Isn’t it amazing how far technology has come in such a short period of time.  Think of the first computer that entered our home and how about the early model mobile phones that resembled the size and shape of a brick.  Thanks to this advance in technology, we now have an abundance of tools to help us communicate more efficiently and because of this we have adapted the way in which we communicate.  For better or worse; LOL, B4N, C2C, FYEO, GFI…

“I'll write to you. A super-long letter, like in an old-fashioned novel” ― Haruki Murakami, After Dark

In a world of texts, instant messaging and emails has the act of letter writing, and even the basics of spelling and grammar, become a forgotten art?  Should we still bother teaching our kids how to write letters when their communication revolves around more electronic means?

Despite the impact that technology has had on the methods in which we communicate to each other, the formal letter still has its place firmly held in society.  The influences of a formal letter can be found in an email, which is essentially an ‘electronic mail’ version of a letter.  It still holds a salutation, a body of text and a sign off for purposes of getting a particular message across.

And of course there is still the need to write a formal letter when applying or a job or to secure a specific contract.  Quite often recruiters won’t consider an application if it doesn’t have a cover letter (and rightly so) although these days the most common form of sending them is in the electronic format.  So perhaps it’s not so much that the art of letter writing has been forgotten, but rather it has morphed into this new format. 

Regardless of the evolution of how we communicate, when you consider the impacts of not being able to effectively get a message across in writing, it must be in our best interests to continue to teach our kids the skill of letter writing.