Writing for the Workplace: Business Communication for Professionals
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| Direct opening: Anew policy giving preferred parking to carpools will take effect on Monday, June 1, Restating the purpose of the email in the first paragraph helps busy readers who may have skipped the subject line or who want to know exactly what they are reading about. Avoid indirect first paragraphs such as the following one, which unnecessarily take up your readers time. Wordy indirect opening: The committee on sustainable business practices has been working on policies to improve our company’s green profile and has decided to institute anew plan giving carpools preferred parking spots effective June 1, 2016. Body The body of your email contains the details required to fully understand the topic stated in both the subject line and opening. It should be written in short paragraphs of no more than six to eight lines and no more than 60 to 70 characters across (a character is a letter, punctuation, or a space) In the body of the email, use graphical markers, as we discussed in Chapter 2. Headings, white space, and bulleted or enumerated points breakup text and make reading both short and long emails easier. To avoid confusion, restrict each email to one topic. Though it may seem counterintuitive, sending several consecutive emails to the same person, each covering one topic, will be more effective than trying to deal with too much in one email for several reasons. First, many people do not read carefully and only focus on the beginning of the email, scanning the rest. Second, receiving several emails with different subject lines allows your reader to pick which email to respond to first. Finally, individually labeled emails, identified by specific subject lines, help the sender, too. If you have sent one person several emails on different topics, you will be happy to receive a reply to each item requiring your eyes rather than having to wade through one dense, long response. 34 WRITING FOR THE WORKPLACE Closing A final paragraph, statement, or phrase that closes the email helps readers understand what to do next or tells them that they have reached the end of the correspondence. End routine news by using one of these options Action information, dates, deadlines: When you want readers to take an action, provide the information they need to do so. Assign an end date and time Summary of message: In longer messages, you may want to recap the main points covered in the message Polite closing thought: Express gratitude or encourage feedback, but avoid clichés such as Please do not hesitate to call for further information.” 6 A closing helps avoid an abrupt ending to your email and therefore sounding curt. Short closings such as See you next week, All the best, and Warm regards are less formal and are perfect for emails to coworkers or those with whom you have developed a cordial work relationship. Signature Block Always include your name at the end of any email. Because emails are not written on letterhead, a signature block is used to provide contact information. Email applications contain options for using several different signature blocks. Formal e-mails—those going to outside vendors or customers or from an organizational leader to the staff—should contain complete contact information as is illustrated here. Full Name and Title Caroline Johnson, Design Manager Organization Department Creative Services Organization Name Mentor, Inc. Mailing Address 3366 Broad Street, Portland, OR 97205 Phone/Fax Phone 503-877-9000 ext. 27/ Fax Web Address www.mentor.com ROUTINE ANd POSITIVE mESSAGES Less formal emails may contain modified signature blocks with less information or the addition of an extra line with the writer’s first name, as shown in the following. Best, Carrie Caroline Johnson, Design Manager Creative Services Tone Because email doesn’t allow the reader to see body language or facial cues, hitting the right tone can be difficult. You may send an email you consider to the point and concise, but your reader may consider it abrupt or terse. Likewise, you may insert a humorous tidbit that your reader finds silly or even offensive. The best way to avoid being misunderstood is to be polite. 7 Reread your email before you send it. If it sounds too blunt, add a please or thank you or acknowledge the individual on a personal level. Never use sarcasm, and be wary of humor. Peoples definitions of what is funny differ greatly. Another point Do not use emoticons such as emojis in professional emails. If you need a facial expression to soften or add meaning to your words, your words are not properly chosen. document design To make your emails readable, follow these formatting guidelines Limit length of lines to 60 to 70 characters Keep paragraph length to six to eight lines maximum Use left justified, ragged right margins Use single spacing for paragraphs, double spacing between paragraphs Employ graphical devices such as headings, white space, or bullets or enumeration as appropriate Include signature block 36 WRITING FOR THE WORKPLACE Short emails (up to one screen) may not require headings. However, the longer the email, the more important it is to breakup the text into clearly identifiable sections marked by well written headings. Download 3.09 Mb. Share with your friends:
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