E.M. Busbridge’s Letter Writing and Etiquette (1909) offers a fascinating insight into an era when letter writing was still the only means of communication for most people (telephones were a rarity, which had only been introduced into a limited number of private homes towards the end of the 19th century). While the author of this handy letter-writing guide is concerned with the physical aspects of letter-writing (handwriting legibility, paper choice, folding the letter), much of his attention is focused on the content of the letter.

Today, we write an ever-diminishing number of social letters. Generally, if we sit down with a pen and paper it is because we are writing a thank-you letter (for a gift or hospitality), a reply to a formal invitation (for example to a wedding), or a letter of condolence or congratulation. Yet even the use of letters on these social occasions has become increasingly supplanted by emails and texts.

Whether we are writing a physical letter or sending a digital communication some of Mr Busbridge’s rules still apply today. We’ve looked at some of his key observations and pieces of advice and applied them to the modern context.

Debrett’s Top Tips for Corresponding Clearly

1. Use your natural voice

“A letter should be as natural as possible and should be pervaded with the personality of the writer…

Every effort should be made in order that a letter may resemble a pleasant conversation as much as possible… All appearance of striving after effect should be avoided, and what the writer wishes to say should be said clearly and concisely and to the point.”

This exhortation is particularly relevant when it comes to business communications, where there is a tendency to confuse jargon with expertise and to use stilted language to over-complicate simple concepts, thinking it appear more professional. A sentence like “Let’s get our ducks in a row, seek end-user perspective and keep Jamie in the loop” could easily be translated as “let’s get organised, consult the customers and keep Jamie informed.”

Whatever the nature of your communication, whether it is personal or professional, using your natural voice and not falling into the trap of obfuscation or overwrought conceit is always recommended.

2. Watch what you say

“Ill-natured remarks or malicious gossip should never find a place in a letter, for not only will the remembrance of what was perhaps written in the heat of the moment worry and harass the writer when he reflects upon it, but he may even find himself involved in a libel action…. It behoves everyone to be cautious even when writing to most familiar friends, because the letters may fall into other hands than those for which they were intended.”

In a world of fast-paced and instantaneous communication it is common practice to write texts and emails on impulse, without a pause for thought, consideration or caution. The letter-writers of the early 20th century are sternly warned about the dangers of sending indiscreet or defamatory letters, but the risks today are much greater because we can simply press ‘send’ rather than physically taking our letters to the post box (a pause for thought and reflection when many an indiscreet letter has been jettisoned).

It is worthwhile remembering that written words, have staying power, whether they are on paper or on a social media site or email, and it can be hard to repair the damage they cause.

3. Don’t forget good grammar

“Correct grammar, the proper use of words, and good spelling are qualities so essential to a good letter that no one would dispute their necessity; and yet many a letter is marred by mistakes in spelling, or faults in grammar, which a little care and patience would soon abolish… A common error is the omission of ‘stops’ and the utter disregard of punctuation. Yet there is no reason whatever why the ‘stops’ should be treated with such scant consideration, and a little attention paid to them helps to make a clear and interesting document.”

Good punctuation makes language meaningful and obliterates ambiguity and will always add to the clarity of any written document. Don’t be bamboozled by the digital medium into over-using slang and jargon and under-using punctuation. Write in short, clear sentences.

Ensure that correct punctuation is used. Do not use lower case letters throughout as this can appear lazy. Exclamation marks can look somewhat hectic and over-emphatic. Writing in telegraphese (a terse abbreviated style, which underuses verbs) does not make you look busy and important, just annoyingly peremptory.

4.  Take your time

“A good specimen of the art of letter-writing should bear no traces of having been written in a hurry...The writer should always consider what he is going to say, and endeavour to put it in the best form possible.”

It’s so easy to dash off all your correspondence (whether by letter or digital channels) in a tearing hurry and to send it off without allowing time for consideration: to contemplate what you have written, check it for errors and omissions, and verify that it serves the purpose you intended. This pause for thought is particularly important when you are communicating digitally, because it will give you a chance to check that the auto-correct has not played havoc with your peerless prose.

5. Avoid over-emphasis

“Another common fault in letter-writing… is the underlining of words and phrases for the sake of emphasis. This habit should be broken as quickly as possible, for surely the reader may be credited with enough comprehension of the subject under discussion, to supply the emphasis himself where it is needed.”

There are many ways (especially with digital tools) of adding emphasis to written communications and it is easy to fall into the trap of over-punctuating to make writing seem more conversational. Underlining, italics, bold type and capital letters are all ways of adding emphasis, with capital letters looking the most attention-grabbing and insistent. But often there is no need for any of these techniques, because the words speak clearly for themselves and there is a danger that your recipients will feel bludgeoned and bamboozled by your writing style.

6. Reply promptly

“Unpunctuality in answering letters, whether they are of a business nature or not, is a fault which cannot be condoned… Every effort should be made to reply quickly, because prompt replies save much trouble both in social and other matters. Punctuality must be particularly observed with regard to answers to invitations, for it is only natural to expect that a hostess would feel slighted if she received no reply to her invitation until several day had passed.”

We are all communicating so much nowadays, and via so many media, that it is easy to feel that our missives are falling into a black hole, never to be acknowledged or answered. As Mr Busbridge observes, prompt replies save “much trouble”; you do not have to chase up the recipient, speculate about whether you’ve been ghosted, or wait for practical information about social or travel arrangements.

The best practice it to make it a rule that you will always send a reply within a few hours to any digital communication even if is a holding message, which explains you’ll be back in touch in more detail shortly. Letter-writers should only have to wait a few days. Always reply promptly to social invitations – it shows that you value other people’s time and that you’re keen to be cooperative and communicative. And that is only polite….

Top: Albert Edelfelt (1854–1905), Lady Writing a Letter