Email writing

Formal emails are usually sent to people the writer does not know or to people outside the company.

Email is the communication tool of choice for most of us. Email's great because you don't have to be available at the same time as your conversation partner to communicate. It allows us to keep projects moving when our co-workers are unavailable or on the other side of the world.

There's one problem: most of us are drowning in emails. The average person using email for business receives and sends over 100 emails a day, according to a report published by the Radicati Group.

On top of that, emails are all too easily misunderstood. A recent study by Sendmail found that 64% of people have sent or received an email that caused unintended anger or confusion.

Because of the volume of emails we send and receive, and because emails are often misinterpreted, it's important to write emails clearly and concisely.

Writing emails that are short and to-the-point will reduce the time you spend on email and make you more productive. By keeping your emails short, you'll likely spend less time on email and more time on other work. That said, writing clearly is a skill. Like all skills, you'll have to work at it. To begin with, it may take you just as long to write short emails as it took you to write long emails. However, even if this is the case, you'll help your co-workers, clients, or employees be more productive because you'll be adding less clutter to their inboxes, making it easier for them to respond to you. By writing clearly, you'll become known as someone who knows what he or she wants and who gets things done. Both of these are good for your career prospects.

(Available at: http://business.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-write-clear-and-professional-emails--cms-20939)

How to write clear and professional emails?

1

Use a neutral Email address. 

Your Email address should be a variation of your real name, not a username or nickname. Use periods, hyphens, or underscores to secure an e-mail address that's just your name, without extra numbers or letters, if you can.

• Never use an unprofessional email address. No one will take you seriously if your reply-to is monsigneur.harry.manback@slip’nslides.net.

2

• Use a short and accurate subject header. 

• Avoid saying too much in the subject header, but make sure it reflects the content of your Email to a person unfamiliar with you. If possible, include a keyword that will make the Email content easier to remember and/or search for in a crowded inbox. For example, “Meeting on March 12th” is specific enough that the email topic won’t be mistaken for anything else but not so specific as to be distracting (ex. “Schedule, Guest List, Lunch Requests, and Meeting Overview for March 12th").

3

• Use a proper salutation. Addressing the recipient by name is preferred. Use the person's title (Mr. Mrs. Ms. or Dr.) with their last name, followed by a comma or a colon. Optionally, you can precede the salutation with "Dear..." (but "Hello..." is acceptable as well). Using a last name is more formal and should be used unless you are on first-name terms with the recipient. If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to (but you really should try and find one) use "Dear Sir/Madam" or "Dear Sir or Madam" followed by a colon.

4

Introduce yourself in the first paragraph (if necessary). Also include why you're writing, and how you found that person's Email address, or the opportunity you're writing about. Ex.

• My name is Earl Rivers. I'm contacting you to apply for the administrative assistant position listed on CareerXYZ.com.

• My name is Arlene Rivers. I am writing about the traffic citation I received on December 31, 2009. I obtained your Email address from the Westchester County Clerk website.

5

Write the actual message. Be sure to get your point across without rambling; if it's fluffed up, the reader may glance over the important details. Try to break up the message into paragraphs by topic to make your message more logical and digestible.

• The email should be no more than 5 paragraphs long and each paragraph should be no more than 5 sentences long.

• Insert a line break between each paragraph; indenting isn't necessary and will likely be lost during the email transfer anyway.

• Be sure to avoid informal writing.

6

Use the correct form of leave-taking. This will depend on your level of intimacy with the recipient. Examples include:

• Yours sincerely,

• Yours cordially,

• Respectfully,

• Best,

7

• Sign with your full name. If you have a job title, include that in the line after your name, and write the company name or website in the line after that. If you do not have a job title but you have your own blog or website related to the content of the e-mail, include a link to that below your name. If the e-mail is about a job, only include a career-related website or blog, not hobbies or interests.

8

• Proofread your message for content. Make sure you haven’t omitted any important details (or repeated yourself). Reading your email aloud or asking someone to proofread it is a great way to get a different perspective on what you’ve written.

9

• Proofread your message for spelling and grammar. If your email provider doesn’t already provide spelling and grammar options for you, copy and paste your email into a word processor, revise it if necessary, and copy and paste it back into your email.

(Available at: http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Write-a-Formal-Email-Step-8-Version-3.jpg)

How to Write a Perfect Professional Email in English

Although emails are often seen as less formal than printed business letters, in the business world you cannot afford to let your language appear to be informal. Email may be faster and more efficient, but your client or business partner will not easily forgive correspondence that is too casual. Not to fear! Read on to discover simple secrets that will add a high level of professionalism to your English emails.

Begin with a greeting

It's important to always open your email with a greeting, such as "Dear Lillian,". Depending on the formality of your relationship, you may want to use their family name as opposed to their given name, i.e. "Dear Mrs. Price,". If the relationship is more casual, you can simply say, "Hi Kelly," If you’re contacting a company, not an individual, you may write "To Whom It May Concern:"

Thank the recipient

If you are replying to a client's inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks. For example, if someone has a question about your company, you can say, "Thank you for contacting ABC Company." If someone has replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, "Thank you for your prompt reply." or "Thanks for getting back to me." If you can find any way to thank the reader, then do. It will put him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more courteous.

State your purpose

If, however, you are initiating the email communication, it may be impossible to include a line of thanks. Instead, begin by stating your purpose. For example, "I am writing to enquire about …" or "I am writing in reference to …" It's important to make your purpose clear early on in the email, and then move into the main text of your email. Remember to pay careful attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation, and to avoid run-on sentences by keeping your sentences short and clear.

Closing remarks

Before you end your email, it's polite to thank your reader one more time as well as add some courteous closing remarks. You might start with "Thank you for your patience and cooperation." or "Thank you for your consideration." and then follow up with, "If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know." and "I look forward to hearing from you."

End with a closing

The last step is to include an appropriate closing with your name. "Best regards," "Sincerely," and "Thank you," are all professional. It's a good idea to avoid closings such as "Best wishes," or "Cheers," as these are best used in casual, personal emails. Finally, before you hit the send button, review and spell check your email one more time to make sure it's truly perfect!

(Available at: http://www.englishtown.com/community/Channels/article.aspx?articleName=184-email)

A salutation is a greeting we use at the beginning of an email, a letter, or a note. Even a text or an online comment can begin with a salutation.

In a letter, salutations nearly always begin with "Dear":

DearRosalie, 
(We use a comma after the greeting in a personal letter in the U.S. and Canada. In other countries the punctuation is often omitted.)

DearDr.Gomez: 
(We use a colon after the greeting in a business letter in the U.S. and Canada. Other countries often leave it out.)

Salutations in emails can begin with "Dear" if the message is formal. Otherwise, they are more likely to be one of these:

Hi Jeff,

Hello Professor,

Hello to all,

Greetings, everybody!

A comma normally sets off an individual's name in direct address (for example, "Thank you, Margo"), but most people leave it out these days in greetings. (I am trying hard to let go of that comma, but I still write things like "Hello, John.")

A complimentary close or closing is a polite ending to a message. In letters, these are common closes:

Best regards, (We use the comma in the U.S. and Canada; other countries may leave it out.)

Regards,

Sincerely,

Best wishes,

A complimentary close is not a must in email, but it warms up the end of the message. People usually end an email with a complimentary close if they open it with a greeting. Examples:

Regards, 

All the best,

Cheers,

Thanks, 

As a traditionalist, I like to use "Thanks" sincerely in a sentence ending with a period. Example: "Thanks again for helping me finish this project." But "Thanks" alone has become a popular close. 

Maybe the expression "greetings and salutations" has led people to believe that the greeting starts a message and the salutation ends it. But that just isn't so. 

Do you have questions about salutations or closes? Just type your search phrase in the box at top right. I have covered salutations for married couples, doctors, etc., along with complimentary closes for all kinds of situations. 

(Available at: http://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/email/)

Samples: (Available at: http://woculus.com/how-to-write-acknowledgement-email-replies-with-samples/)

1. Email Acknowledging a Business Order

A customer has ordered for your product, but you need some more information before shipment or you need to guide the customer on what next to do.

Dear Ms. Kentura,

Thank you for your order of two containers of nitrocellulose thinner. Your goods will be ready in seven (7) working days and will be shipped in exactly eight (8) working days from now.

Before then, we would like to know if you want us to include our souvenirs for your customers as well as sample products from other units. You may choose the sample products you will like to receive from the catalogue we sent earlier.

Our recycled nitrocellulose thinner is made to offer best results at very low cost. We are sure your customers will be very happy with this product.

Thanks again for your order. We look forward to receiving your firm instruction to include our souvenirs and other sample products.

Sincerely,

 

Ayo Oyedotun

Head of Operations

Maraino Porelli Limited

 

2. Email Acknowledging Registration for a Course

Someone has registered for your course. You want to thank the person for registering and explain some more details about the course.

Dear Mr. Beans,

Thank you for your recent registration for our 2013 Basic Leadership Course. This email confirms our receipt of your registration fee and bio-data form.

The course will run for three (3) weeks from Monday to Friday, starting from June 3, 2013, and the venue will be Alpha Cathedral.  Each session will last two (2) hours, and we shall have just three (3) sessions every day. So, every registrant is expected to resume daily by 8:00 A.M. for the three (3) weeks of the training. Please visit our website – http://afrimash.com/- for further information.

We look forward to seeing you at Alpha Cathedral. Do not hesitate to mail me at any time should you have any question.

Best regards,

 

Ayo Oyedotun

Heas, Administration

Anthony Robbins Institute

 3. Email Acknowledging Job Application

Top organizations usually acknowledge the receipt of emails of job applications. This sample acknowledgement email is for managers and human resource persons who want to acknowledge the receipts of applications from job seekers.

Dear Ms. Sharon,

Thank you very much for applying for marketing officer position at Breinswaitte Resources Limited. I will be reviewing your application along with the others that we have received in the next couple of days. If you are selected for the next phase of the recruitment process, you will be contacted for an interview session.

We appreciate your interest in our company and wish you the very best in this selection process.

Sincerely,

 

Ayo A. Oyedotun

Head of Human Resource

Factbook Inc.

Here’s a simpler acknowledgement:

Dear Ms. Sharon,

Thank you for your application for the position of a marketing officer in Breinswaitte Resources Limited (BRL).

We have received a lot of applications for this position and will be short-listing the qualified candidates by September 20. If you have not heard from us by then, please be free to mail me to inquire about the status of your application.

Thank you for your interest in BRL.

Best Wishes,

 

Ayo Oyedotun

Head, Human Capital Development

Breinswaitte Resources Limited

 4. Simple Email Acknowledgement Reply

In very many situations, you will be asked to confirm the receipt of emails where you have little or no information to add. Usually, the sender simply wants to know that you have seen the email and expects a simple acknowledgement from you.

This kind of emails may end with, “Please acknowledge receipt of this message”, “Kindly acknowledge receipt of this email” or “Please acknowledge receipt of this email”.

Simple Email Acknowledgement for job applicants:

Dear Kentura,

This is to confirm that I have received this email. Again, I will like to thank you for offering me an opportunity to be a part of your highly esteemed workforce.

Best regards,

 

Ayo Oyedotun

Simple Email Acknowledgement of a Business Order

Dear Mr. Frank,

This is to confirm that I have seen your email. I look forward to receiving my consignment next week as you promised.

Regards,

 

Ayo Oyedotun

Assistant, Business Development

Marygold Inc.

If English is not your first language, this is an excellent resource for writing good business letters. For over a decade, How to Say It has retained its reputation for helping people write better letters. It offers guidelines for writing personal and business letters; and it will ultimately make you a better letter writer. With the clear instructions and several examples in this 3rd edition of How to Say It , you won’t ever write a bad letter again.

See more at: http://woculus.com/how-to-write-acknowledgement-email-replies-with-samples/#sthash.s5xqgKaK.dpuf