101 E-mail Writing
Though quick, easy, and relatively informal, an e-mail must always remain professional. The following suggestions, provided by Dennis G. Jerz, an associate professor of English/new media journalism at Seton Hill University (and found online at jerz.setonhill.edu/writing), will help you navigate the tricky waters of electronic conversation.
No subject for debate. Failing to include a subject line is a cardinal sin for any business e-mail. “Take a moment to write a subject line that accurately describes the content,” says Jerz. “If you don’t put a subject line on your e-mail, you are sending the message that your name in the ‘From line’ is all your recipient should need in order to make it a top priority. That could come across as arrogant, or at the very least, thoughtless.”
Remember your grammar. How you present your message will determine how people respond to it. “All-caps comes across as shouting,” says Jerz, “and no caps invokes the image of a lazy teenager. Regardless of your intention, people will respond accordingly.”
Anger management. You can write an e-mail in anger, just don’t send it that way. “Go ahead…liven it up with traditional Lebanese curses, print it out, throw darts on it…Do whatever you need in order to get it out of your system,” says Jerz. “Just don’t hit ‘Send’ while you’re still angry.”
Be your own best friend. Just because you can send an e-mail in a hurry doesn’t mean that you should. “If you are asking someone else to work for you, take the time to make your message look professional,” says Jerz. “While your spell checker won’t catch every mistake, at the very least it will catch a few typos.”
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