Professional Emails A Practical Guide
TYPES OF EMAILS 2. PARTS OF AN EMAIL 3. CONFIDENTIALITY 4. THE SUBJECT LINE 5. THE GREETING 6. THE OPENING 7. THE BODY 8. THE CLOSING 9. THE SIGNATURE 10. SAMPLE EMAILS 11. REFERENCES 1.
Compiled by Jaime Cabrera for the scholars of Albukhary International University
Reply promptly to serious messages. If you need more than 24 hours to collect information or make a decision, send a brief response explaining the delay. SHL1013 Professional English
Reply promptly to serious messages. 10/4/2012
Four Types of Email 1. No-Reply Email –You want to tell the receiver
something, either a compliment or information. No reply is necessary. 2. Inquiry Email - You need something from the receiver in a reply. Example: advice, or questions answered. The reply is your desired outcome. 3. Open-Ended Email – to keep communication lines open, for the purpose of some future result or benefit. 4. Action Email – The goal is not the reply, but some action on the part of the receiver. Examples: a sales pitch, or asking for a website link exchange. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Parts of an email Parts of an Email
SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Confidentiality SHL1013 Professional English
Parts of an Email
10/4/2012
Confidentiality Your e-mails are not private. Avoid sending
confidential, proprietary, sensitive, personal, potentially embarrassing, or classified information via e-mail. When sending the same email to several people, via CCs or BCCs, remember that their addresses are visible in the CC box. Use the blind copy (BCC) or mail merge function to protect the privacy of your contacts. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Subject Line SHL1013 Professional English
Parts of an Email
10/4/2012
The Subject Line The subject line is the first thing the target receivers see when sorting through their inboxes. Always write a subject line that is informative, direct, and states the main issue in the email. Keep it short; long subjects lines don’t show well in the browser windows, or are ignored. Use sentence case, not all caps. When replying, change the subject line when the topic changes. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Greeting (Salutation) SHL1013 Professional English
Parts of an Email
10/4/2012
The Greeting (Salutation) Always open your email with a greeting.
For formal or business e-mails, use the surname, not the first name: Dear Mrs. Cowabunga, Dear Sir, If you’re contacting a company, not an individual, you may write To Whom It May Concern: Gentlemen: SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Opening Sentence Parts of an Email
SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
The Opening Begin with a line of thanks. Find any way to
thank target receivers. This will put them at ease, and it will make you appear more courteous. For example, if someone asked a question, you can begin with: Thank you for contacting Tanza Company. If someone replied to your email, you can begin with: Thank you for your prompt reply. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
State your purpose State your purpose in the opening
sentence. I am writing to enquire about … I am writing in reference to … Don’t write a long introduction, don’t tell a story. Skip the niceties. People just want to know what you want, so state that, in the first sentence. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Information in Detail SHL1013 Professional English
Parts of an Email
10/4/2012
The Body Be brief but polite. Tell them exactly
what you want, in as short an email as possible. If your message runs longer than two or three short paragraphs, reduce the message or provide an attachment. Remember to say "please" and "thank you." And mean it. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Write about one thing If possible, don’t overwhelm the target
receiver. If you write about multiple things, with multiple requests, it is likely that: your email won’t be read or acted on the receiver will only do one of those things Stick to one subject, with one request. Once that’s done, you can send a second one. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Use “If … then” statements To avoid back-and-forth exchange, and save
time, anticipate the possible responses. Give a desired action for each possible response. For example, instead of asking if they’ve received a response, waiting for a reply, and then replying to that reply, try and do it all in one email: Did you receive a response from Mr. Xena? If so, please email the report to me by Tuesday. If not, please follow up and let me know the response today. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Keep it professional Don’t use jokes, emotions, or emoticons. Do not send inflammatory or emotionally charged
comments via e-mail. Don't use abbreviations or acronyms such as PLZ, ROFLOL (rolling on the floor laughing out loud), or WUWT (what's up with that). Avoid exclamation points, ellipses, question marks, bold, italics, underlines, or multi-colored font. It is considered very rude to use CAPITAL LETTERS LIKE THIS BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT YOU ARE SHOUTING. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Closing Sentence SHL1013 Professional English
Parts of an Email
10/4/2012
Professional Closing How do you properly end an email? A simple
question, yet so many people are not sure about what is proper email etiquette. In the business world, ending an email professionally is just as important as perfecting the rest of the message. If you do it sloppily, you might lose some precious business opportunities. Avoid this by following a few basic rules of professional email conduct. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
The Closing Remarks Courtesy is always important, no matter how short
the email is. Before you end your email: Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Thank you for your consideration. Include an accurate follow-up statement: I will send you additional information. I look forward to receiving your input. If you have questions or concerns, do let me know. I look forward to hearing from you. If a response is required, specify what, when. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
The Closing Use a professional closing:
Best regards, Sincerely, Thank you, For more casual emails: Best wishes, Cheers, For more formal emails: Yours Sincerely, Yours Faithfully,
SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Email Signature SHL1013 Professional English
Parts of an Email
10/4/2012
The Email Signature A professional signature makes it easy to contact you. Your email account can automatically add these data to
the bottom of the email: full professional name job title business phone/fax numbers business street address business website, if any a legal disclaimer if required by your company. Depending on policy, you may also want to include a link to the company's website or social media pages. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
How to create a signature Click the gear icon
in the upper right, then
select Settings. Enter your new signature text in the box at the bottom of the page next to the Signature option. Click Save Changes. Signatures are separated from the rest of your message by two dashes. To see a signature in Gmail, click the Show trimmed content button at the bottom of the message.
From: http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=8395
10/4/2012
Your Signature Different signatures for different addresses
If you send mail "from" multiple addresses in Gmail, you can set a different signature for each address in the General tab of your settings. Choose the second radio button in the "Signature:" section. Use the drop-down menu to choose the appropriate address and set the signature you want.
Editing your signature
If you're editing your signature and only have an option to create a plain text signature, this is due to the settings. Click Compose to create a new message, then click the Rich formatting option in the message. Once this change is made, you'll be able to create a rich text signature.
From: http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=8395
10/4/2012
Attachments SHL1013 Professional English
Parts of an Email
10/4/2012
Attachments If there are any attachments, mention
them in the email so that the receiver knows to look for and open the files. Appropriately name the attachments so that the receiver knows what each document is just by reading the file name. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Review CLARITY: Once you’ve written an email,
take a few seconds to read over it before pressing the Send button. Read it as if you were an outsider — how clear is it? AMBIGUITY: Are there any ambiguous statements that could be interpreted the wrong way? If so, clarify. LENGTH: As you review, see if you can shorten the email, remove words or sentences or even paragraphs. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Revise, Check, Review SHL1013 Professional English
Parts of an Email
10/4/2012
Check, and then check again Before you hit the send button Edit
and proofread. You may think you're too busy to do the small stuff, but your reader may think you're careless, unqualified, or unprofessional. Review and spell-check your email one more time to make sure it's truly perfect. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Finally Reply promptly to serious messages. If you need more than 24 hours to collect
information or make a decision, send a brief note to explain the delay. Some replies are delayed by electronic transmission. Explain the delay. Some messages arrive at the end of the last working day of the week. Check emails just before you leave. SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Sample Emails
JOB INTERVIEW - THANK YOU JOB APPLICATION - COVER LETTER REQUEST FOR AN UPDATE
SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
Sample 1
Job Interview - Thank you
It was very nice to speak with you today about the sales position at the ABC Organization. The job seems to be an excellent match for my skills and interests. The selfconfident and aggressive characteristic requirements you described needed for this position confirmed my desire to work with you. In addition to my experience, I will bring to the position assertiveness and the skills to motivate others to work cooperatively as a team. I appreciate the time you took to interview me. I am very interested in working for you and look forward to hearing from you regarding this position. Sincerely, Your Complete Name Your company address Your work phone / fax numbers
SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Dear Hiring Manager,
Sample 2
Job Application - Cover Letter
I saw your job posting for a graphic designer in the ABC site. I believe I can be an ideal match for the position advertised. I have extensive experience in the planning and design of all graphicrelated projects. In my position as ___ for ___ Company, I was part of several projects for website design, the company intranet portal, product brochure design, print and media advertisement as well as newsletters for our customer subscribers.
Attached is my resume; these are some sample websites that I designed: URL URL If you require further information, please let me know. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your consideration. Best Regards, Your complete name Your company address Your work phone number
SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
Hi Jane,
Sample 3
Request for Update
Can you lease update me on the status of the project timelines? Last week you mentioned that you were waiting for Sam to send you the development timeline and that you were working on communication and planning documents (including timelines) for the project. I am planning for the project in Asia Pacific and need these dates to initiate discussion with the countries. The pilot will be a topic of discussion on our weekly status calls next week. Your assistance in getting this information as soon as possible is appreciated.
Thanks, Robert
From: www.qgroupplc.com/category/writingemails
10/4/2012
Know more at
Basic Explanations http:\\www.englishtown.com/community/channels/article.aspx?articleName=184-email or www.ehow.com/how_4995393_end-email-professionally.html Good Explanations http:\\grammar.about.com/od/developingessays/a/profemails.htm; home.comcast.net/~leparcell/email.html Practical Explanations http:\\www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/do-your-emailssuck-how-to-write-emails-that-get-results.html Excellent Explanations (Detailed) http:\\thinksimplenow.com/productivity/15-tips-forwriting-effective-email/ Excellent Explanations (With Examples) http:\\jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/email/ Concise Explanations 1 http:\\www.ehow.com/how_4679819_write-professionalemail.html Concise Explanations 2 http:\\www.ehow.com/how_2159648_write-professionalemails.html Practical Explanations http:\\rarepattern.com/nodes/2008/01/email-etiquette-bestpractices-things-avoid Not Required But Helpful http:\\www.techrepublic.com/article/10-e-mail-best-practicesto-share-with-your-users/6161848
SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
You might like these
8 E-mail Mistakes that Make You Look Bad http:\\www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/8-email-mistakes-that-make-you-look-bad.html How to Know If Your Email Has Been Read http:\\www.ehow.com/how_5775094_emailread.html Why Emails Should be Short Instead of Nice http:\\gigaom.com/collaboration/why-emailsshould-be-short-instead-of-nice/ 7 Rules for Communicating Clearly and Concisely http:\\gigaom.com/collaboration/7-rulesfor-communicating-clearly-and-concisely-in-email/ Five Things I Learned From 20 Years of Email http:\\gigaom.com/2012/08/19/five-thingsive-learned-from-20-years-of-email/ Two More Killer Tips for Effective E-mail http:\\blogs.bnet.com/businesstips/?p=4686 Don't Annoy Your Boss and Co-Workers with E-mail Gaffes http:\\blogs.bnet.com/businesstips/?p=4262 Write More Efficient E-mails to Save Time and Frustration http:\\blogs.bnet.com/businesstips/?p=3204 Don't Bring Down Your Mail Server with Reply All http:\\blogs.bnet.com/businesstips/?p=4283 If you want to know more: CC, BCC, virus, spam, and phishing http:\\www.techrepublic.com/article/10-e-mail-best-practices-to-share-with-your-users/6161848
SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
End of Presentation
THANK YOU
SHL1013 Professional English
10/4/2012
