… But first, some reflective writing!
In the middle of the semester in classes like this, I like to take a moment to recap what we’ve discussed so far and try to get a sense of the connections we see, especially when it’s a class I’m teaching for the first time. So I’d like us to take a few minutes to do some reflective writing now. Open up a blank doc in your Google Drive folder. Let’s take about 10-12 minutes to write about what we can say about civic engagement and communication now that we’ve been discussing it from different angles for a few weeks. Respond to the following questions:
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- What are some of the major themes you’ve picked up on?
- What are some of the major problems you feel are out there related to this topic?
- Where do you think you can excel in this area of writing?
- What questions do you still have about this topic?
- What do you wish we would go over that we haven’t already covered?
Letters to Officials or Stakeholders-in-Power as a Genre
The basic principles for this of letter versus other letters with which you may be familiar are the same in terms of keeping things formal, but your goals are different. (You’re not going for a job like you would be with a cover letter or inquiring about some kind of information, for example.) Here, you’re typically asking the addressee to take action on your behalf as your representative. There are a few other things to keep in mind, as well:
- Consider the volume of letters your audience gets – staffers for federal representatives can read thousands of letters on an issue. For that reason, keeping it brief is important – no more than one page.
- For the same reason, get straight to the point and clearly state the legislation you are supporting or rejecting if applicable (e.g. S-3038). If not, clearly state the specific issue you are writing about.
- In other letters, maintaining a formal, respectful tone is essential; here, it should be added that it is important to remain firm as well in order to show conviction.
- How you do that is debatable, and we’ll discuss the notion of civility on Thursday
- Making it personal often helps. Either tell a personal story, or give an example of how the issue/legislation impacts your neighborhood/community.
- As you tell the story, however, avoid being overly-emotional. You want to establish a human connection and appeal to pathos without completely derailing appeals to logic you may be making elsewhere in your letter.
- In addition to telling a personal story as you address the issue itself, you may also want to build a personal connection to the representative by mentioning your connection to them. Have you voted for them? Met them at a rally or political gathering? Gone to a lecture they’ve given? Donated to their campaign?
- You can also establish your ethos in another way by introducing yourself with any issue-related achievements, connections, etc. you have
- Showing appreciation for the work your representative has done can be helpful as well. This shows that you follow their work, that you are knowledgeable in the issues on the table currently, and offers some acknowledgement of their labor your behalf and on the behalf of voters.
- Again, though, this is a debatable rhetorical tactic that we can discuss Thursday when we talk about civility.
Letter Sample Outline
This quick outline may be helpful to follow for writing one of these letters. Please note that this is not an exact formula – just some suggestions!
- Opening – introduce yourself and any credentials you have, particularly if they are related to the issue
- Also might want to mention if you’ve voted for the representative, donated, met them, etc.
- Also if they’ve recently voted for something you agree with, might want to thank them
- Context – what are you writing about? what ‘s the name of the bill, the specific issue, etc.? why are you bringing this to their attention now? What makes this urgent?
- Specifics – make a few important claims, but remember that this letter should be only a page; bring in reliable research if you have it, show how the issue impacts their constituents, provide details, stick to the facts without getting emotional
- Personal Connections – do you have a personal story that can help humanize the issue; if not, how might you make the issue local by talking about the ways it impacts your neighborhood or community?; really be granular in this part to help your researched points from above hit home
- Closing – Reiterate the importance of the representative taking action, and thank them for listening and for their time
Sample Doc Guidelines: Letter to Representatives (and finding your reps)
- For the next sample doc, I’d like you to write a letter to one of your federal, state, or local government representatives about an issue you care about.
- By “federal representatives,” I mean your Senators or Congresspeople
- By “state representatives,” I’m talking about your NJ State Senator or Assemblyperson
- By “local government representative,” I mean either your County Commissioners, your Town Council or Township Committee, your local School Board – all those down-ballot people that you probably don’t know much about but who make a LOTTTTT of decisions for you (something, tbh, I did not fully appreciate until the past couple of years in my mid-30s!)
- To find your local government officials, go to your town’s official website. There should be a list of elected officials there.
- Follow the outline above, do some research on the issue or legislation you are discussing, make personal connections.
- As always, remember that these are just practice documents – our goal here is to get you out of your comfort zone and trying new genres of writing that you may not have tested out before.
- We’ll be doing some peer review/looking over these together Thursday.
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