The Evolution of Email
The Evolution of Email
Make a plan!
Think about the purpose of the person who will read the and how you want him or
her to react.
Make an outline or list of the main points and details you want to include in the
email.
Double check any facts, dates, times, or other specific details that will be included in
the email.
Who are you writing to and what is your relationship with the person?
If the person you are writing to is in a higher position than you, you should use more formal
language than if the person is someone in the same level position than you. If you have
never met the person receiving your before, you should use formal language in the first to
him or her. Once you have sent the first and received a reply, you can choose to continue
using formal language or choose to use less formal language in future s.
What is the situation?
Think about the reason you are sending the and decide if formal or informal language is
better. If you are requesting a service or asking a favor, you should use formal language. If
you are making a complaint, you should use strong words to express your dissatisfaction or
problem but you must be polite. If you are introducing yourself, you should use formal
language but you can use words or phrases that let your personality show through as well. If
you are writing a customer relation letter, you should use formal language.
Think about the reason for writing the and what you want the person who receives the to
do with it. If you want the receiver to do something for you, make it clear. Tell the receiver
exactly what action you want done. Tell the receiver if no action needs to be taken. If you
want the receiver to respond by a certain date, write the response date. If you are
negotiating or rearranging a meeting, write your demands or available times clearly.
Always write the subject of the on the subject line. Remember that business people often
receive hundreds of s every day. If you don’t write the subject in the subject line the person
receiving, they might think it is SPAM or junk and delete the message. If the subject isn’t
clear they might delete the as well, so make sure the subject is direct-don’t use too many
words.