E-mail & professionalism

E-mail & professionalism1Basic features

Project Budget SupervisorDept. of AwesomenessUWP, inc.352-555-1234 ext. 3254

Im preparing the budget for Project XYZ and need to know many assistants we need to hire and what their salaries or rates of pay will be.Dear Somebody Else,

Im preparing the budget for Project XYZ and need to know how many assistants we need to hire and what their salaries or rates of pay will be.

Thank you.

All the best,

Your NameThough most of us are used to writing e-mails, it is important to go over the elements of an e-mail and an e-mail program that are commonly used in professional situations.

If you get to choose your own username, make one that is suitable for your professional persona. Something that looks like your name is best, but its most important not to have something that shows you in a bad light. It might be your nickname with your close friends, but you dont want to send your resume from doobiedaddy@whatever.com

Make sure you have the recipients name and address written correctly. Youd hate to embarrass yourself by having the wrong or incorrectly spelled name and youd hate to have your e-mail go to the wrong address or no address at all. Note that you can also send a copy of the email to others. CC: just means that a copy will go out and every recipient sees the original and the other ccd recipients. BCC: means blind copy and that person will see the original recipient but none of the other ccd recipients and the original recipient will not be able to see who else got copies either.

Dont leave the subject line blank, but keep it short and to the point.

Include a salutation. Traditionally this is Dear so-and-so, but any sort of welcoming remark would be good. For one thing, this points the document to a specific reader, which could help avoid confusion. Also, it is good professional manners. That goes for the closing as well.

E-mail programs are often set up to include a signature as well. The signature in a professional e-mail includes your name, job title, department, and contact information, including a phone number.

Consider the size when including attachments. You dont want to flood your readers inbox with a giant file. Sometimes e-mail systems wont even accept large attachments. Consider using a file sharing system instead.

Some e-mail programs allow text editing. Being able to alter your text format can be useful, but it can also be overused. Keep e-mails as simple and to-the-point as possible.2As in any professional setting, avoid interpersonal issues in (company) e-mail.PROOFREAD!Assume that your e-mail is permanent and readable by anyone at any time.Convey the proper tone (formality, correctness, point of view, use or avoidance of clichs).Other Issues with e-mail

Some other things to consider when using e-mail are:

As in any professional setting, avoid interpersonal issues in (company) e-mail.Proofread! Were used to writing e-mails to friends that are informal and quick, so we dont generally proofread or care if there are errors, but it is important in all aspects of professional communication to present carefully produced documents.Assume that your e-mail is permanent and readable by anyone at any time. Most organizations keep logs and even if you delete an e-mail, it may still be retrievable. Also, e-mails are easily forwarded, so your intended audience may not be the only one who reads it.Convey the proper tone. Consider the formality of language you use. Its okay to say LOL and use smileys with your friends, but not in professional communication. Just because e-mails are so common, it doesnt mean you can avoid correct use of the language. Consider your point of view in how you articulate something. Without hearing your voice and seeing your body language, the reader can only accept what you wrote at face value. Consider how your writing sounds from other points of view. Avoid communication clichs in e-mails (and all other communication documents too).3PlanningWho is the reader?What is your purpose? What point are you trying to make?What do you want the reader to do?Where and when will this e-mail be read?How will it be used/viewed in the future?Will there be any secondary readers? What might their responses be?

The more important or formal the e-mail, the more carefully you should plan the e-mail.

Consider who the reader is and why you are writing. What point are you trying to make? What do you want the reader to do? Where and when will this e-mail be read? How will it be used or viewed in the future? Will there be any secondary readers? If so, what might their responses be?4Organizing the draftSubjectPurposeMain pointBackground informationImportance of the subjectConclusion: thank the reader, restate main point, look forward

Dear Somecompany Employees,For the past three pay periods Human Resources has been recalculating more time clock entries than usual. We believe the problem comes from human error.Please make sure that you clock in and out for break times. If any error occurs, please submit the correct information to your supervisor or me as soon as possible after the occurrence. This will prevent delays and errors in payroll.Thank you.

Best regards,I.M. FairHuman Resources Manager

When you are drafting the e-mail, restate the subject, your purpose for writing, the main point youre making, any necessary background information, the importance of the subject, and use concluding statements.

Lets look at this e-mail:

Dear Somecompany Employees,For the past three pay periods Human Resources has been recalculating more time clock entries than usual. We believe the problem comes from human error.Please make sure that you clock in and out for break times. If any error occurs, please submit the correct information to your supervisor or me as soon as possible after the occurrence. This will prevent delays and errors in payroll.Thank you.

Best regards,I.M. FairHuman Resources Manager

Even though the subject line would give a short preview of whats to come, its important to mention it in the body. In this case, its a problem with time clock entries. The main point of the e-mail is to let everyone know that this problem has been discovered and how it should be fixed. The purpose of the e-mail is change the audiences behavior. The background information reveals how the problem affects Human Resources and, in turn, could affect the employees with delays and errors in payroll. At the end, the author thanks the reader.

5Reasons for correspondenceInquiry state question(s) clearly and concisely; limit the number of questions; if possible and appropriate, offer something in return; thank the reader in advance for their response, provide your contact informationResponse thank the writer for their inquiry; answer question(s) point by point; offer more information if available and appropriate; provide your contact informationTransmittal identify the attached materials and why they are being sent; summarize the information sent and clearly express what action you request the reader to takeClaims or Complaints explain the problem in detail and how it inconvenienced you; explain how you would like the reader to address the problem; thank them in advance for their response; provide your contact informationAdjustments express regret about the problem without directly accepting blame; explain how you will address the problem; tell when results should be expected; show appreciation for the readers business with your companyRefusals (bad news) summarize the facts; deliver the bad news and explain your reasoning; offer alternatives if available; express a desire to retain the relationship

Emails are written for many professional situations:

Inquiry state question(s) clearly and concisely; limit the number of questions; if possible and appropriate, offer something in return; thank the reader in advance for their response, provide your contact informationResponse thank the writer for their inquiry; answer question(s) point by point; offer more information if available and appropriate; provide your contact informationTransmittal identify the attached materials and why they are being sent; summarize the information sent and clearly express what action you request the reader to takeClaims or Complaints explain the problem in detail and how it inconvenienced you; explain how you would like the reader to address the problem; thank them in advance for their response; provide your contact informationAdjustments express regret about the problem without directly accepting blame; explain how you will address the problem; tell when results should be expected; show appreciation for the readers business with your companyRefusals (bad news) summarize the facts; deliver the bad news and explain your reasoning; offer alternatives if available; express a desire to retain the relationship

6International correspondenceTimeTitles & last namesFocusPlain textAvoid clichs and culturally-connected language, including humorPROOFREAD!!!!!

With the amount of cross-cultural collaboration and worldwide companies, it is important to note certain aspects of international correspondence.

First is time. Your work day may begin when others are ending or when theyre already asleep. Give international e-mail exchanges at least 24 hours before you expect an answer.

If possible, use titles and last names. The U.S. usually follows the more informal practice of using first names, but in many other cultures it is considered to0 friendly and intimate.

Keep the contents focused on the subject. If language is a barrier, many topics contained in one email can be confusing. Even if language isnt an issue, it can still be difficult to have information clarified when youre a world away.

Use plain text and plain language avoid decorative fonts, unnecessary images, clichs, and culturally-connected language, including humor.

Again, dont forget to PROOFREAD! If your reader is not a native English language speaker, and you use the wrong spelling of to, for example, you could thoroughly confuse your reader and disrupt important communication.7Works consultedJohnson-Sheehan, R. Technical Communication Strageties for Today. 2011.Lannon, J. M. & L. Gurak. Technical Communication. 2011.Markel, M. Technical Communication. 2010.

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