Revised 301 Best Professional Email Writing Practices: Writing with You Attitude

Memorandum to Evan Crisp

To: Evan Crisp

From: Darius Zhang, ENGL 301 Student

Date: November 8, 2021

Subject: Best Professional Email Writing Practices: Writing with You Attitude

Introduction

Thank you for reaching out. Here is a list of some best practices when corresponding with Professors. These principles result in more professional-looking emails and can increase your chances of receiving a reply from the instructor.

Tips for writing effective email messages: 

Effective writers follow these guidelines:

–Format & Style:

1. Include an informative but concise subject line. This helps the email to attract the reader’s attention so that the reader will not think of it as junk mail. 
2. Address the receiver appropriately. It shows the writer’s respect to the reader, this tip is especially important when the writer wants to ask for help. 
3. Begin the email with a greeting that could give the reader a good first impression. 
4. Adding a short introduction explaining who is writing the email, and the reason for writing it. In this way, the writer resolves the reader’s confusion of who is writing the email. 
5. End the email by thanking the reader for taking the time to read this email, it is a way of showing appreciation and respect.

–Tone:

1. Avoid using the pronoun “You” and other imperatives throughout the email, this helps the tone to sound both respectful and professional. 
2. Eliminate any abbreviation because abbreviation indicates a disrespectful tone.
3. Delete unnecessary lines such as “P.S XXXX”. Always prioritize important messages and edit out unnecessary ones. 

—Content

1. Make the content about the reader, not the sender. Placing the reader as the center of the conversation and speaking from their point of view. 
2. When asking for help, always use phrases that demonstrate one’s appreciation. Showing appreciation for the reader in the conclusion helps to tie ideas together and lets the readers know that their further actions matter. 

Conclusion:

Following these tips can help you to communicate with professors in a professional manner. I hope that you find these professional writing tips useful. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me again at : Dariuszhang123@gmail.com.