English Grammar and Composition chapter 16: E-mails

16/1: How to Write

We write and send various types of e-mails every day. They may be friendly, professional, resumes, planning for events etc. Writing an effective e-mail is indeed very important.

How to get attention

It is important to get the receiver to read your e-mail; it is also important to get the e-mail noticed by the receiver, and then keep the receiver engaged till s/he finishes reading it. Here are some tips for you for writing an effective e-mail.

Five tips for writing an effective e-mail

1. Clear purpose: It is important to know the purpose of your e-mail. The receiver should be sure about the point**.**

2. Use the subject line wisely: Take the time to select a meaningful, straightforward subject line that tells the reason for the e-mail clearly.

3. Make sure your identity: There are many cases where e-mails are ignored or bypassed because the receiver is not familiar with the sender of the e-mail. Take time to make sure that your full name is placed as the sender so that the receiver will know who you are. Avoid using initials or nicknames as many people tend to ignore e-mails that are not sent with whole names which they can recognize.

4. Get to the point: Make sure your e-mails are concise.

People want to know what the e-mail is about as soon as they open it. After a brief greeting followed by a comma, make sure the next few lines are related specifically to the subject of the e-mail.

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If this is a reply to another e-mail, reply immediately to any questions posed in the original e-mail.

When composing the e-mail do not use unnecessary words. Short sentences and paragraphs are better than long ones. Use an active voice such as "We are sending your order today" instead of "Your order will be sent by us today."

5. Make sure your e-mail is readable: There is nothing more annoying than an e-mail that cannot be read for various reasons, whether it's because of poor grammar or spelling, or the use of inappropriate fonts and abbreviations, or even worse, an e-mail written in bright colors or all capital letters. It is always best to use the proper format when sending an e-mail.

Check your e-mail text before sending it, and keep the formatting simple.

Put a blank line between paragraphs.

Remember: An e-mail is a form of communication; it is not a piece of artwork.

Why e-mails are bypassed

After you send your e-mail, you might not receive an answer for a number of reasons.

In many cases, important e-mails are sometimes bypassed because the receiver simply looks at the subject and decides that it is not worth reading, or puts the e-mail aside for later reading (which may, or may not, happen!). This can be a problem if the information within the e-mail is essential.

To avoid e-mails being bypassed or deleted just follow the five key points. You will get the attention of the receiver.

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Examples of some e-mails:

Example 1: An official note

Figure

Labels: Mail, Address Book, Calendar, Preferences, Send, Cancel, Save Draft, Add Attachment, Spell Check, Signature, Options, To:, Team Members, Cc:, Subject:, Changes to Agenda, Dear colleagues, The following items will be on the agenda for our meeting on Friday:, Changes to protocol, New software installation, Email monitoring policy, Failure to provide additional items by tomorrow will result in delay of the issue until proper, timely submissions are made., ~Margo Description: Screenshot of an e-mail compose window. The "To:" field reads Team Members and the "Subject:" field reads Changes to Agenda. The body has a greeting, a line of text, three bullet points, a closing paragraph and the signature ~Margo.

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Example 2: A personal mail

Figure

Labels: Send, Account, To..., Cc..., Bcc..., Subject:, Thank You - Assistant Account Executive Interview, Dear Ms. Smith, It was very enjoyable to speak with you today about the assistant account executive position at the Smith Agency., The job seems to be an excellent match for my skills and interests. The creative approach to account management that you described confirmed my desire to work with you., In addition to my enthusiasm, I will bring to the position strong writing skills, assertiveness, and the ability to encourage others to work cooperatively with the department., 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,, Jane Jones, Jane Jones, janejones@gmail.com, (555) 555-5555 Description: Screenshot of an e-mail compose window. The "To" field reads joan.smith@company.com and the "Subject" field reads Thank You - Assistant Account Executive Interview. The body is a thank-you message with a sign-off and a signature block giving Jane Jones's e-mail address and phone number.

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Example 3: An informal personal mail.

Figure

Labels: YAHOO! MAIL, Home, Mail, Search, News, Sports, Finance, Celebrity, Weather, Games, Answers, Flickr, Mobile, More, Try Yahoo Mail on Firefox, Search Mail, Search Web, Home, Probir, Compose, Spam (5), Trash (47), Smart Views, Important, Unread, Starred, People, Social, Travel, Shopping, Finance, Folders (35), -Boabe Waiting List-, city bank (1), CVs, etc (1), Jagannath Hall, Japan, journal rit, lcs, From: Probir Chandra Roy probir21@yahoo.com, To: [unclear], Hello, Dear Rita, This is just to say you hello. How are you doing in Bogra? Hope all is well., I'm passing a very hectic time here. Working round the clock. To be honest, I need rest. I would like to go to the hilly region to make my holiday this time. You just come from Bogra and then together we will make it. How about all three hilly districts and Cox's Bazaar including the St. Martin's island and Maheshkhali?, Come soon. Don't see you for ages. Missing you a lot., Probir, Send, Saved at 3:12 PM, YAHOO! SPORTS, DAILY FANTASY, A NEW DAY. A NEW LINEUP., A NEW WINNER., Daily Fantasy contests give you more ways to win., Enter contest Description: Screenshot of a Yahoo Mail compose window in a web browser. The sender is Probir Chandra Roy and the message is addressed to Rita. The body is a short informal letter ending with the name Probir. A Yahoo Sports advertisement is shown on the right side.