Composing Professional Email
Jun 16th, 2008 by Scott Hebert
The first thing any communicator must do when composing a message is decide which medium will work best (Evans & Wright, 2008). When faced with the task of communicating to a large group of people, especially those distributed across some distance, email is an effective form of communication. To be effective, it is critical that email messages be clear and concise. (Moore, 2008). The most effective format for a message meant to convey information to an entire organization is a “top-down”, or direct, approach (Lesikar, Flatley, & Rentz, 2008).
Just like a letter, every email should have an opening addressing the recipient. Unlike a letter, emails do not usually include a salutation like “dear”. In the case of an organization wide email, a formal greeting acknowledging that this email is going to all employees is appropriate. For example, group wide names such as “staff”, “faculty”, or “employees” conveys the message that this email is intended for everyone in the company (Lesikar, et al., 2008).
The direct approach to email composition puts the most important facts at the very beginning. It is often the case that the initial sentence in a direct email will restate the subject. From this initial statement of purpose follows increasingly less important facts. This ensures that even the busiest reader will get the essential purpose of the email. No matter what, the writer should strive to be clear, concise, and courteous (Lesikar, et al., 2008).
Evans, C. & Wright, W. (2008, April). To: ALL USERS, Copy: ALL USERS. Management Services, 52(1), 24,26-27. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1470882271).
Lesikar, R., Flatley, M., & Rentz, K. (2008). Business communication: Making connections in a digital world [Electrionic Version]. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Moore, R. (2008, May). Email autopilot: “e” means “electronic” not “everything”. Agency Sales, 38(5), 30-33. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1489288111).
To: “All Staff” <staff@example.com>
From: “Scott Hebert” <scott.hebert@example.com>
Subject: Mandatory Staff Meeting - June 21, 2008 10:00 AMExample.com Employees,
On the morning of June 21, 2008, there will be a mandatory staff meeting to discuss the pending changes to the company medical insurance plan. The attendance of all employees is mandatory. The meeting will be held in the East Conference Room and will begin promptly at 10:00 AM CST.
If you will be unable to attend, please inform your supervisor immediately so that alternate arrangements may be made.
The agenda of this meeting will be as follows:
10:00 AM: Introduction: United Healthcare
10:30 AM: Discussion of the new benefits plan and changes from the old plan
11:30 AM: Question and Answer
If you have any questions, please forward them to your supervisor or myself.
–
Scott Hebert
Example.com