Write it right: there's nothing like a letter to make constituents feel appreciated. Let them know you value their input by answering their correspondence promptly.

• Author: Rose, Gene
• Position: TOOLS OF THE TRADE

People are more likely to be involved--and trust government--if they receive personalized letters from their elected representatives. Writing to your constituents is a great way to respond to inquiries, provide information about your work and by letting them know you value their opinions--show them that representative democracy works.

Legislators receive hundreds of communications each week, whether the correspondence comes via the postal service or the Internet. Although, the workload to respond can be overwhelming, there are steps you or your staff can take to make sure that letter writers know how much you appreciate the time they took to contact you.

The public has a low level of awareness about state legislatures. Many of your constituents:

* Don't know your name or how to reach you.

* Don't know what district they live in.

* Have a limited understanding of the function of state government.

In fact, many people assume their state legislator works out of Washington, D.C.

Focus group participants express frustration that their elected officials do not connect or communicate with them. Many cannot distinguish between their state and U.S. representatives and cannot name airy of them. If you can fill this communication void with clear, useful information and show your constituents you want their input, you help fight apathy and cynicism and strengthen representative democracy.

Here are some important guidelines to keep in mind when writing to your constituents.

1. Personalize written correspondences. Nobody likes to receive mail that begins with the greeting: "Dear Resident." You will have more success reaching your constituents if you personalize your letters. Make sure to spell names correctly.

2. Pay attention to the writer's position. Make sure your letter addresses the concerns of the writer. Some focus group members who made the difficult decision to get involved and write a letter, received a form letter on the other side of the issue. This confirms constituents' suspicions that their voices are not being heard.

3. Keep the language simple. Do not use terms or phrases that may be unfamiliar to many of your constituents. Focus group respondents often looked confused when they were asked to define terms such as "constituent" and "representative democracy." These may be basic terms to you, but they are not commonly understood by all.

4. Define political and legislative terms if you must use them. At the capitol, certain words, phrases or...