You must have studied in school how to write letters, whether formal or informal. But in this age, most letters are not written with ink on paper, but electronically. It is not unusual nowadays to submit your essays, resumes, application letters, class presentations and assignments, and all such matters using your email address.
Now the question is: Do the same rules that apply to hand-written letters apply to email letters? How does one conduct him/herself in these matters? Consider some of these tips for successful electronic letter writing.
To prevent “e-mail embarrassment,” check out the following Dos and Don’ts to help compose the perfect email:
- Do recall whether the receiver goes by Mr., Ms., Mrs., Miss or Dr. and be sure to address him or her by the proper prefix.
- Do begin the email with a concise greeting such as “Good morning” or “Good evening” rather than jumping in without saying hello.
- Do include a “Thank you” or “I appreciate it.” The receivers of your letters are busy people, and a little expression of gratitude could go a long way.
- Do use your school email address instead of your personal email address. Not only is it more professional than olamide4life@gmail.com, but it makes it easier for the receiver to separate junk emails from important emails.
- Do strike a balance between formal and informal language. While an email isn’t the time to show how extensive your vocabulary is, writing clearly and deftly shows a strong command of email etiquette.
- Don’t include emojis or hashtags in emails. Does this sound ridiculous? Yes. Are students guilty of this crime? Unfortunately.
- If you are writing to a teacher, don’t sign emails with just a first name, including both class and class period helps the teacher sift through his or her inbox with greater ease.
- Don’t forget to use spell check. A simple click of a button could prevent a lot of explaining and embarrassment in the long term.
- Don’t use slang, abbreviations and colloquial. Choosing to reply with an informal “Thx sm” instead of a proper “Thank you so much.” doesn’t show that you have your email etiquette down pat.
