Assignment 3:1 Writing With You Attitude Memorandum to Evan Crisp

Memorandum

To: Evan Crisp, UBC undergraduate student
From: Elton Kok, ENGL 301 student
Date: November 20, 2020
Subject: Writing an Email to a Professor

Thank you for reaching out to the ENGL 301 students for writing advice. Listed below are a collection of recommendations to improve the email that was sent. The following advice centers around the “You Attitude” concept which puts the reader of the email as the most important subject.

List of Advice

• Including a subject in the email – Professors and other working individuals can receive hundreds of emails each day. Having a subject line is extremely important which allows people to quickly filter which emails should be read and replied to first.
• Using a more formal greeting – The initial greeting of the email sets the tone of the overall message. The greeting should be polite and properly address the reader with a title if they have one. For example, starting the email with “Hi Professor Lambert,” shows respect for the reader by addressing them a title and name.
• Introducing yourself – The reader should be able to know who is writing and their intentions within the first couple of lines.
• Putting the reader first – Try to focus on the positives about the reader before introducing the complaint. Think about what benefit the reader gets from the interaction. Avoid using too much “I” or “we” as the email should focus on the reader.
• Using a formal tone – Using a more formal tone shows respect towards the reader and leaves a good impression.
• Showing interest in manners that pertain to the reader – Showing active interest in the course conveys to the professor interest in topics they are also interested in. This helps to connect with the reader, putting their interests first.
• Concluding by thanking the reader – Many people, especially professors, have very busy lives and limited time. Thanking the reader for taking the time to read and deal with requests shows respect for their time.

Emailing professors and other working professionals is a vital, but difficult skill to learn. Following the listed advice should immensely help when drafting emails to professors and other working professionals. If there are any further questions regarding email writing, please feel free to reach out to me at kokelton@student.ubc.ca. Best of luck getting into your courses.