Your professional self

Things to consider when you start to write an email

What is your audience’s relationship to you—for example, is the reader your teacher? Your boss? A friend? A stranger? How well do you know him/her? How would you talk to him/her in a social situation?

What do you want your audience to think or assume about you? What kind of impression do you want to make?

1. There is a specific subject line

2. There is a greeting to the person receiving the email - not a "hey"

3. Get directly to the point. Use no exclamation points, emoticons or slang.

4. Use proper grammar, spelling and style. Email is not an exception, especially since it might be the first or only was someone gets an impression of you.

5 Use a closing.

For your closing, something brief but friendly, or perhaps just your name, will do for most correspondence.

For a very formal message, such as a job application, use the kind of closing that you might see in a business letter.

Thank you,

Best wishes,

See you tomorrow,

Regards,

Sincerely,

Respectfully yours,

Here is a brief example of some emails I have received in the past:

E-mail from Student 1:

i need help on my paper can i come by your office tomorrow

thx

E-mail from Student 2:

Hi Dr. Crowley,

I am in your MCOM 101 class on Thursdays, and I have a question about the paper that is due next Tuesday. I’m not sure that I understand what is meant by the following sentence in the prompt:

“Write a 10-page paper arguing for or against requiring ENG 101 for all SU freshmen and provide adequate support for your point of view.”

I am not sure what you would consider “adequate” support. Would using 3 sources be o.k.?

Can I come by your office tomorrow at 2:00 pm to talk to you about my question? Please let me know if that fits your schedule. If not, I could also come by on Friday after 1:00.

Thank you,

Tim Smith

See the difference?

From this day forward I only reply to professional emails.

Here is a good link that digs a little deeper into emails.

Comments

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