Email has changed business communication. The traditional letter, the
memo, and even the telephone call, have all in some way been
replaced by email. In order to use email effectively, certain
considerations must be taken.
The first thing to consider is who the email is for. In general, emails can
be either formal, or informal. An informal email includes internal
memos, requests, and announcements. A formal email is anything
directed to a client, or supervisor.
Email Format
To:
The email should be sent to the person who needs to take action, or
the person who directly needs to know the information.
CC:
Copy in people who need to be aware of what is happening in the
email. This often includes supervisors. People who are copied in are
not required to take action on the email.
From:
Most companies provide work emails, which make it clear who the
email is from. If you are not using a work email, be sure your email
name is appropriate. This is especially true when applying for a job.
Subject Line:
The subject line is the first impression of your letter. Therefore, it must
be catchy, but also clear and precise. Considering the large amount of
spam people receive, it is important to differentiate your letter from the
others that people will send to the trash. The subject line should:
be clear,
be concise,
be directly related to the body of the email, and
contain action verbs.
Before You Write
Before you write an email, consider the following questions:
• Who are you writing to?
• Why are you writing?
• What reaction do you want?
• Is this email necessary?
After answering these questions, you will be able to write the content of
your email more effectively.
The content of the email depends on who the receiver is. Internal
memos are much different than a letter to a client.
Opening
Start with the reason you are writing. In an internal email, this should
include the action you want from the receiver. In a formal letter, the
opening may look like this:
“I am writing to inquire about….”
“I am writing to request….”
Conclusion
In internal emails, always end with an action. This should be either
what you are going to do, or what you need done. This can also be the
place for deadlines.
Writing Strategies for Effective Emails
Effective emails:
Contain one action
One action is more likely to be completed than several
Announce Attachments
Use Lists and Bullets
Bullets and lists make things easier to read and understand
Use I instead of We
Using the pronoun "I" shows you are personally taking
responsibility.
Visually Pleasing
It is very important to make your emails visually pleasing. Good emails:
• use headings.
• use lists.
• make effective use of bold, italics, and underline.
• use short paragraphs and contain white space.
Passive Voice
Using the passive voice is a good way to avoid making your emails
sound demanding, accusatory, and other negative feelings.
Look at the following example of two sentences, one in active and the
other in passive voice.
You need to pay the invoice.
The invoice needs to be paid.
The first sentence sounds more demanding than the second, which
uses passive voice. It is obvious to the reader that he/she is the person
who needs to pay the invoice. Using "you" only makes the email sound
more negative and demanding.
However, passive voice can alos make emails hard to understand.
Look at this example:
The documents need to be edited.
Imagine if this were in an email to more than one co-worker. No one
would know who needs to eit the documents. Therefore, be sure to
use active voice and make it clear who is responsible for all actions that
need to be done.
For example:
Tom, please edit the documents this week.
Email Etiquette
Etiquette is important when using the Internet and email. There are
certain behaviours that are different on the Internet than in traditional
written communication. To be polite, consider these ideas:
Only send emails that are important.
Try to send individual emails. Mass emails are impersonal.
DON’T USE ALL CAPITALS, which on the Internet is the
equivalent of yelling.
Make your attachments important. Many people are suspicious
of attachments as they are known to carry viruses. They also
take more time to access, so don’t waste people’s time with
useless attachments.
Be careful with humour in emails. A letter lacks body language,
and tone of voice and can often be misinterpreted. This is true for
many emotions, which although they can be shown through
exclamations and emoticons, can often be misinterpreted.
Internal Memos
The main focus of an internal email should be conciseness. Your co-
workers do not have a lot of time to read detailed emails. Write
concisely and be clearly about what you need done. Writing short
emails means:
Limit the email to two paragraphs
Use contractions to minimize space
Make the email about only one subject
Be clear about what you need done or what you will do
Formal Emails
Emails written to clients, customers, suppliers, or supervisors should
follow the same process as a traditional letter. The writing should be
well-structured and follow all grammar and spelling rules.