The Business Email: Not Your Everyday Note

Here I give a sample entry e-mail to a new Business Communications student, including a welcome, and tips about the course. I also give tips and do's and don'ts about writing business-style e-mails.

The first thing we have to remember about any sort of business writing, is that there is always an expectation of formality. Writing for business is not your run-of-the-mill writing experience because there will always be someone reviewing your work, and expecting more from you at the other end.

We are now in the 21st Century, and e-mail is the primary mode of communication for business and personal life alike. Because it is such a multi-faceted tool, it is very important to know who you're writing to, and how they expect to be communicated with. The nature of a business e-mail is extremely different to that of a personal message.

There is a formal three-step process for writing an effective business e-mail:

1. Planning: This may sound silly because how often have you had to plan an e-mail message? Normally e-mail is the quick and easy way to send a few words as a reminder, or well-wishes to someone. However, when writing to your boss or colleagues, it is very important to stick to proper business etiquette. In this stage, make sure your message is pertinent, and think very hard about the audience you're targeting. Make sure not to CC anyone who doesn't need to be included. This is the single largest disadvantage to e-mail use today: it is often overused.
2. Writing: Don't forget who you're writing to. The e-mail you're about to send isn't just another chat with a friend or family member, remember grammatical rules and the proper use for punctuation throughout because the person on the other end expects and intelligently written piece. Make sure that you write an effective subject line that's not too long and gets right to the point, and keep your emotions under control throughout.
3. Completing: Before you send your email, take a moment to review and revise it. Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors, and that it's easily readable. Also, make sure your addresses are correct, so that the message is sent to the right person.

Email-writing Tips:

• Be clear when requesting information, don't be passive, and don't make your reader look back to clarify what the request is.
• When writing a response to an e-mail, either include the original, or paraphrase the original request.
• Avoid long and complex messages.
• Adjust the formality of the message based on who you're writing for.
• Make yourself a signature, and use it consistently (a signature should include your first and last name, your title, and your phone number)
• NEVER TYPE IN ALL CAPS! It makes the reader feel yelled-at.
• Avoid color and unusual font
• Keep in mind that the Internet is an endless memory source: your message can be forwarded anywhere and saved forever.
• Avoid acronyms such as LOL, TTYL, etc. Use full words, proper spelling, and correct grammar.

Sample e-mail:

Dear Student,

On behalf of Schiller International University, I would like to welcome you to our class in Business Communication. From student to student, I would just like to say that I'm very impressed by this course, and I think we will have an excellent semester together. The information presented is very useful, and will help us build successful careers.

On the one hand, it may seem like a lot of reading and writing exercises, and you will probably use a lot of your free time on this course, but as I said, the information is beneficial to all.

I hope you settle in nicely, and I wanted to let you know that if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at any time.

Best regards,

Adrienne Jacobs