Email Memo to Evan Crisp – Dennis Deng

Knowing your audience is the key to success in effective technical writing. Composed below is advice regarding good etiquette when formulating an email that prompts positive responses.

Best practices for writing academic emails

• Include a brief, concise subject line. Including a brief and concise subject line will increase the recipient’s chance of opening the email and help them prioritize it accordingly.
• Addressing the email draws the reader in as the recipient. It is considered a professional courtesy to address the email recipient using their title and name to indicate a cordial relationship.
• Practice proper grammar and formatting throughout the email. Be sure to follow professional sentence structure by capitalizing the beginning of each sentence and proper nouns.
• Use positive language bout the interest in the specifics of the course content or the professor’s teaching style.
• Removal of the personal preference and schedule (i.e. early class refusal and vacation). Focusing on the reader will aid in their response as people have the tendency to be “self-centered”.
• Include specifics of goal, in this case, the addition of the term (winter session one or two), the exact course code, and the section number.
• Proofread your email before sending it. After you finish writing an email, read it out loud to ensure there are no errors before sending it.

Following these proper email etiquettes can likely enhance the positive impression you make on professors and classmates, and demonstrates your professionalism and attention to detail.  I hope that you are able to get into the English course with Professor Lambert. Please email me if you have any further questions.