To: Evan Crisp
From: Max Foran
Date: July 20, 2020
Subject: Strategies for Communicating with Professors over E-mail
The following is a list of principles and strategies that you might find effective when communicating with professors:
- Beginning the email with a clear subject line will identify the problem at hand and eliminate any vagueness.
- Exhibiting a positive attitude by focusing on what can be done to improve the situation. This will encourage the reader to identify with any concerns as positivity shows the reader that we are focused on solving the problem rather than creating one. Eliminating negative language might also encourage the reader to offer their help.
- Emphasizing the reader benefit will encourage the reader to do what it is that we are asking. By describing how the request could be beneficial to the reader, we increase the likelihood that our message will be well-received. For example, offering the professor help with the organization of class materials prior to lectures might encourage them to make an exception in offering up a lecture spot.
- Expressing an appreciation for your reader will lessen the chance of offending them. Furthermore, showing an appreciation for the reader will be perceived as courteous.
- Understanding that people are defensive will encourage us to use language that is less confrontational and help us in avoiding writing a correspondence that might come across as a personal attack.
I hope that you will find these strategies useful in your interactions with professors. Please do not hesitate to send me an email at max.foran@outlook.com if you have any questions.
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