To: Evan Crisp, UBC Student
From: Amy Vergouwen, ENGL 301 Student
Date: November 18, 2019
Subject: Best Writing Practices for Emailing Professors
Introduction
Thank you for reaching out to the ENGL 301 Technical Writing class for help with this matter. As per your request, below is a list of suggestions regarding the you-attitude way of writing, which should help in your writing to professors, as well as all other professional emails in the future. These recommendations will hopefully bring you a response to your request.
Suggestions
- Adding a subject line in your email that includes the name and number of the class you are attempting to register in will help the professor understand the nature of your email and prevent vagueness
- Addressing the recipient of the email by their name or title “Good morning Professor Lambert”, as “Hey there” may diminish the professional nature of your email
- Proofreading the email for spelling and grammatical errors is beneficial
- Avoiding the use of slang helps to create a professional tone
- Expressing your interest in the course and why the class is important to your learning increases the likelihood of a professor adding you to a class that is already at capacity
- Eliminating the extra details (going to the beach, vacation to Mexico) as these details are not important to the main subject of the email, but if they need to be included, consider adding the 2 week absence in the body of the email rather than after signing off the email
- Forming the email in a “question”, rather than a “telling” fashion can help in making a more respectful email
- Using a more formal closer such as “Kind regards” to keep the professional yet friendly tone of the email
- Including your name and student number at the end of the email to ensure you are recognizable to the professor
Conclusion
Adopting the you-attitude way of communicating will improve the way you professionally converse, specifically with your professor. The suggestions listed above will hopefully demonstrate the importance of being professional, friendly, and shifting the language and tone used in emailing. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at amy.vergouwen@alumni.ubc.ca, and I wish you the best of luck in registering in this course, and in future courses to come.
Leave a Reply