Assignment 3:1 Writing with You-Attitude Memo to Evan Crisp

Memorandum

To: Evan Crisp, UBC Student

From: Claire Eccles, Engl 301 Student

Date: November 20, 2020

Subject: Best Practices for Writing Emails to Professors Concerning Class Enrolment

Thank you for reaching out for advice on your email for a prospective class. The following are suggestions to cultivate a message to the professor which would reverberate a positive response. Please consider including these practices and hopefully, you will receive a favourable reply.

Tips for writing an email to a Professor

• Include a brief subject line which foreshadows the situation.
• To sound professional, address the professor in the greeting.
• In exchanges with superiors, speaking professionally and without abbreviations or informal/casual language is proper etiquette.
• Check to see the email is formatted properly and without spelling mistakes, it displays effort and care went into drafting the message.
• Expressing excitement and specific interest to attend this course can make the professor feel there will be a benefit for them to include you in the course.
• Provide the professor with the option of saying yes or no. By giving them permission to choose they may feel more inclined to say yes to the request.
• Provide all the necessary information needed to enrol in the course (full name, student number, course name/number, class time etc.) so the professor does not need to go through that trouble.
• Keep the message concise and to the point, oversharing can interfere with conveying the main message.
• Indicate gratitude for the time the professor took to read the email.
• Sign off on the email with your first name or full name for easier communication with the professor in the future.

Writing an effective email can provide you with the responses you hope to receive. Considering the reader is important for successful communication. These suggestions are not restricted to addressing professors; utilizing these points will help with any future request or professional email.

Hopefully this provided you with some insight for creating future emails. If you have any questions, reach out to me at claire.eccles4@gmail.com.