Do You Know How to Write a Professional Email?

What length should email be? When to use Cc and Bcc? Should you ask for a confirmation? Here are useful tips to write professional emails at work!

Use the email with discernment.

Before throwing yourself on the box of electronic letters, you must be sure that the way in which you write is appropriated. Even if the email makes our life easier, they are also a source of wasted time if they are poorly managed.

Before writing an email, ask yourself the next questions:

Is my message sensitive?

Could my message be interpreted in a wrong way?

What is the urgency of the message?

What is the number of interlocutors?

Do I wish to receive an answer?

Keep in mind these simple rules in order to write a professional email:

For emergency information: call! Do it also if you want to establish a meeting with several participants.

For sensitive information: move up! The sensitive messages (bad news, negotiations) or the confidential ones require face to face meetings.

For classical information: the email is perfect!

Show respect and don't forget about the signature. The email represents you, so it must be accurate and polite. Avoid abbreviations of any kind.

The signature is also an important element. It consists in:

Full name

Work position and company

Coordinates: address, phone number

To ease your life, save your signature, in order to appear every time when sending an email.

The email should be as clear and concise as possible. Don't forget to introduce yourself if the interlocutor doesn't know you. One of the key rules of emails is not to treat more than a subject on email.

If you have more requests from the same interlocutor, send him another email. In addition, if you put two questions in the same email, the recipient could forget to answer to one of them.

Make short and simple phrases. At every new idea, write a new paragraph. Also, it is not recommended to use irony: the written messages are not suitable for jokes.

If the message sent is complex or important, don't hesitate to ask a third person to read it, in order to offer his opinion.

Watch your spelling! Read the email carefully to avoid typographical and spelling errors.

Sometimes, a poorly chosen word can distort the meaning of phrases. Be careful at syntax, from respect for the interlocutor.

Focus on sobriety: avoid writing texts in all colors or too many bold/ italicized words.

The fond should be white; the style should be Arial or Times New Roman and the color used -black or blue; these all are classic and good choices.

Sources: grammar.about.com/od/developingessays/a/profemails.htm, jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm, www.life-with-confidence.com/workconfidence-sending-email.html