E-mail & professionalism

Basic features Dear Somebody Else, I’m preparing the budget for Project XYZ and need to know how many assistants we need to hire and what their salaries or rates of pay will be. Thank you. All the best, Your Name I’m preparing the budget for Project XYZ and need to know many assistants we need to hire and what their salaries or rates of pay will be. Though most of us are used to writing e-mails, it is important to go over the elements of an e-mail and an e-mail program that are commonly used in professional situations. If you get to choose your own username, make one that is suitable for your professional persona. Something that looks like your name is best, but it’s most important not to have something that shows you in a bad light. It might be your nickname with your close friends, but you don’t want to send your resume from doobiedaddy@whatever.com Make sure you have the recipient’s name and address written correctly. You’d hate to embarrass yourself by having the wrong or incorrectly spelled name and you’d hate to have your e-mail go to the wrong address or no address at all. Note that you can also send a copy of the email to others. “CC:” just means that a copy will go out and every recipient sees the original and the other cc’d recipients. “BCC:” means “blind copy” and that person will see the original recipient but none of the other cc’d recipients and the original recipient will not be able to see who else got copies either. Don’t leave the subject line blank, but keep it short and to the point. Include a salutation. Traditionally this is “Dear so-and-so,” but any sort of welcoming remark would be good. For one thing, this points the document to a specific reader, which could help avoid confusion. Also, it is good professional manners. That goes for the closing as well. E-mail programs are often set up to include a signature as well. The signature in a professional e-mail includes your name, job title, department, and contact information, including a phone number. Consider the size when including attachments. You don’t want to flood your reader’s inbox with a giant file. Sometimes e-mail systems won’t even accept large attachments. Consider using a file sharing system instead. Some e-mail programs allow text editing. Being able to alter your text format can be useful, but it can also be overused. Keep e-mails as simple and to-the-point as possible. Project Budget Supervisor Dept. of Awesomeness UWP, inc. 352-555-1234 ext. 3254

Other Issues with e-mail As in any professional setting, avoid interpersonal issues in (company) e-mail. PROOFREAD! Assume that your e-mail is permanent and readable by anyone at any time. Convey the proper tone (formality, correctness, point of view, use or avoidance of clichés). Some other things to consider when using e-mail are: As in any professional setting, avoid interpersonal issues in (company) e-mail. Proofread! We’re used to writing e-mails to friends that are informal and quick, so we don’t generally proofread or care if there are errors, but it is important in all aspects of professional communication to present carefully produced documents. Assume that your e-mail is permanent and readable by anyone at any time. Most organizations keep logs and even if you delete an e-mail, it may still be retrievable. Also, e-mails are easily forwarded, so your intended audience may not be the only one who reads it. Convey the proper tone. Consider the formality of language you use. It’s okay to say LOL and use smileys with your friends, but not in professional communication. Just because e-mails are so common, it doesn’t mean you can avoid correct use of the language. Consider your point of view in how you articulate something. Without hearing your voice and seeing your body language, the reader can only accept what you wrote at face value. Consider how your writing sounds from other points of view. Avoid communication clichés in e-mails (and all other communication documents too).

Planning Who is the reader? What is your purpose? What point are you trying to make? What do you want the reader to do? Where and when will this e-mail be read? How will it be used/viewed in the future? Will there be any secondary readers? What might their responses be? The more important or formal the e-mail, the more carefully you should plan the e-mail. Consider who the reader is and why you are writing. What point are you trying to make? What do you want the reader to do? Where and when will this e-mail be read? How will it be used or viewed in the future? Will there be any secondary readers? If so, what might their responses be?

Organizing the draft Subject Purpose Main point Background information Dear Somecompany Employees,   For the past three pay periods Human Resources has been recalculating more time clock entries than usual. We believe the problem comes from human error. Please make sure that you clock in and out for break times. If any error occurs, please submit the correct information to your supervisor or me as soon as possible after the occurrence. This will prevent delays and errors in payroll. Thank you. Best regards, I.M. Fair Human Resources Manager Subject Purpose Main point Background information Importance of the subject Conclusion: thank the reader, restate main point, look forward When you are drafting the e-mail, restate the subject, your purpose for writing, the main point you’re making, any necessary background information, the importance of the subject, and use concluding statements. Let’s look at this e-mail: Dear Somecompany Employees,   For the past three pay periods Human Resources has been recalculating more time clock entries than usual. We believe the problem comes from human error. Please make sure that you clock in and out for break times. If any error occurs, please submit the correct information to your supervisor or me as soon as possible after the occurrence. This will prevent delays and errors in payroll. Thank you. Best regards, I.M. Fair Human Resources Manager Even though the subject line would give a short preview of what’s to come, it’s important to mention it in the body. In this case, it’s a problem with time clock entries. The main point of the e-mail is to let everyone know that this problem has been discovered and how it should be fixed. The purpose of the e-mail is change the audience’s behavior. The background information reveals how the problem affects Human Resources and, in turn, could affect the employees with delays and errors in payroll. At the end, the author thanks the reader.

Reasons for correspondence Inquiry – state question(s) clearly and concisely; limit the number of questions; if possible and appropriate, offer something in return; thank the reader in advance for their response, provide your contact information Response – thank the writer for their inquiry; answer question(s) point by point; offer more information if available and appropriate; provide your contact information Transmittal – identify the attached materials and why they are being sent; summarize the information sent and clearly express what action you request the reader to take Claims or Complaints – explain the problem in detail and how it inconvenienced you; explain how you would like the reader to address the problem; thank them in advance for their response; provide your contact information Adjustments – express regret about the problem without directly accepting blame; explain how you will address the problem; tell when results should be expected; show appreciation for the reader’s business with your company Refusals (bad news) – summarize the facts; deliver the bad news and explain your reasoning; offer alternatives if available; express a desire to retain the relationship Emails are written for many professional situations: Inquiry – state question(s) clearly and concisely; limit the number of questions; if possible and appropriate, offer something in return; thank the reader in advance for their response, provide your contact information Response – thank the writer for their inquiry; answer question(s) point by point; offer more information if available and appropriate; provide your contact information Transmittal – identify the attached materials and why they are being sent; summarize the information sent and clearly express what action you request the reader to take Claims or Complaints – explain the problem in detail and how it inconvenienced you; explain how you would like the reader to address the problem; thank them in advance for their response; provide your contact information Adjustments – express regret about the problem without directly accepting blame; explain how you will address the problem; tell when results should be expected; show appreciation for the reader’s business with your company Refusals (bad news) – summarize the facts; deliver the bad news and explain your reasoning; offer alternatives if available; express a desire to retain the relationship

International correspondence Time Titles & last names Focus Plain text Avoid clichés and culturally- connected language, including humor PROOFREAD!!!!! With the amount of cross-cultural collaboration and worldwide companies, it is important to note certain aspects of international correspondence. First is time. Your work day may begin when others are ending or when they’re already asleep. Give international e-mail exchanges at least 24 hours before you expect an answer. If possible, use titles and last names. The U.S. usually follows the more informal practice of using first names, but in many other cultures it is considered to0 friendly and intimate. Keep the contents focused on the subject. If language is a barrier, many topics contained in one email can be confusing. Even if language isn’t an issue, it can still be difficult to have information clarified when you’re a world away. Use plain text and plain language – avoid decorative fonts, unnecessary images, clichés, and culturally-connected language, including humor. Again, don’t forget to PROOFREAD! If your reader is not a native English language speaker, and you use the wrong spelling of “to,” for example, you could thoroughly confuse your reader and disrupt important communication.

Works consulted Johnson-Sheehan, R. Technical Communication Strageties for Today. 2011. Lannon, J. M. & L. Gurak. Technical Communication. 2011. Markel, M. Technical Communication. 2010.