1. Teaching and Learning Toolkit Professional Email Communication: Writing to Your Instructors

2. Conventions for professional communication differ from the conventions we follow when we write to family members and friends. In the workplace, a poorly-written email message conveys disrespect and may be taken as evidence of insufficient effort and technical skills. To build students’ communication skills, many instructors at CMU encourage their students to observe professional conventions for course-related communication via email. This presentation is an overview of those conventions.

3. »Write a meaningful subject line. Poor subject line: Question Better subject line: Professional Email Communication

4. »Always include a salutation (a greeting line), and address your instructors as they have requested. Professional Email Communication

5. »Identify yourself in the first sentence when writing initial notes to this instructor. Professional Email Communication

6. »State the purpose of your email. Professional Email Communication

7. »Keep your message clear, brief, and to the point. Professional Email Communication

8. »Identify attachments in the body of the email. »Do not use email to submit assignments that should be uploaded to the online course management system or turned in during class. Professional Email Communication

9. »Use standard capitalization, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. »CAPITALIZING EVERYTHING IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING. »leaving everything lowercase is seen as lazy or even disrespectful. »Avoid using emoticons or textese (e.g., OMG, LOL, BTW). »Like this: “I’d like to make an appointment to review #3 on the homework for October 3. I know you went over it in class, but I am having trouble understanding that problem.” »Not like this: “Hey, can u tell me how to do number 3 on the homework. I no you went over it in class but i missed.” Professional Email Communication

10. »Consider the tone—make requests or suggestions, not demands. »Like this: “You mentioned a book in class today that sounded interesting. Could you send me the title?” »Not like this: “Send me the name of the book you mentioned in class today.” »Don’t ask instructors of on-campus classes to explain complex course topics via email. Instead, use email to set up a face-to-face meeting, if possible, to get help with course material. Professional Email Communication

11. »Finish with a polite sign-off. Professional Email Communication

12. »Re-read the email. »Edit to improve content, and to correct punctuation and grammar, before sending. Professional Email Communication

13. »Never send your instructor this email: Professional Email Communication

14. »If you reply to a note from your instructor: »Include the entire message chain in your reply. »Remember that instructors may write to dozens of students each week and may not remember the content of your prior note. Professional Email Communication

15. »Remember that email doesn’t “go away.” »Never put anything in an email that you would be embarrassed to make public or that could cause harm to you or another person. Any private or sensitive communications should be handled in person or over the phone. Professional Email Communication

16. Microsoft Corporation. (2014). 12 tips for better email etiquette. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/12-tips-for-better-email-etiquette- HA001205410.aspx http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/12-tips-for-better-email-etiquette- HA001205410.aspx The Writing Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (2013). Effective email Communication. Retrieved from http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/effective-email-communication/ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/effective-email-communication/ Writing Center, Central Michigan University. (2014). Before you hit send. Retrieved from https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/chsbs/Centers/WritingCenter/Documents/email_c onventions.pdf https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/chsbs/Centers/WritingCenter/Documents/email_c onventions.pdf References