It may sound simplistic, but we all need reminding often that written communications need three basic parts:
This has been expressed elsewhere as - tell them what you are going to say, say it, then tell them what you have just said! Probably applies to reports rather than letters, but both need, for example, a lead in, the substance of the matter, then a comment on future action. In terms of problem solving, this is akin to stating the problem, discussing possible solutions, then recommending one course of action.
Specific approaches are laid down by some
employers to ensure there is a consistent approach by all
staff. For example, when I worked in the navy, there was a
Manual of Service Writing which listed the approach
to all forms of writen communications, from memos to
detailed operational instructions, and included a section or
two on grammar and punctuation. Some companies produce
Style Guides, and I have seen one on the Net used by
the Times newspaper in UK. If you don't like your
company's style guide, then you should find out who is
responsible for it and make some constructive suggestions -
show a sample produced by the Guide, and another version
which you suggest is an improvement. There are many stories of people trying
this approach and getting nowhere, of course, so you will
have to remain optimistic. If the company won't change, then
you will have to change - or leave. I remember some former
students who were trying to change a poor image - we had
told them never to use It is proposed that, It is
suggested that .... and so on, but every time they wrote
in a simpler manner, the admiral crossed it out and wrote
It is proposed that. I have worked for bosses whose immediate
reaction when you walked into the office with a draft letter
or report, was to pick up a pencil and lick it ready for
action!
Some people like to make sure everything leaving the office has their personal stamp on it - and perhaps rightly so if they accept full responsibility for everything that ultimately bears their signature? Then again, some people are engaged in power games and feel as bosses that they always have to make at least one change! There were some former students who always used to include a split infinitive on the first page - doesn't matter if you don't know what that is - and then endure a lecture from the boss about same: he would then merely glance over the remaining 20 pages, and sign it!