如何撰寫令人印象深刻的recommendation letter
[明報專訊] 好多人寫personal essays或獎學金申請信，或替下屬寫reference時，喜歡整篇寫滿形容詞，什麼passionate呀，devoted呀，logically minded之類。其實這類字完全沒有impact，只係撻幾個形容詞，係人都識，有何難度？讀信的人，也是見慣。
要增加文字的感染力，讓人留下深刻印象，不如試下講故事：一些人無你有的小故事、小經驗，以突顯閣下希望market的特點。
最近英國演員Alan Rickman逝世，同演Harry Potter電影的「哈利仔」Daniel Radcliffe在其Google+ account寫了一篇悼文，在網上瘋傳。這篇文用字不深，造句不特別，但令人印象最深的是一兩三件小事，表現出Alan Rickman的特別性格。第一段他講Rickman對後輩如何supportive and encouraging：
He is also one of the loyalest and most supportive people I've ever met in the film industry. He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter. I'm pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York. He didn't have to do that.
假如沒有寫he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York，而只用形容詞loyal、supportive同encouraging，就沒有原文的impact了。
然後再借別人的remark講Rickman是個有義氣、對朋友很好的人：
I know other people who've been friends with him for much much longer than I have and they all say "if you call Alan, it doesn't matter where in the world he is or how busy he is with what he's doing, he'll get back to you within a day".
同樣，這裡不用形容詞。一句quote已顯明突顯Rickman的性格。這個impact，不論你寫幾多helpful、friendly、kind、encouraging都不能達到。
下一次寫求學信或替人寫reference letter，不妨用心想想要寫什麼qualities，再想有什麼特別的經驗或故事可以講，可能效果更好。
蕭叔叔
