Focus of Attention—The "You Attitude"

An important concept in letter writing is something called the "you attitude." The "you attitude" insists that the focus of attention in your letters be directed toward the reader, the "you" to whom you are writing.

Directing a letter toward a reader may seem very simple, but a letter writer too often incorrectly assumes that his or her interests and knowledge are the same as the reader's. Some legwork needs to be done when you are deciding how to make a letter reader-oriented. This legwork may come at the planning stage of your letter, discussed in Chapter 1.