Purpose

As the head of enrollment at Fordham University, you were embarrassed about acceptance

letters mistakenly sent to students, and you want to make sure this never happens again. You

decide to write an email to the director of SAS to start the conversation.

Process

1. What is the purpose of your message?

2. Describe your audience. Consider how the organization feels about the mistake and how this

might impact their response to your email. Also consider your relationship with the group as

your partner, rather than an employee.

3. How will you briefly explain your purpose? Try to summarize the issue in a couple of sentences.

4. How will you share the responsibility without taking full responsibility or blaming SAS? This

is a delicate balance.

5. What next steps will you propose? How will you encourage the director to respond?

6. What will you use as your subject line?