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18 · Format Spec
Brand System · 18 · Lockwood Advisory · MMXXVI
The Cover
Letter
Visual preview · spec 18
18 · Opportunity Doc · Format Spec

Cover Letter

From Nicole, in her own voice. The letter that opens a door.

Live spec

When to use it

  • Board applications · companion to Executive CV.
  • Role expressions of interest.
  • Formal introductions to senior recipients.
  • Accompanying letters to a Proposal or Capability Statement.

When NOT to use it

  • Capability overview without specific role context · use the Capability Statement (19).
  • Anything transactional or pricing-related · use Engagement Doc formats.

When this format is right

First-person, warm, considered. The Cover Letter is a personal letter, not a corporate document.

Canonical reference

Destination Development Chair cover letter · canonical reference.

Tooling

Built with the docx skill. Single page. Output PDF for application packages.

Structure

  • LA letterhead OR plain personal letterhead depending on context
  • Date + addressee block
  • Opening paragraph (the door-opener)
  • Body paragraphs (the why-me)
  • Closing paragraph (the ask)
  • Sign-off: 'Yours sincerely, Nicole Lockwood'
The DNA

Personal voice. Cormorant Garamond used sparingly (date/sign-off). Tenor Sans body. No bullet lists. No headings. Just paragraphs.

The Anatomy

Single A4 page. Letterhead, date, addressee, salutation, body, sign-off.

Voice rules

  1. First person. The letter is from Nicole, not from LA.
  2. Warm but considered. Not effusive.
  3. Specific about why this opportunity. Not a generic cover letter.
  4. End with a clear ask. Interview, conversation, meeting.

Production checklist

  1. Addressee correct (name + title)
  2. Why-this-opportunity specific
  3. Sign-off and signature
  4. Single page
  5. Filename: NicoleLockwood_[Role]_CoverLetter_[YYYYMMDD].pdf
Prompt-ready brief · copy into any AI 
You are writing a Cover Letter for Nicole Lockwood.

CONTEXT
First-person letter to a senior recipient (board chair, CEO, executive search). Companion to an Executive CV or Capability Statement.

STRUCTURE
- Letterhead (LA or personal)
- Date + addressee block
- Salutation
- Opening (door-opener: why I'm writing)
- Body (why me, specific to this opportunity)
- Closing (the ask: interview, conversation)
- Sign-off: "Yours sincerely, Nicole Lockwood"

VOICE
- First-person. The letter is from Nicole.
- Warm but considered. Not effusive.
- Specific about this opportunity, not a generic letter.
- End with a clear, specific ask.

FORBIDDEN SYMBOLS (NEVER USE)
- No em dashes (—)
- No en dashes (–)
- No section symbol (§) — use plain numbers (01, 02) instead
- No curly quotes (“ ” ‘ ’) — use straight quotes (")
- No ellipsis character (…) — use three dots (...)
- Use middle dot . only as separator (the . shown here is U+00B7)

OUTPUT
Write a Cover Letter to [addressee] for [opportunity/role], with the structure above.

What this block does

Drop this into Claude, GPT, Gemini, or any LLM to produce a Cover Letter in the Lockwood Advisory format and voice without re-explaining each time.