Everyday Letters for Busy People: Hundreds of Samples You Can Adapt at a Moment's Notice

Table of contents

1. Title Page
2. Copyright Page
3. Table of Contents
4. Dedication
5. Introduction
6. CHAPTER 1 - When Is a Letter the Best Way to Communicate?
   1. The changing status of letters
   2. The advantages of putting your message in writing
   3. The advantages of putting your message in a letter
   4. Of course, e-mail has its advantages, too…
   5. The benefits of a well-written letter
7. CHAPTER 2 - Advice and Etiquette for E-mail Enthusiasts
   1. Tips for deciding when to use e-mail
   2. Using the SNAIL formula to choose between e-mail and “snail mail”
   3. Secure
   4. Noted
   5. Affective
   6. Impressive
   7. Legal
   8. E-mail do’s and don’ts
   9. Precautions on career-related e-mail
8. CHAPTER 3 - Tips for Drafting a Letter Quickly
   1. Getting started—especially if you don’t like to write!
   2. A better writing process
   3. Clarify your purpose
   4. Analyze your audience
   5. Brainstorm your ideas on the subject
   6. Group like ideas
   7. Order your groups
   8. Drafting your letter
   9. Editing your letter
9. CHAPTER 4 - Entice Your Reader to Read—From Beginning to End
   1. 6 basic purposes for writing a letter
   2. Characteristics of a good business-oriented letter
   3. The editor’s checklist
10. CHAPTER 5 - The Parts of a Letter
    1. Heading or stationery letterhead
    2. Date
    3. Reference line
    4. Mail or confidential notation
    5. Inside address
    6. Attention line
    7. Salutation
    8. Subject line
    9. Body of the letter
    10. Complimentary close
    11. Signature
    12. Additional notations
    13. Postscript
11. CHAPTER 6 - Forms of Address
    1. Social titles
    2. Professional titles
    3. Corporate titles
    4. State and local government titles
    5. U.S. government titles
    6. U.S., state, and local court titles
    7. Diplomatic titles
    8. Military titles
    9. Military abbreviations
    10. Religious titles
    11. College and university titles
12. CHAPTER 7 - Letter and Envelope Formats
    1. Business letter formats
    2. Block format
    3. Modified block format
    4. Modified semiblock format
    5. Simplified format
    6. Social letter formats
    7. Standard social format
    8. Intimate format
    9. Format questions and answers
13. CHAPTER 8 - Templates for Successful Letters and E-mails
    1. Template 1: To request information or routine action
    2. Template 2: To persuade someone to take action
    3. Template 3: To demand action
    4. Template 4: To provide information or describe an event
    5. Template 5: To acknowledge information or an event
    6. Template 6: To convey bad news or decline a request
14. Sample Letters and E-mail Messages
    1. Job and Career Letters and E-mails
       1. For information-gathering and requests: Template 1
       2. If you want the job, use Template 2
       3. Use Template 4 to simply provide information
       4. Acknowledging events or the receipt of information
       5. To tactfully deliver bad news, use Template 6
    2. Post-Secondary School Admissions Letters
       1. Use Template 1 for information requests
       2. To be persuasive, use Template 2
       3. Using Template 4
       4. Acknowledging events or the receipt of information
       5. To tactfully deliver bad news, use Template 6
    3. Parent-School Letters
       1. Use Template 1 to request information or action
       2. For less-than-routine requests, use Template 2
       3. When persuasion isn’t necessary
       4. To show appreciation, use Template 5
       5. To tactfully deliver bad news, use Template 6
    4. Consumer Letters and E-mails
       1. For straightforward requests, use Template 1
       2. For consumer complaints, use Template 2
       3. If previous requests fail, try Template 3
       4. When to use Template 4
       5. To show appreciation, use Template 5
       6. Tactfully take business elsewhere using Template 6
    5. Letters for Banking and Credit Concerns
       1. For straightforward requests, use Template 1
       2. Anticipate resistance? Use Template 2
       3. If previous requests fail, try Template 3
       4. When to use Template 4
       5. To show appreciation, use Template 5
       6. Tactfully take business elsewhere using Template 6
    6. Letters for Medical and Insurance Concerns
       1. For straightforward requests, use Template 1
       2. When persuasion may be needed, use Template 2
       3. When to use Template 4
       4. Use Template 5 to say, “Thanks!”
       5. Soften bad news with Template 6
    7. Letters to Government Agencies
       1. For information requests, use Template 1
       2. For less-than-routine requests, use Template 2
       3. When to use Template 4
    8. Letters and E-mails to U.S., State, or Local Government Officials
       1. For straightforward requests, use Template 1
       2. To be persuasive, use Template 2
       3. When to use Template 4
       4. To show your support, use Template 5
       5. To tactfully deliver bad news, use Template 6
    9. Letters About Real Estate and Legal Concerns
       1. For straightforward requests, use Template 1
    10. Community Action and Fund-Raising Letters
        1. For straightforward requests, use Template 1
        2. When persuasion may be needed, use Template 2
        3. When to use Template 4
        4. To show appreciation, use Template 5
        5. To tactfully say no, use Template 6
    11. Letters and E-mails to the Media
        1. For straightforward requests, use Template 1
        2. When persuasion may be needed, use Template 2
        3. When previous requests fail, try Template 3
        4. When to use Template 4
        5. Use Template 5 to say, “Thanks!”
        6. To tactfully deliver bad news use Template 6
    12. Social Letters and E-mails
        1. Using Template 1
        2. For less-than-routine requests, use Template 2
        3. In social situations, avoid Template 3 letters
        4. For most social letters, use Templates 4 or 5