An open letter is a special type of public appeal to government officials, politicians, businessmen, etc. It touches on some actual problem. Citizens who signed the appeal express their point of view and seek to draw public attention to the action or inaction of those responsible. Most often, the open letter is considered by the authors as the last opportunity to influence the situation. So that the letter does not go unanswered, you must observe several rules when preparing it.
Instruction manual
1
Formulate the main problem (topic). It should be important to many people. Most often, open letters draw attention to negative facts in the field of healthcare, education, utilities, etc.
2
Define the addressee of the letter, i.e. that official, civil servant, leader, to whose attention you want to bring information on a controversial issue. You can contact the President of the Russian Federation, governor, deputy, general director, class teacher, etc. It is important that the addressee be empowered to solve the problem or have a direct relationship to it.
3
Think over the structure of the letter. If you are writing a collective appeal, consider the opinion of each author. Discuss what goal you want to achieve in an open letter, what facts you need to cite to confirm that you are right, what solutions you see and can offer.
4
Draft a letter. State your claims reasonably, and thoughts and facts consistently. Start by describing the situation that prompted you to take up the open letter. List the actions you have taken and their results or lack thereof. Since this format involves generalization, relate specific facts to each other, highlighting common features. So, speaking out publicly criticizing housing and communal services reform in the region, cite several cases of violation of the rights of apartment owners, refer to the available documents and expert opinion.
5
You can also write an open letter in the form of reasoning, reflection. This form is more suitable for moral, ethical problems. The letter of reasoning is addressed, as a rule, not to an individual, but to the public, social group, population of the region, etc. For example, you are worried about the clutter of city streets. One of the reasons for this is the low level of culture of the townspeople. Therefore, in an open letter, you reflect on the responsibility of a citizen, on education by personal example, and call on fellow countrymen to take care of their hometown.
6
Reread a draft of the letter. Eliminate incorrect and rude statements. Correct the mistakes. Be sure to specify the positions, last names, first names and patronymics of all the people mentioned in the letter.
7
Type a letter or write in legible handwriting. Use A4 white paper. Write only on one side of the sheet, observing the fields. If you plan to send an email, save it in a text format that can be read on any computer.
8
Authors should put personal signatures on the last page of the letter. Anonymous messages are not credible and may not be considered. You can attach a file with scanned signatures to the electronic version of an open letter.
9
Decide how you want to publish the open letter. The most popular are the following options: publication in the press (federal, regional, corporate), reading on the air of a television or radio program, posting on the official website of the organization. To place an open letter in the media, you must first contact the publisher and discuss the necessary details. When publishing an open letter on the Internet, do it on special pages of official sites. Such an opportunity is provided by most Internet portals of state and municipal authorities, as well as public organizations, control and supervisory authorities.
Useful advice
Proceed sequentially. Use an open letter in the event that other solutions to the problem are exhausted.
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How to prepare an open letter
