Whether you are a businessperson, an employer, or serve an interactive position, you may have fallen into a situation where you rebut a particular stance. Maybe, you may have received certain allegations you don’t agree with. In a workplace, for instance, allegations will come from every corner when you least expect them. An employer may be accused of poor workmanship. But if s/he disagrees with the claims, they can write a rebuttal letter expressing their own view on the allegations.
Defining a Rebuttal Letter
A Rebuttal Letter refers to a formal document written to counter any unsubstantiated allegations or claims made on an individual. A rebuttal letter can be written under various circumstances. First, an employee can write the letter in response to any accusation made on policy violations, poor performance, or misbehavior within the workplace.
Secondly, the letters can also be used in academic spheres. When an author submits their manuscript for editors and viewers to review, they often expect two outcomes; either the manuscript can be approved as a journal or disapproved for amendments. When the editor’s request for a revision to be made, the author can appeal with a rebuttal letter. In such cases, the letters discuss whether the proposed revisions will best address the editor’s concerns.
Tips That will Make Your Rebuttal Letter Like a Pro
Writing a rebuttal letter isn’t a walk in the park. It would be best if you had certain ideas in mind to make it convincing to your readers. Before you get started, the following are some useful tips you can think of when crafting one.
Take Time To Think Through
In an expert’s opinion, you need to take your time and think critically about the letter. In as much as you may be upset or angry about the accusations, it’s not good to express your emotions in letters. Therefore, refrain from sending the letters until you have some time to cool down.
Be Specific In Your Letter
The rebuttal letter should be addressed to a specific person. Also, you need to address the specific points that you don’t agree with. The reader will be more interested in knowing where incongruity in their evaluation and your opinion lies. Again, refrain from using vague or irrelevant words, especially if you lack backup evidence.
Provide Evidence
If you are in disagreement with the allegations made on you or your proposal, you need to provide solid and visible evidence that backs your opinion. Otherwise, your disagreement may all into deaf ears.
Categorize The Comments
If there are too many comments or allegations from the employer, be sure to categorize them separately. For instance, you can have all those allegations related to lateness at the workplace in one group and those of misconduct in another. The same goes for the underperformance comments. Categorizing your comments makes it easy for you to have an integrated approach when writing the rebuttal letters.
Use Polite Language
In as much as you may get angered, it’s always wise not to express it in your letters. If you feel that the reviewer/employer didn’t misunderstand a certain concept, you can politely clarify yourself for mutual understanding.
How to Structure your Rebuttal Letter
Rebuttal letters are formal letters. Therefore, they need to adhere to a specific format to make them official and presentable. In many cases, a typical rebuttal letter will follow the following format:
Name of the Recipient
The very top of you should contain the name, contacts, and address of the recipient. The recipient is the person whom you are addressing with the letter. Or, it can be the person whom you want to settle your disputes with
The Date of Writing
For record-keeping purposes, you need to add the date immediately below the recipient’s address. Note that the date should reflect the true time and day in which the letter is being written.
The Body
Before writing the body, it’s imperative that you first introduce yourself in the introductory paragraphs. You can then proceed to the body paragraphs, where you will air your arguments to counter the allegations made against you. Needless to say, your paragraphs should be arranged in an understanding and flowing manner. Also, they need to be concise and courteous all through. In the concluding paragraphs, you should reinstate your stand on the accusations backing it with evidence. Thereafter, you can conclude by calling an action. For instance, you can state that you are willing to talk more about the issue when requested. Be sure to include your contacts after the closing remarks.
Name and Signature
After the conclusion paragraph, you need to write your name as the author. Also, append your signature to confirm that you consent to the letter.
Sample of Rebuttal Letter to Your Employer
Hardwire Company Limited,
20 Wide Street Road,
Colorado Town.
6th Sept 2020.
Dear Mr. Rodrigues,
I am writing this rebuttal letter in response to the performance evaluation you issued me on the 1st of this month. I am grateful and appreciative of the performance you did in the past year. However, I have some reservations to make.
You mentioned that I didn’t meet the required sales as per the company’s objectives in the evaluation letter. I would respectfully want to disagree with this.
I believe that you overlooked the fact that the pandemic hit us in the first quarter of the year—this crippled most businesses, including our own. Therefore, we couldn’t afford to meet the projected sales on time. But still, I managed to make a total sales of $45,000, which is equivalent to 78% of the total projected revenue.
If you take into consideration the monthly sales before the pandemic hit, you will realize that I was far better off. Therefore, I plead that you can consider revising the evaluations and make adjustments. I do believe that if all factors are considered, I will still maintain my rank of being the best employee in your company.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Kindly reach me at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely
John Stedman
[Signature]
Recommended Ways to Address the Reviewers Comments
All points to be discussed
It is advisable that every single point discussed by reviewers and editors should be copy pasted and responses given below. In cases when the author disagrees with certain points, they writers should elaborate their reasons.
Point to Point Response
The issues should be addressed sequentially to make it easier for the editor/reviewers to follow the changes done from the manuscript
Categorizing Reviewers Comments
During instances when several observations are available, it is proper to separate specific comments into categories. For example, comments that are related to analysis or even the methodology approach applied can be grouped. The author can add a comment indicating how they have separated the responses according to categories.
Maintain a Polite Tone
Rebuttal letters should be developed using a formal language free of grammar mistakes and punctuation errors and the language used should be officially acceptable. The author must understand that reviewers are simply critiquing their work and not their personality and should, therefore, be polite even during instances when reviewers/editors indicate conflicting views or opinions.
Proofread the Document
Immediately the author completes writing his rebuttal letter, and they should go through it once more and even consult a close friend or professional colleague to ascertain that the responses given meet envisaged standards. Aspects to consider during this particular phase are if the texts are clear and precise, friendliness of the tone and if all the editors/reviewers’ comments are adequately addressed. If the response given is in the affirmative, then it is time to send the revised edition to the editors.
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