Professional Emailing

• Being able to compose a professional, well written email is often overlooked. 

• Being able to do so establishes credibility and professionalism, sets the stage for effective communication, and helps build lasting relationships. 

Professional Emailing in a Nutshell

• Have a short, but indicative subject. For example, “Club Proposal - John Smith.” This helps the receiver stay organized and tie your name to the subject. 

• Greetings: Keep it simple. “Good afternoon Mr. Smith,” works, and “Mr. Smith, …” works just as well. 

• Of course, the body of the email will vary from person to person. However, here are a few rules to follow: 

  • Be concise, clear, and straight forward - oftentimes, we try to use big words to sophisticate our writing skills, but end up going in circles. 

  • Use small paragraphs to introduce new topics. Again, this will help the reader stay engaged, without losing them along the way. 

• End the email with a warm final remark. Here are some conventional ones:

  • Regards, (new line) John Smith

  • Thank you for your time, (new line) John Smith

  • I appreciate your consideration, (new line) John Smith

  • Looking forward to your response, (new line) John Smith

• Finally, be sure to include your personal contact information below. For example, your phone number and/or company name and position. 

  
  
  

• Essentially, the main goal in writing an email is to be effective in your word use. People value their time, and would rather read a short, concise email than one with 400 words that delivers the same message. Don’t forget to use high level vocabulary when appropriate! Your email could look something like this: