<<Cassie, I expect you are right, it is a cultural thing, but being more forthright seems counter-productive to me....I know I am far more likely to go out of my way for someone who is polite and if someone is rude to me, I am actively unhelpful.>>
Oh but I never said anything about being rude. What I meant by "direct and forthright" was to cut to the chase and say what you have to say because most of the time, people only read the first couple of sentences in business and request letters.
Yes, perhaps bubu's situation calls for more humble and precatory language, but from my experience (and at my job), request letters written with a confident and perhaps even authoritative air usually get immediate responses, while letters written in a diffident (thanks for the word, Uriel) manner get filed with all the other letters waiting for action.
Oh but I never said anything about being rude. What I meant by "direct and forthright" was to cut to the chase and say what you have to say because most of the time, people only read the first couple of sentences in business and request letters.
Yes, perhaps bubu's situation calls for more humble and precatory language, but from my experience (and at my job), request letters written with a confident and perhaps even authoritative air usually get immediate responses, while letters written in a diffident (thanks for the word, Uriel) manner get filed with all the other letters waiting for action.