Correspondence should convey a courteous, positive tone. The key to accomplishing this task is using the “you attitude”—looking at the situation from the reader’s point of view and adjusting the content, structure, and tone to meet his or her needs. For example, if you are writing to a supplier who has failed to deliver some merchandise by the agreed-on date, the “you attitude” dictates that you not discuss problems you are having with other suppliers; those problems don’t concern your reader. Instead, concentrate on explaining clearly and politely that the reader has violated your agreement and that not having the merchandise is costing you money. Then propose ways to expedite the shipment.
Following are two examples of thoughtless sentences, each followed by an improved version that shows the “you attitude.”
| ACCUSING | You must have dropped the engine. The housing is badly cracked. |
| BETTER | The badly cracked housing suggests that the engine must have fallen onto a hard surface from some height. |
| SARCASTIC | You’ll need two months to deliver these parts? Who do you think you are, the post office? |
| BETTER | Surely you would find a two-month delay for the delivery of parts unacceptable in your business. That’s how I feel, too. |
A calm, respectful tone makes the best impression and increases the chances that you will achieve your goal.