFULLY. If it starts Dear Mr Smith, you end it Yours SINCERELY WHY

17. Dear Sir or Madam, I write to enquire if there are any vacancies currently available within HMV, particularly within the areas of systems, stock control or loss prevention. You will see from the attached curriculum vitae that I have lengthy experience within the field of retail including 15 years with Virgin Retail Ltd where I progressed from a buyer’s position to Department manager. I am team and training focused and have been responsible for teams of up to 20 staff, achieving and exceeding store operations targets. I have special levels of experience in the upkeep and interpretation of EPOS systems and was the regional systems and stockcheck coordinator for several years. I am an excellent communicator, computer literate and possess a keen eye for detail. I am flexible, empathetic and adaptable with a good sense of humour and a positive outlook. Despite my experience I am keen to learn and add to my skillset, therefore any position that offers the opportunity to progress would be of especial interest. I would be delighted to supply any further information to evidence my achievements and thank you for your attention to this initial enquiry. Yours faithfully, C.R.Watson Mr) WHO YOU ARE, WHAT YOU CAN OFFER

18. MAKE SURE YOU SPELL NAMES CORRECTLY AND GET PEOPLE’S TITLES RIGHT (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Lord etc) ONCE WRITTEN, PUT ASIDE FOR 5 MINUTES THEN RE-READ CHECKING FOR SPELLING, GRAMMAR AND TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AT LEAST 3 W’S…… Who You Are Why You Are Writing What You Can Offer

19. SUMMARY Once you get to grips with the basics, letter writing is quite straightforward. Plan your letter before starting, be clear that you have covered the W’s in a clear and logical way. Read your letter through to make sure there are no silly mistakes. Have you said what you meant? Have you meant what you’ve said?

20. And That’s It Really Don’t Forget To Write!