…How to Communicate with Your Professors Clearly, Appropriately and Efficiently Through

When you communicate in any academic or professional context, it is important that you communicate clearly and appropriately in order for people to understand your message and take you seriously.

As a student, you are given a free account for corresponding with professors, staff, other students, and receiving important messages and updates from the school. Use your school account instead of your personal account because: It looks more professional/serious It displays your name clearly in the address You may have less issues with spam You can be assured that the will reach its destination

When ing a professor: Check the syllabus before asking questions like: "What is the homework?" "What are your office hours?" “I was absent; can you tell me what we did today?” Do contact your professor with questions regarding clarification on an assignment, to inform a professor of an absence, to request an appointment, etc. “I just wanted to confirm that in class today you reminded us to bring two copies for workshop next Tuesday.”

Example : English 98; 4 pm; MW: Assignment Clarification Your professor teaches many students, so always include the necessary information in the subject section, including: Course and Time/Day of the Course Course and Time/Day of the Course A brief title of what the entails A brief title of what the entails

Simply end your message with a “Thank you,” “Best wishes,” or “Regards” and your full name. Greetings: Hey Murakami, Did you ever look at my research paper? What are the errors and how do I fix them? Jane Doe Address your instructor clearly and in a professional manner. Avoid addressing the instructor with words like “Hey” or simply calling him or her by the last name. Also, be courteous and not demanding. Closings:

Simply end your message with a “Thank you,” “Best wishes,” or “Regards” and your full name. Greetings: Good Morning Professor Murakami, I was wondering if you had a chance to go over my research paper. While going over my paper again, I found additional errors. Could you please suggest how I can fix them? Thank you, Jane Doe Address your instructor clearly and in a professional manner. Avoid addressing the instructor with words like “Hey” or simply calling him or her by the last name. Also, be courteous and not demanding. Closings:

Be concise. Include only important details, and consider using bullet points if you have a lot to say. Good Morning Professor Murakami, I just needed clarification on two items in the research paper that we are going to workshop for class tomorrow: We need five sources total, but does this include newspaper articles? If a student meets the source requirement, is it ok to add an additional database source? Thank you, Jane Doe

To be professional in your communication, avoid: Heyprofessor Hey professor it’s me, Jane Doe idk if you received my from this morning, but I wanted to let you know that even though I was absent, I STILL DID ALL MY HOMEWORK. I will turn it in to you next class. 2. Emoticons 4. All Capital Letters 3. Abbreviations 1. Informal Greetings

To be professional in your communication, avoid: 1.Informal Greeting: Although you should always address your instructor in an , avoid addressing him or her as “Hey” or “What’s Up?” 2.Emoticons 2.Emoticons: Emoticons may be used in other contexts, but in academics, they can be inappropriate. 3.Abbreviations 3.Abbreviations: Often people use abbreviations like “U” or “JK” in text messages or social networks like Twitter to convey a quick message, but remember that the context of ing a professor is academic, so abbreviations don’t belong. Using abbreviations may also risk your message coming across as unclear. 4.All Capital Letters: 4.All Capital Letters: Using all capital letters usually indicates emotion such as anger, and it has no place in an academic context.

Incorrect Remember that the way you communicate is a reflection of you. Any grammatical error may make your message unclear. Read it through multiple times.  Use Spell Check:  Use Spell Check: Look for misspelled words, misused words, and other errors.)  Check Your Grammar and Punctuation:  Check Your Grammar and Punctuation: Look for missing commas, periods, apostrophes, and capitalization errors.  Address Your Instructor Professionally:  Address Your Instructor Professionally: This is necessary for your message to be courteous and clear in your message. hello professor Murakami, This is John Doe from youre Eng. 50 class i just wanned to let you know that i wasn’t able too attend class yesterday because my parents were flying in from washington, and there plain arrived earlier than expected. here's the essay that was due i dont have any money to print it today but i'll bring a hard copy on monday Thanks Jane

Hello Professor Murakami, This is John Doe from your English 50 class. I just wanted to let you know that I wasn’t able to attend class yesterday because my parents were flying in from Washington, and their plane arrived earlier than expected. Here is the essay that was due. I don’t have any money to print it today, but I'll bring a hard copy on Monday. Thanks, Correct Remember that the way you communicate is a reflection of you. Any grammatical error may make your message unclear. Read it through multiple times  Use Spell Check:  Use Spell Check: Look for misspelled words, incorrect words, etc.)  Check Your Grammar and Punctuation:  Check Your Grammar and Punctuation: Look for missing commas, periods, apostrophes, and capitalization errors.  Address Your Instructor Professionally:  Address Your Instructor Professionally: This is necessary for your message to be courteous and clear in your message. Jane Doe

Write the Course/Time/Day of Course/Brief Title Courteously address the Instructor Make sure to proofread for errors Hello Professor Murakami, I just wanted to remind you that I will not be in class today due to a doctor’s appointment. I will bring verification of the appointment to class next Tuesday. Thank you, Jane Doe English 98; 4 pm; MW: Assignment Clarification Courteously End the Using Your Full Name