Business Letter: Conducting Written Communications
In the world of business people, it is not enough to be just an expert in your field, it is important to know the rules of conduct and be able to build relationships in a business environment. It is an art to express your thoughts in a coherent, competent, and structured way in a business letter. However, the first crucial component of that art is the subject line of the letter. I think that the subject line makes it possible for the recipient to understand how important your letter is in the first place. Thus, one should write the subject clearly and photographically to ensure there is no misunderstanding or miscommunication. The subject should contain keywords by which the recipient can easily find your email in a week, in a month, or even in a year by simply typing 1-2 words in the search bar. Moreover, you should be able to find it in the same way if you suddenly need that letter.
The subject of the letter must necessarily give an understanding: what is it? A simple task or an issue that needs to be addressed urgently? It may be a request for payment or relevant documentation, an operational agreement, or anything – the subject line should state it clearly and concisely. However, at the same time, you should not only leave one word in the subject section. Topics that are one word long would mean nothing to the recipient, as this is a standard subject line. Thus, it is important to elaborate even there so that the recipient can understand the context of your message. This is specifically true in business, as here, people receive tens of letters daily, so it becomes crucial to make your message stand out from the rest.
If you are applying for a job or a university, you also should provide the necessary context in the subject line to show that you are professional and thoughtful. Knight (2018) add that “in business correspondence, even subtle cues can have a significant impact during the first impression” (p. 147). The subject line of an email is your first contact with a person. How clear it will depend on how quickly they will answer you and whether they will answer at all. Thus, the subject of the letter should reflect the main goal, the idea of the correspondence you are reaching out with.
Reference
Knight, M. (2018). Email and perceived professional competence. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 81(2), 147–148. Web.