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Writing an Effective E-Mail E-Mail Headings Write It In a Power Sentence
1. Write a meaningful subject line— people Writing An Effective If your sentence is weak, no
who get a lot of e-mail scan the subject lines To: Person receiving the e-mail Business Text Message one will want to read it.
2. Keep the message focused— keep your From Sender
e-mails to one message; if replying to CC: (carbon Additional people receiving the Write a short, clear message aimed at 1. Know the grammar
basics—Subject. Verbs.
multiple messages—number points and use copy) e-mail for information purposes a defined audience who:
paragraph breaks and skip lines. BCC: (blind Additional people to receive the 1. Knows about your business Adjectives. Conjunctions.
Punctuation. Tense.
3. Avoid attachments— when possible avoid carbon copy) e-mail without the receiver knowing already, or who is able to discover 2. Don’t hold back… initially—When you start
attachments unless requested; copy/paste and understand it quickly and
highlights into text to make your point Date: Current Date easily writing, let yourself go crazy. After all, it’s
4. Identify yourself clearly— be sure your Subject: What the e-mail is about - make 2. Are fellow workers or individuals just a first draft, and you can fix all of the
problems later.
name and position, department, class is clear. this short and to the point associated with the company’s 3. Pick a tone, any tone and stick with it!—
Give a reference if the person is not a regular Attachments File(s) to be sent with the e-mail mission and who know the The tone of your work creates emotions in
you e-mail. business purpose of the
5. Be kind, don’t flame— if you are writing communication… such as your readers. If you want your writing to feel
unbiased, stick with a dry, scientific tone. If
in anger, save it as a draft and get a meeting times, order numbers,
soda or cup of coffee—COOL OFF! Never hit SEND while angry. Never use phone numbers, etc. you want your writing to feel passionate, use
an opinionated tone with lots of examples. To
@##$$%@%&*(!@. Delete and then rewrite your point of concern. Remember to:
6. Proofread— use spell checker and proofread. Watch for left-out words. Sign your text; this is especially make your audience feel relaxed, use a casual
7. Don’t assume privacy— E-mail is not secure. Follow these words: praise important if your cell phone shows as tone. For a humorous mood, use a light-
hearted tone.
in public and criticize in private. Many companies reserve the right to review a “restricted number”
e-mails prior to release to the person as part of their company policy. Use keywords which are ACTION 4. Get to the point… or don’t—Your readers
8. Distinguish between formal and informal situations— do not use informal oriented want you to get to the point, so most of the
time you’ll want to get right to it. There are
shortcuts or emoticons in e-mail that is formal such as LOL (laugh out loud) or smiley face; you
are seen as sarcastic or disrespectful. Ideally, keep your text to no more than exceptions to this rule, though. If you are
9. Respond Promptly— to maintain being professional you should follow-up in less than 24 20 words trying to build suspense, you won’t want to
give away the point immediately
hours as a rule. Some businesses believe this includes weekends. This can be done with an NEVER give confidential information 5. Move Emphasized Words Out of the
auto-reply when traveling or on vacation or a personal reply that you will review and get back via text. Middle—Readers usually remember the first
to them “soon.”
10. Show Respect and Restraint— flaming is an e-mail war. Most wars have been started by and last words of a sentence while words in
the middle fade away.
“reply all” being hit instead of reply—choose wisely.
6. Prune Away Useless Words and Phrases—-
Look at your sentence and think about
how useful each word is within it. Does it
182.9 trillion – The number of e-mails sent per DAY Watch out for really convey the meaning you intend? Is it
autocorrect! necessary?
