Keep the "you" attitude.
One very effective way to be courteous and also to get people to do thing is to use the "you" attitude. The "you" attitude considers the other person first. This does not merely mean using "you" and "your" instead of "we" and "our" to add courtesy, but more important, having the right attitude--the contant consideration of the reader's point of view. In other words, the "You" attitude requires that what you write or propose is to the recipient's benefit and not to you or your organization's advemtage. Look at the opening sentences of the following two examples.