Writing effective e-mails

English Acquisition will train you to write business emails that are clear, very well sructured and easy to understand.

Have you ever been in the situation where you've received an email, but you don't understand the message? Maybe you just don't understand the English, or maybe you don't know what to do after the email. Does the sender want you to do something, or to reply, or to just keep the email as information? Maybe the sender has written something in such a way that you don't know if he / she is happy, unhappy, or being sarcastic. In any of these cases, you can spend - or waste - a lot of time just trying to work out what the email is about.

Here are eight guidelines to writing clear and effective emails, so your readers always know how to respond.

1. Use a clear subject line.

Say what the email is about in a few words. Instead of writing "Urgent", write "Meeting at 10am about pay rise".

Use a subject line each time you reply to an email, to avoid subject lines starting Re: or R:R:

Be careful to avoid general subject lines, such as "Hello" or "Hi", as some email providers automatically delete these as spam.

2. Keep your emails short.

Try to keep to only one point in each email. If necessary, you can send more emails on different points. If you write a descriptive subject line for each email, it is easier for the reader to understand the content of your email.

You don't need to quote all the previous messages in the one you send. You can selectively quote (only including the previous question, for example) by using the angle brackets < < quote here >>.

3. Use simple English.

Keep your emails grammatically simple. This means that a) you're less likely to make grammatical mistakes, and b) your reader is more likely to understand them.

Here are some ways of writing simple English:
- use active forms instead of passive forms
- write short sentences rather than long ones (remember the word order:

   who?   Does   what?   How?    Where?  When?
 Subject  Verb   Object  Manner    Place      Time)
- don't use idioms or phrasal verbs
- use common words rather than technical or jargon words if your reader is not in the same field as you

4. Make sure your reader knows what to do next

Use direct language to help your reader act on your email. For example, if you want your reader to find some information for you, write "Please can you find me the sales figures for 2006" instead of the vaguer "I'm going to need the sales figures for 2006".

Common ways of making requests are by using the modals "Could", "Would" and "Can".

5. Reduce the amount of email you send!

Most people receive more - rather than less - email every day. Here are some ways you can reduce the number of emails you send to people:

- make a phone call rather than send an email. This is particularly effective if you only want a quick piece of information
- only send an email to the people who need to see it. Don't automatically click "reply to all" if only one or two people need to read your message.
- don't take part in chain emails (when you have to forward something on to five of your best friends, for example)
- don't reply to spam

6. Don't send heavy attachments.

If possible, send a zip file, or give web addresses where your reader can find information.

7. Be careful of your email content.

Try to make your emails informative and polite, and use a neutral tone. Remember that your reader could forward your email to other people, so only write what you would be happy for other people to read. (No gossip, no personal comments, no confidential information and no ambiguous English such as sarcastic humor.)

Avoid using emoticons and smilies in business emails, or too many exclamation marks.

8. Check your email before you send it.

Use a spell check to eliminate spelling mistakes. Read your email aloud to check for grammar and punctuation errors. Ask yourself these questions:
"Is this clear?"
"Does my reader know what to do next?"
"Is this polite?"

You can write more confidently with our
Business English Course. Just enter www.englishacquisition.com