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| Writing Center - Checklist for Effective E-Mail |
The Writing Center, Inc.
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The Writing Center specializes in customized corporate business and technical writing programs.
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| Use our checklist to ensure that your e-mail reflects a high level of professionalism and increases your credibility within your company. |
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- Company e-mail is the appropriate choice for this document. The e-mail, which may reside in your system's memory and be accessible to people other than the intended reader, should:
- Contain information that pertains only to your job responsibilities or to company-approved functions. You followed company guidelines for using e-mail for personal communications.
- Not contain confidential or sensitive information. It could be made public or subpoenaed without embarrassment to your company or you, the writer.
- Not be a way of avoiding talking to someone in person or by telephone. Don't let e-mail replace human interaction that builds relationships and allows you to observe or hear people's reactions to what you are saying.
- Not contain reprimanding or emotional wording. Constructive criticism is received best in one-to-one, in-person coaching sessions.
- Require an immediate response.
- Not be information required by the reader for long-term reference.
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- The distribution list is appropriate:
- All those who should receive the information have been copied. For example, you have not relied upon the primary reader to distribute the information to his/her direct reports if you require them to have the information.
- Those who do not need to know the information have not been copied.
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- You have respected your reader's time and edited the e-mail for clarity. You:
- Eliminated wordiness; eliminated any "streams of consciousness."
- Used short words, sentences, and paragraphs.
- Used precise, factual wording.
- Translated technical jargon and acronyms as appropriate for the distribution list.
- Deleted any unnecessary "document trail."
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- You have used professional presentation, tone, and courtesy. You:
- Used simple format that will convert well to all computer systems/programs.
- Used upper and lower case letters rather than all capitals. Upper and lower case letters are easier to read; using all capitals comes across like YELLING. The rule of thumb is to put no more than eight words in all capitals; you have saved all capitals for emphasis or headings.
- Have written the e-mail from your reader's point of view. Your wording is considerate and polite; it is objective and direct without being abrupt.
- Used words that are appropriate for a business environment.
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- You have organized the e-mail strategically. You ensured accurate and complete content. You:
- Provided a subject heading and opening purpose statement that predict the document's content.
- Anticipated and answered your reader's questions, providing background information when it helps your reader understand your message.
- Double-checked the accuracy of facts and figures.
- Clearly and explicitly asked for action or described what you will do next.
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- You have proofread the e-mail. You:
- Used correct, consistent punctuation.
- Used your spell checker. Double-checked the spelling of people's names and of company products and services.
- Replaced "brief hand" abbreviations such as "w/" and "info" with standard spellings.
- Ensured your precise use of all vocabulary, especially of any unfamiliar vocabulary gleaned from your computer's thesaurus.
- Checked grammar (especially subject-verb agreement) and usage (for example, commonly confused words such as "there" and "their").
- Checked sentence structure (especially to correct any fragments or run-on sentences).
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Copyright © by The Writing Center, Inc.
303 South High Street
West Chester, PA 19382-3300
All rights reserved. This article or any part thereof must not be reproduced or used in any form without the written permission of the authors.
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| Additional Resources |
| The Writing Center's Web site features course descriptions for customized in-house writing training programs, writing tips, and a calendar of public courses. |
Programs and Courses
Business Grammar Program
Business Grammar Program: Module 2-Spelling and Usage
Business Grammar Program: Module 3-Grammar and Sentence Structure
Effective Business Writing
Effective Business Writing: Module 3 - The Writing Process
Effective Business Writing: Module 2 - Flow and Format
Effective Business Writing: Module 4 - Organizing Business Documents
Technical Writing Program
Technical Writing Program: Module 4 - Organizing Technical Documents
Technical Writing Program: Module 2 - Illustrations, Flow, and Format
Technical Writing Program: Module 3 - The Writing Process: Planning Technical Documents
Writing Center - Free Course Preview
Writing Effective E-Mail
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Writing Center - Six Tips for Effective Self-Appraisals
Writing Center - Six Tips for Writing Minutes of Meetings
Writing Center - Writing Commendation Memos
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