You-Attitude
You-attitude is reader-oriented writing; the writer privileges the reader's needs and wants over the writer's own needs and wants.
The writer designs and organizes the document to give the reader what she wants and expects.
Use the six following techniques to develop you-attitude:
1) Focus on what the reader receives, not on what the writer (you) can do for the reader.
2) Refer specifically to specific relevant information:
~ The reader's request or order, previous correspondence,
technical numbers etc.
~ Refer to specific items or specific invoice numbers, course numbers, sections,
etc.
~ Refer to specific dates.
~ In short, give the reader all the information
necessary to quickly give you what you want.
3) Avoid discussing your own feelings.
~ Don't write "We're excited..." or "We're happy to tell you..." etc. The reader probably doesn't care or want to know.
~ Don't place the reader in the awkward position of having to forgive you (not something the reader probably wants to do).
~ Excessive apologies may make you seem inefficient and incapable (not what the reader wants from you).
4) Don't predict the reader's response or tell him how he will feel or what he needs.
~ We tell children and dogs how to behave, not other adults.
5) Adjust pronouns to focus on the reader (neutral/positive situations).
~ Edit out "I"; referring to yourself and not the reader gives the impression you are more concerned with yourself than with the reader's needs.
~ "We-ness": Use "we" only if it includes the reader; make the reader feel included in the group.
6) Cornered dogs bite; remove the corner, not the dog: adjust pronouns and grammar to protect the reader's ego (negative situations): Avoid "you" in negative situations; avoid directly "blaming" the reader.
Remove any and all negative "you".
~ Use passive verb constructions; these place no blame on the person but on the action itself.