Business Part 17: 6 Steps for Writing Effective Emails

/ Business / By

Warm Up

—- **FOR NEW STUDENTS**————————————————

  1. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]What industry do you work in and what is your role?[/responsivevoice]
  2. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]What are your responsibilities in your role/position?[/responsivevoice]
  3. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Can you describe to me the function of your workplace/company?[/responsivevoice]
  4. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]How many departments, how many offices. National or International?[/responsivevoice]
  5. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]What is the Minimum requirements for employment i.e Education or Experience?[/responsivevoice]
  6. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]How many opportunities are there to ‘move up the ladder’?[/responsivevoice]
  7. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]What is the process for changing job roles i.e Interview? Test?[/responsivevoice]

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[responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]General discussion about your workweek:[/responsivevoice]

  1. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Current projects? Deadlines? Opportunities?[/responsivevoice]
  2. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Anything of interest happening?[/responsivevoice]

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Listening

[responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Before the video: Teachers will read the following questions aloud, please prepare for listening![/responsivevoice]
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]After the video: Did you get it? If not, please tell your teacher specifically which part you didn’t understand. Let’s review the video again 🙂[/responsivevoice]

  1. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]What should you avoid when sending an email?[/responsivevoice] 

  2. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]What should the subject line include?[/responsivevoice]

  3. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]What language should you avoid using?[/responsivevoice]

The Part of Scripts

  1. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Did you know that the average office worker receives around 80 emails a day? All of this incoming information can cause stress and tension, and may cause people to miss important messages that can get “lost in the pile.” So, in this video, we’ll explore six steps you can follow to get people to read and act on your emails.[/responsivevoice]

  2. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Before writing your next email, ask yourself: “Is it really necessary?” Would it better to use Instant Messaging or the phone, instead?  Also, avoid sending emails that will likely create a long chain of replies, or which contain sensitive information. Email is not always as secure as we like to think it is.[/responsivevoice]

  3. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Next, think about your subject line. This should grab your reader’s attention and summarize the content of the message. For example, if you’re sending a meeting reminder, avoid using an over-simplistic subject line like “meeting.” Instead, specify the type of meeting, and the date and time. This could read something like: “Project Review Meeting, 11am – 10th September, 2018.”[/responsivevoice]

  4. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Keep your sentences short and to the point. The body of your email should be direct and informative. And, make sure that they are focused by writing a different one for each topic you want to discuss. This will make it easier for your recipients to organize their responses.[/responsivevoice]

  5. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Your emails reflect your professionalism. So, avoid using informal language, slang and jargon. And only use emoticons with people you know well. After all, recipients may share your emails with other colleagues or even clients.[/responsivevoice]

  6. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Unlike face-to-face conversations, it can be difficult to judge someone’s tone from an email.  So, think about how your email reads before you hit “send.” If you think that there’s potential for your feelings or intent to be misunderstood, rephrase your message so that it’s clearer.[/responsivevoice]

  7. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Finally, take a moment to review your email for grammar or spelling mistakes and double-check that it contains all the key information.[/responsivevoice]

Discussion Questions

  1. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]What is the preferred medium of contact in your workplace, IM / Email / Telephone?[/responsivevoice]
  2. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]how much does the tone change depending on the recipient? Do you prefer to be more or less formal ?[/responsivevoice]
  3. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Do you correspond with native English speakers? how do their emails differ from Japanese ?[/responsivevoice]
  4. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]What industry or workplace specific jargon or slang do you use?[/responsivevoice]

Script

00:08 Welcome to Mind Tools’ video learning series.
00:11 Did you know that the average office worker receives around 80 emails a day?
00:16 All of this incoming information can cause stress and tension,
00:20 and may cause people to miss important messages that can get “lost in the pile.”
00:24 So, in this video, we’ll explore six steps you can follow to get people to read and act on your emails.
00:33 Before writing your next email, ask yourself: “Is it really necessary?”
00:38 Would it better to use Instant Messaging or the phone, instead?
00:42 Also, avoid sending emails that will likely create a long chain of replies,
00:46 or which contain sensitive information.
00:50 Email is not always as secure as we like to think it is.
00:54 Next, think about your subject line.
00:57 This should grab your reader’s attention and summarize the content of the message.
01:02 For example, if you’re sending a meeting reminder,
01:05 avoid using an over-simplistic subject line like “meeting.”
01:10 Instead, specify the type of meeting, and the date and time.
01:15 This could read something like: “Project Review Meeting, 11am – 10th September, 2018.”
01:22 Keep your sentences short and to the point.
01:25 The body of your email should be direct and informative.
01:30 And, make sure that they are focused by writing a different one for each topic you want to discuss.
01:36 This will make it easier for your recipients to organize their responses.
01:41 Your emails reflect your professionalism.
01:44 So, avoid using informal language, slang and jargon.
01:48 And only use emoticons with people you know well.
01:51 After all, recipients may share your emails with other colleagues or even clients.
01:57 Unlike face-to-face conversations, it can be difficult to judge someone’s tone from an email.
02:03 So, think about how your email reads before you hit “send.”
02:07 If you think that there’s potential for your feelings or intent to be misunderstood,
02:11 rephrase your message so that it’s clearer.
02:14 Finally, take a moment to review your email for grammar or spelling mistakes,
02:19 and double-check that it contains all the key information.
02:25 For more ideas on how to craft effective and engaging emails,
02:28 read the article that accompanies this video.

 

  1. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]average / standard[/responsivevoice]
  2. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]incoming / outgoing[/responsivevoice]
  3. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]tension = the feeling of being so nervous or worried that you cannot relax / the feeling caused by a lack of trust between people, groups, or countries[/responsivevoice]
  4. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]lost in the pile / lost in the ether[/responsivevoice]
  5. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]act on = make an action on, do[/responsivevoice]
  6. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]sensitive information / confidential[/responsivevoice]
  7. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]“we like to think it is” = saying that you hope something is true although it may not be[/responsivevoice]
  8. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]“grab your reader’s attention” =engages or attracts immediate interest[/responsivevoice]
  9. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]summarise / run down / overview[/responsivevoice]
  10. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]content = whats inside, the information etc.[/responsivevoice]
  11. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]over-simplistic, oversimplify = to explain or consider something in a way that makes it seem more simple than it really is[/responsivevoice]
  12. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]to the point = succinct, only the relevant information[/responsivevoice]
  13. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]body of your email = the majority of information[/responsivevoice]
  14. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]body of work = their work history / finished products/projects “an actors body of work is how many movies that have starred in”[/responsivevoice]
  15. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Reflect your professionalism = conduct, behaviour and attitude of someone in a work or business environment. do something which indicates your professionalism / reflect your personality[/responsivevoice]
  16. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Informal language, slang and jargon [/responsivevoice]
  17. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]emoticons = ^_^ 🙂 (Ω __ Ω)[/responsivevoice]
  18. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]After all / at the end of the day= used when giving a reason to explain what you have just said[/responsivevoice]
  19. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]recipients = person who is receiving something[/responsivevoice]
  20. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]judge someone’s tone = decide what mood or what emotion they are trying to use[/responsivevoice]
  21. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]reads = interpreting someones tone or demeanour[/responsivevoice]
  22. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]intent = what you hope for people to understand about your actions[/responsivevoice]
  23. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]rephrase = choose different words or phrases (synonyms etc)[/responsivevoice]

Business English word rephrasing ;

  1. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]Got – Received[/responsivevoice]
  2. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]need – Require[/responsivevoice]
  3. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]talk about – Discuss[/responsivevoice]
  4. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]get in touch / meet – Contact[/responsivevoice]
  5. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]make sure – ensure[/responsivevoice]
  6. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]give – provide[/responsivevoice]
  7. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]travel plans – itinerary[/responsivevoice]
  8. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]let someone know – inform[/responsivevoice]
  9. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]tell why – explain[/responsivevoice]
  10. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]talk more – elaborate[/responsivevoice]
  11. [responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=””]fix the problem – solve[/responsivevoice]

Answers

1. create a long chain of replies, or which contain sensitive information

2. Grab your reader’s attention and summarize the content of the message

3. informal language, slang and jargon.