Case Scenario:
When one is addressing a superior and/or asking for a favor, attention to tone is particularly essential. Appropriate tone will help you accomplish your professional and personal goals.It will also help you establish and maintain a professional reputation.
You are required to interview a professional in your anticipated career or major and then write a brief report on the answers they provided youfor an assignment in SOM 301. Your lab professor has suggested that you contact one of her/his acquaintances-KevinDonati, a manager at Net Social in your particular field of interest-and ask if you can interview him.
Write Mr. Donati an e-mail asking if he would be willing to have you interivew him in order to get information about your intended career and to gain information to write the report for your class.Before you write, think carefully about what Mr. Donati will probably want or need to know about you, the assignment, and the interview experience in general.You are allowed to be creative regarding the assignment and interviewing specifics in order to demonstrate to SOM 301 faculty that you understand how to utilize appropriate tone when making a request.
Be sure to keep the following in mind:
• Do put the entire letter into your own words and style
• Do politely request to interview Mr. Donati
• Do explain who you are
• Do explain why you are contacting Mr. Donati and the reason for the interview request
• Do consider what Mr. Donati needs to know about you and the assignment, and any other background information that is necessary to provide,
• Do include some questions you might ask him
• Do give Mr. Donati an idea of when the interview needs to be completed
• Do consider what information can be omitted and instead discussed in a later email, phone call, and/or meeting
• Do format your letter for maximum readability
• Do write an email letter that is approximately three-quarters of a page (Times New Roman 12 pt. font, single spaced with double spacing around sections, standard one-inch margins)
• Do not borrow wording from the assignment directions or textbook
• Do not demand the interviewing opportunity
• Do not assume Mr. Donati will agree to your request