How To Write An Email
Email is among the most common forms of communication in businesses and between friends and family. Writing an effective email is different than writing a letter or chatting through a chat room or IM. To be easily read and deliver your message, email must be clean and concise. A good email follows the most basic rules of on screen writing – it must be easy on the eyes and easy to process.
Basic Formatting:
Much of an email follows the basic format of a letter. The first thing you must do is give your email an applicable subject. Avoid non-descriptive subjects like, “Hi!” as these might be overlooked or seem unprofessional. Use a good subject, even for personal emails, to help your recipient know what he’s about to read.
In the body of the email, use an introduction of some kind. A first name will often suffice for simple emails, but business emails should be more formal. “Dear So and So” is standard, or if you don’t know whom to address, you can use, “Dear Sirs.” The greeting can be removed if a conversation springs up between you and the recipient via email, but it should always be used on the initial contact or response.
Be sure to use paragraphs and complete sentences in the body of the email. Punctuation and capitalization is crucial not only to appear educated, but to help convey your message. Paragraphs should be short, often no more than 1-2 sentences to help they eye stay focused. Use an extra line between paragraphs to help break up longer messages.
The end of an email should have a closing or a signature. A signature is a message attached to the bottom of all messages. It usually contains your name, title and contact information. At the very least, you should put your name at the bottom of an email. That will help your recipient identify you and give him an idea of your preferred spelling or contact information for his records.
Email Formatting:
Certain formatting is required for emails that differs from that of print letters. The most important is to AVOID SHOUTING. Typing in all capital letters is shouting online and can be greatly offensive to readers.
Emoticons and text abbreviations are debated in professional emails, but common in personal ones. Be sure to know your audience – they may not know what “ttyl” or “LOL” means. Emoticons and abbreviations are generally accepted in casual style emails among professionals. A smiling face or “j/k” can help clear up meaning and keep the message light. Be sure to limit the use overall as too many symbols or abbreviations can be distracting from your message.
Be aware of your color and font choices. You may love pink, but pink words on a white background are almost impossible for most readers to decipher. Use a clean font and easy-to-read color palette.
Email Messages:
The message in emails is often short and sweet. Ideally, a reader won’t have to scroll through pages of text. A long chatty email is great between friends, but inappropriate in business. Get to the point quickly and use short sentences. Explanations should be simple and follow the main idea. Most professionals skim emails looking for the message and action points – don’t tangle up your reader with too many extra words or an unorganized message.
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Posted in Education, Literacy - Reading and Writing
