How to Write Condolence Letters (Sympathy Letters)

 

I know it looks odd to talk about condolence or sympathy amidst the buzzing holiday trends, when everyone seems to be in their best mood. Tragedies and predicaments, however, generally occur when they are least expected and naturally no one hopes their coming, particularly in this holiday season. 

This is some know-how to write a good condolence letter.

What is a condolence letter?

As the name implies, a condolence letter is written to show our condolence or sympathy to other people, which is why it can be called sometimes 'sympathy letter'. Mostly, condolence letters are sent due to someone's death. Our condolence letters ought to be sent to the deceased person's family members or relatives (source).

What to consider before writing a condolence letter

In brief, we have to focus on the language used in a condolence letter so as not to hurt the recipient's feelings more. We are to arrange the words in such a way that the recipient's feelings lifted a bit to learn that there are many people that will miss the deceased person's presence and his/ her good and noble deeds. Never try to remind the recipient's of the deceased person's bad attitude, for instance.

How many types of condolence letter are there?

There are two types we can opt for; i.e. personal and business. To decide which one suits our needs best, we had better consider how close our relationship is to the deceased and the family. If we are not really close to them and we write on behalf of a company or institution, business tone would be appropriate to apply. On the contrary, if we deem them to be our best friends or people with family-like closeness, a personal condolence letter will do better than a rigid and cold business one.

How to write a personal condolence letter

• Use a pen, not a typing machine or computer;
  
• write our address and the date (the layout depends on our writing style);
• write a proper salutation form (use the recipient's first name to show intimacy);
• write the reason why we send the letter;
• write some lines about how we started to know the deceased and what good traits s/he had;
• explain how lucky we are to know him/ her;
• state some ideas that may soothe the pain (consoling/ comforting that the recipient is not alone to cope with the grief or there are other people who suffer from the same loss);
• say that we also care about the whole grieving family members;
• write closing salutation (.e.g. 'very sincerely'); and
  
• write our complete name, without titles or professional position.
  

Still have questions in mind? Kindly read this example of a good personal condolence letter.

How to write a business condolence letter

• type it using word processor application on computer;
  
• write our address and the date (the layout depends on our writing style);
• write a proper salutation form (use the recipient's family/ last name);
• write about how we feel about the loss and why we send the letter;
• write about how the deceased meant for the company/ institution where s/he work and some positive contributions s/he made;
• state some ideas that may soothe the pain (consoling/ comforting that the recipient is not alone to cope with the grief or there are other people who suffer from the same loss);
• say that we also care about the whole grieving family members;
• write closing salutation (.e.g. 'very sincerely'); and
  
• write our complete name, with titles or professional position.
  

Need a concrete model? Check this example of good business sympathy letter out. 

Also, try reading some other useful and reliable resources on this subject matter, e.g. Angela Morrow's Writing a Condolence Letter or How to Write a Condolence Letter on squidoo. For more samples, try this link.