Tips for writing effective letters

12 Rules for Writing Effective Letters

Read 12 Rules for Writing Effective Letters. If you follow these Rules, you make it more likely that you will get the relief you want. 

1. Before you write a letter, answer WHY and WHAT. 

2. First letters are always drafts. 

3. Allow time for "cooling off’ and revisions. 

4. You are always negotiating for services. 

5. Never threaten. Never telegraph your punches. 

6. Assume that you won’t be able to resolve your dispute, that the dispute will escalate, that a special education due process hearing will be held, and that you won’t be able to testify or tell your side of the story. 

7. Make your problem unique. 

8. You ARE writing letters to a Stranger. You are NOT writing letters to the school. 

9. You ARE writing business letters. When you write business letters, you DO use tactics and strategy (your brain). You DON’T ventilate anger or frustration (your emotions). 

10. NEVER make judgments. 

11. You are telling a story. Write your letter chronologically. Don’t broach the main issue in the first paragraph of the letter. 

12. Write letters that are clear and easy to understand. Make your letters clear, short, alive, and right. 

You can read the entire article and look at samples of what TO DO, and what NOT TO DO here.