Great email-writing-skills for employees

Great for Email writing.

1. Professional Emails A Practical Guide T Y P E S O F E M A I L S P A R T S O F A N E M A I L C O N F I D E N T I A L I T Y T H E S U B J E C T L I N E T H E G R E E T I N G T H E O P E N I N G T H E B O D Y T H E C L O S I N G T H E S I G N A T U R E 1 . S A M P L E E M A I L S 11 . R E F E R E N C E S Compiled by Jaime Cabrera for the scholars of Albukhary International University

2. Reply promptly to serious messages. 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 10/4/ 2 012

3. Four Types of Email No-Reply Email –You want to tell the receiver something, either a compliment or information. No reply is necessary. Inquiry Email - You need something from the receiver in a reply. Example: advice, or questions answered. The reply is your desired outcome. Open-Ended Email – to keep communication lines open, for the purpose of some future result or benefit. 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/ 2 012

4. Parts of an Email Parts of an email SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012

5. Parts of an Email Confidentiality SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012

6. Confidentiality SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 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.

7. Parts of an Email Subject Line SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012

8. The Subject Line SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 The subject line is the first thing the target receivers see when sorting through their in- boxes. 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.

9. Parts of an Email Greeting (Salutation) SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012

10. The Greeting (Salutation) SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 Always open your email with a greeting. For formal or business e-mails, use the surname, not the first name: De a r Mrs . Cowa b u n g a , Dear Si r , If you’re contacting a company, not an individual, you may write T o Whom I t Ma y C o ncer n : Gentlemen:

11. Parts of an Email Opening Sentence SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012

12. The Opening SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 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 y o u f o r you r promp t repl y .

13. State your purpose SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 State your purpose in the opening sentence. I a m w riting t o enqu i re abou t … I a m writi n g i n reference t o … 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.

14. Parts of an Email Information in Detail SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012

15. The Body SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 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.

16. Write about one thing SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 If possible, don’t overwhelm the target receiver. If you write about multiple things, with multiple requests, it is likely that: you r emai l won’t b e re a d o r acte d on th e receiv e r will on l y d o on e o f th o s e thin g s Stick to one subject, with one request. Once that’s done, you can send a second one.

17. Use “If … then” statements SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 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 yo u recei v e a res p on s e fro m M r . Xen a ? I f so, please email the report to me by Tuesday. If not, ple a s e follo w u p a n d l e t m e k no w th e resp o ns e to d a y .

18. Keep it professional SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 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.

19. Parts of an Email Closing Sentence SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012

20. Professional Closing SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 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.

21. The Closing Remarks SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 Courtesy is always important, no matter how short the email is. Before you end your email: Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Tha n k yo u fo r you r co n sid e rati o n. Include an accurate follow-up statement: I wi l l sen d y o u a dd i ti o na l in f ormat i on. I l oo k forwar d t o re c e i vin g you r i n pu t . If you have questions or concerns, do let me know. I l o o k forwar d t o hearin g fro m you. If a response is required, specify what, when.

22. The Closing SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 Use a professional closing: B e s t regards, Sincerely, Tha n k you, For more casual emails: B e s t wishes, Cheers, For more formal emails: Y our s S i ncerel y , Y our s Fai t hf u l l y ,

23. Parts of an Email Email Signature SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012

24. The Email Signature SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 A professional signature makes it easy to contact you. Your email account can automatically add these data to the bottom of the email: ful l p rofessional name jo b ti t le business p hone/fa x numbe r s business stree t add r ess business website, i f any a lega l disclaime r i f r e qui r e d b y you r compan y . Depending on policy, you may also want to include a link to the company's website or social media pages.

25. 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/ 2 012

26. Your Signature From: http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=8395 10/4/ 2 012 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 th e sign a tur e yo u wa n t. 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 formatti n g optio n i n th e mes s age. Onc e thi s change i s ma d e , you'l l b e abl e t o creat e a rich text signature.

27. Parts of an Email Attachments SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012

28. Attac h ments SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 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.

29. Review SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 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.

30. Parts of an Email Revise, Check, Review SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012

31. Check, and then check again SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 Before you hit the send button Edit and proofrea d . Y o u ma y thin k you'r e too busy to do the small stuff, but your reader may think you're careless, unqualified, or unprofessional. Rev i e w an d spel l - chec k you r ema i l on e more tim e t o mak e sur e it' s t ruly perfec t .

32. Finally SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 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.

33. J O B I N T E R V I E W - T H A N K Y O U J O B A P P L I C A T I O N - C O V E R L E T T E R R E Q U E S T F O R A N U P D A T E SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 Sample Emails

34. Sample 1 Job Interview - Thank you SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name: 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 self- confident 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

35. Sample 2 Job Application - Cover Letter SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 Dea r Hiri n g Ma n a g e r , I saw your job posting for a graphic designer in the ABC site. I believe I ca n b e a n ide a l match fo r th e positio n a d vertised. I have extensive experience in the planning and design of all graphic- re late d p r oj e c t s . I n m y p o si t io n a s fo r Comp a n y , I was p a rt of several projects for website design, the company intranet portal, product brochure design, print and media advertisement as well as n ewslet t e r s fo r o u r cus t om e r subscrib e rs. 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. B e s t R e g a r ds, Y ou r complet e name Y o u r comp a n y a d d r ess Y o u r work p h o ne n u mb e r

36. Sample 3 Requ e s t for Update Hi Jane, 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 10/4/ 2 012 From: www.qgroupplc.com/category/writingemails

37. Know more at SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 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-emails- suck-how-to-write-emails-that-get-results.html Excellent Explanations (Detailed) http:\\thinksimplenow.com/productivity/15-tips-for- writing-effective-email/ Excellent Explanations (With Examples) http:\\jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/email/ Concise Explanations 1 http:\\ www.ehow.com/how_4679819_write-professional- email.html Concise Explanations 2 http:\\ www.ehow.com/how_2159648_write-professional- emails.html Practical Explanations http:\\rarepattern.com/nodes/2008/01/email-etiquette-best- practices-things-avoid Not Required But Helpful http:\\ www.techrepublic.com/article/10-e-mail-best-practices- to-share-with-your-users/6161848

38. You might like these SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 8 E-mail Mistakes that Make You Look Bad http:\\ www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/8-e- mail-mistakes-that-make-you-look-bad.html How to Know If Your Email Has Been Read http:\\ www.ehow.com/how_5775094_email- read.html Why Emails Should be Short Instead of Nice http:\\gigaom.com/collaboration/why-emails- should-be-short-instead-of-nice/ 7 Rules for Communicating Clearly and Concisely http:\\gigaom.com/collaboration/7-rules- for-communicating-clearly-and-concisely-in-email/ Five Things I Learned From 20 Years of Email http:\\gigaom.com/2012/08/19/five-things- ive-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

39. T H A N K Y O U SHL1013 Professional English 10/4/ 2 012 End of Presentation