Organization of a Request Letter
"Silver Bullets" of Letter Writing: In order to win over the reader, any
letter requesting a favor should include the following elements. The goal is to
convince the person to first read the entire letter and then grant your request,
hence the ordering of elements in the letter is crucial. This approach can be
applied to anything from requesting an interview to asking for data access.
- Reading on should appeal to the reader on both the emotional and logical
level: Express your excitement to be contacting the recipient and then
mention why this letter was written. Express enthusiasm without gushing.
- Demonstrate that you're worthy of aid: Mention key accomplishments
that demonstrate your ability to make good use of the recipient's valuable
time in responding to your request
- Demonstrate that your project is worthy of aid: State your ultimate
goal so the reader can judge its importance.
- Describe your problem: Tersely outline the problem, your efforts
to solve it, and why you need the help of the recipient. The goal here is
threefold: first to make sure the reader addresses the right problem, and
second to show them that you've made a honest effort to solve the problem
on your own, and third to explain why you're taking up their time instead
of someone else's.
- Uniqueness of the recipient: Explain why the recipient is uniquely
capable of providing the aid you request. Ego-stroking is mandatory, but must
be subtle.
- Timeliness: Give the timeline of your request in an unambiguous but
non-demanding form. Avoid giving the impression that you are more important
than the recipient.
- End with a note of gratefulness.
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This page was last updated by George Young
and Caren Fisher on May 30, 2007