Rural System's

Modern Wild Faunal Resource System Management

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Letter Writing:
Characteristics of Good Letters

Letters are personal, one-to one correspondence but they communicate the image of the enterprise, agency, or individual. Thus, they are very much a part of the public relations efforts of fuanal system management. They are difficult to write well. The following suggest the characteristics to which we all should tend in all of our professional letter writing:

	504 Rose Avenue Blacksburg, Virginia 24060 January 22, 2001
Mr. A.B. Seay 110 Mill Road Somewhere, Virginia, USA Dear Mr. Seay:
Text of letter Text... Text... Text with link to a future time and/or place to assure continued affiliation or new opportunities.
	Sincerely yours,
	Signature Robert H. Giles, Jr. Position or Affiliation Chief Advisor
c:"carbon" copies to whom letter is also sent enc. enclosures, if any

1. Proper style and format on quality, clean paper with recycle seal

2. Proper evaluation of adressee
3. Objective, formal (if angry, get help from a colleague in replying )
4. Accurate and informative
5. Without potentials for suit; not disclosing unique or proprietary procedures
6. References or other resources (as needed)
7. Send a "prize" or "gift" or new brochure (especially for first contacts)
8. Prompt reply to request or letter (even if the specific answer or reply will be delayed)

The C⁵ Rule of good letter writing

Make it:

• Clear
• Concise
• Complete
• Courteous
• Correct

Buzz-words

Avoid jargon and "buzz-words", words currently in excessively popular use.The Armed Forces Management Magazine in the '70s described a TIC (Tongue-In-Cheek) aid for preparing speeches, letters, and briefings called the Buzzphrase Generator. You will imagine its almost dialy use. You can probably substitute ecological, environmental, and wildlife adjectives (column 1 and 2) and nouns. Avoid buzz-words and such phrases!

The Generator consists of 3 columns of Buzz-words

0. integrated total systematized parallel functional responsive optimal synchronized compatible balanced

0. management organizationa1 monitored reciprocal digital logistitical transitional incremental third-generation policy

0. options flexibility capability mobility programming concept time-phase projection hardware contingency

By taking any three digit number and using the words associated with each number, you may sound like you know what you are talking about. Take 9, 1, and 2 for example and you get " balanced oganizational capability." That probably has no meaning to anybody, but it sounds great. You may be sure that most experts will think twice before questioning it!

Superior Letters and Their Role

Expert letter writers collect samples of excellent letters and study them,

• their methods of presentation
• length
• wording
• organization
• alternative methods
• possible effectiveness

Since topics and questions often reoccur, a set of excellent letters can be stored and used with minor modifications for great effectiveness. When groups prepare such letters, the activity can solidify groups, clarify disagreements, suggest studies, suggest elements in new staff orientation, and raise issues of alternative communication needs.

Be sure to address how many copies should be sent, to whom, and whether other letters should accompany the copy.

How effective is your letter compared to another strategy to achieve the stated behavioral or attitude change? Is the letter just to provide information...and, if so, what change will result from you providing it?

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Last revision January 18, 2004.