To: Evan Crisp
From: Adrienne Yap
Date: November, 22, 2019
Subject: Best writing practice for emailing professors
Dear Evan,
Thank you for contacting the ENGL 301 Technical Writing class. While it can be tricky, email correspondence is a helpful skill to have. The following are a few suggestions for future correspondence:
- Considering who the intended reader is will help frame the entire message. Addressing a professor is quite different from addressing a fellow classmate or friend. Writing with a faculty member in mind requires professionalism and tact.
- Using formal language instead of short form “text” jargon
- Appealing to how a request will benefit the reader is more effective than pleading a personal case. Outlining what the other person gets out of the situation is inherently more attractive to them.
- Including basic email elements such as a subject line, formal greeting and closing salutation, signing off with a name and student number
- Using a student email so the email won’t be diverted to spam
- Proofreading emails for any spelling errors, missing capitalization, or grammatical errors
- Expressing appreciation for the reader’s time and consideration
Email correspondence can be quite technical, but with practice anyone can master the skill! Applying the advice given will often produce quite effective results. If you have any questions regarding the suggestions above, please contact me at adrienneyap@alumni.ubc.ca
Sincerely,
Adrienne Yap
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