. Ideally, this letter should build and expand on the story you told in your first speech assignment for this semester.
Learning Objectives: 1) Identify rhetorical and persuasive strategies borrowed from non-academic discourse (e.g., personal narrative), 2) Develop skills in “rendering experience” – using concrete
imagery, emotional description, and inner and outer dialogue in such a way that your reader can imagine themselves in the position of your characters, 3) Continue to refine your research
question/topic – what is it, precisely, that you want to “change” in the world, and why?
BE CLEAR
Your reason for writing should be absolutely clear—both to you and to your reader. Before
you start, focus on what you want your letter to accomplish. Make sure you can answer these questions:
Why am I writing?
What is the point I want to make? What do I want this letter to do?
You want your reader to read and understand what you’ve written, so use concrete language and a conversational style. Avoid vague words, jargon, and long, dense sentences. Never
give your reader an excuse to stop reading.
BE CONCISE
Say what you have to say and no more than that. Readers become irritated by long-winded, repetitive letters. Stick to the points you want your reader to pay attention to.
BE COURTEOUS
Think about your reader as a real person, someone who is as reasonable and as deserving of respect as you are. Speak directly to your reader and be sure to sound reasonable and respectful. Try to visualize your reader and how you might make your points in a face-to-face conversation. In that case, how would you want to sound? How would you want your reader to see you?
BE CORRECT
As soon as your reader spots an error, your credibility starts to slip. The more errors a letter contains, the more distracted your reader will be from your message. Double check
everything—your facts, spelling, punctuation, grammar, mechanics. Don’t give your reader a reason to conclude that you’re careless and your letter doesn’t deserve much attention.
