7 Tips on How to Improve Your Email Writing Skills.
Posted on October 28, 2013 Most of us in the business world use emails as the main, and in some cases, the only means of written communication. For many students studying Business English, practising their email writing skills is an important part of their course. While most of us are happy to write informal emails to friends that might have grammatical mistakes in them, the same is not true when writing to colleagues and clients with whom we want to make a good impression. Or where we need to be a bit more careful or more diplomatic than usual. So, how can you ensure that your email writing skills are up to standard? Here are some 7 general tips Id like to share with you: 1. Subject Line: Always have a subject line that summarises briefly and clearly the contents of the message. For example Re: Summary of Our Meeting with ABC Suppliers 2. Short and Simple Sentences English with a Twist A Blog About Learning The English Language Search Home About Me My Online English Courses My Full Immersion Courses Contact Me converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Use short and easy sentences. Long sentences can often be difficult to read and understand. The most common mistake that I see my students making is to translate directly from their own language. This can often lead to confusing sentences. I always tell my students to use the KISS Test Keep It Short and Simple
3. Think of who your reader is going to be. Is it a colleague, a client or your boss? Should the email be informal or formal? Most business emails these days have a neutral tone. Note the difference between Informal and Formal: Informal - Thanks for the email of 15 February Formal Thank you for your email received 15 February Informal - Sorry, I cant make it. Formal I am afraid I will not be able to attend Informal Could you? Formal I was wondering if you could.?
Some emails to colleagues can be informal if they are friends. This is the style that is closest to speech, so there are often everyday words and conversational expressions that can be used. For instance, Dont forget, Catch you later, Cheers. The reader will also accept bad grammar in informal emails. However, if the email is going to a client or senior colleague, bad grammar and an over-friendly style will not be acceptable. 4. Be very careful of capital letters, punctuation, spelling and basic grammar. converted by Web2PDFConvert.com While these can be tolerated in informal emails, they are very important in business emails as they are an important part of the image you create. Give yourself time to edit what youve written before you push that Send button. In todays busy world, its very easy to send out many emails without checking them so make a conscious effort to edit. 5. Think about how direct or indirect you want to be In some cultures it is common practice to be very direct in email correspondence. However, this can cause a problem if youre writing to someone in another country and in a language that is not yours. They might find your directness rude and sometimes offensive. Consider these: Direct I need this in half an hour. Indirect - Could I have this in half an hour? Direct There will be a delay. Indirect Im afraid there will be a slight delay. Direct Its a bad idea Indirect To be honest, Im not sure it would be a good idea. By adjusting your tone, you are more likely to get a more positive response from your reader. 6. Be positive! Look at these words: helpful, good question, agreed, together, useful, Id be delighted, mutual, opportunity. Now look at these: busy, crisis, failure, forget it, I cant, its impossible, waste, hard The words you use show your attitude to life so choose your words wisely. 7. Get Feedback Try and get some feedback on the emails that you write in real life. This could be from your English Teacher or someone you know whose English is better than yours. Study the English in the emails you receive. If it is a well-written email, look carefully at some of the language used. Start your own phrase book and build a bank of phrases from the ones you receive and think would be useful in the future. converted by Web2PDFConvert.com 67 THOUGHTS ON 7 TIPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR EMAIL WRITING SKILLS. Share this: Google+ Shanthi Streat Follow 158 Like this: Like
If you found this blog post useful, please share it. And dont forget to subscribe to my blog if you dont want to miss my future posts. All you have to do is to add your email address to the box headed Subscribe to my Blog on the right hand side of the Home Page. Ciao for now Shanthi Source: Email English by Paul Emmerson, Macmillan Publishers This entry was posted in Business English, Learning Tips, Writing Skills and tagged Business English, Learning Tips, Writing Skills by Shanthi Streat. Bookmark the permalink. Sa'id Lawal on October 28, 2013 at 6:47 am said: Thanks Shanthi, I always find your blog a very interesting place of learning. Thanks once again. Reply Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 8:34 am said: Im so glad you do, Said. Thank you for reading. Its really appreciated. Reply Alka Rai on October 28, 2013 at 7:27 am said: very clear and helpful. Reply Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 8:36 am said: Im very pleased. Reply converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Jatinder Pal Singh Khosa on October 28, 2013 at 2:15 pm said: Very helpful in daily Life Thanks Reply jeetsauden yakthumba on October 28, 2013 at 2:31 pm said: THAKYOU very much for the useful information . But how to use to email I dont no I want to good advise also ? Reply Shanthi on October 30, 2013 at 8:59 am said: There are plenty of resources online to help you. Reply daniela on October 28, 2013 at 2:40 pm said: Greta information! Thank you Reply Shanthi on October 30, 2013 at 8:58 am said: Its my pleasure. Reply Hermine on October 28, 2013 at 2:46 pm said: Very helpful rules for email writing. Thank you! Reply Shanthi on October 30, 2013 at 8:58 am said: converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Its my pleasure. Reply Samer on October 28, 2013 at 2:46 pm said: it was helpful , Thank you. Reply Shanthi on October 30, 2013 at 8:57 am said: Really glad. Reply Evelyn Becerra on October 28, 2013 at 2:48 pm said: Great tips! Helpful for my writing lessons. Thanks for sharing. Reply Shanthi on October 30, 2013 at 8:57 am said: So glad to be of help. Good luck with the lessons. Shanthi Reply amit kumar on October 28, 2013 at 2:48 pm said: its very good to see such kind of helpful blogs.these are very useful to professsional students and for tier-2 city college students,who are unaware of these. Reply Shanthi on October 30, 2013 at 8:57 am said: Thank you. Reply converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Maria Felgueiras on October 28, 2013 at 2:54 pm said: Excellent tips. Thanks a lot. I must say I like your blog a lot. You share very interesting contents about English! Reply Shanthi on October 30, 2013 at 8:56 am said: Im so glad you like it, Maria. Thank you for reading my blog and sharing your comments here. Shanthi Reply Sumangalai on October 28, 2013 at 2:56 pm said: Very clear and useful. Reply Shanthi on October 30, 2013 at 8:56 am said: Thank you. Reply Mamun afrad on October 28, 2013 at 3:12 pm said: Very useful thing Reply Shanthi on October 30, 2013 at 8:56 am said: Thank you. Reply converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Nancy on October 28, 2013 at 3:21 pm said: Very short and usefull. Thank Shanthi Reply Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 11:47 pm said: Always a pleasure, Nancy. Reply abdul basith on October 28, 2013 at 3:47 pm said: thanks alot for such wonderful tips. very useful information.. Reply Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 11:47 pm said: Glad I could be of help. Shanthi Reply elena diamante on October 28, 2013 at 4:25 pm said: Great blog, thanks Reply Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 11:47 pm said: Thank you so much. Shanthi Reply Xiliana Rodrguez on October 28, 2013 at 5:23 pm said: Very useful! thank you Reply converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Pingback: 7 Tips on How to Improve Your Email Writing Skills. | lasboris Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 11:46 pm said: My pleasure. Reply Marita on October 28, 2013 at 6:02 pm said: Very interesting and clear for students!!!! Reply Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 11:46 pm said: Thank you, Marita. Reply Sharmin on October 28, 2013 at 6:33 pm said: Thank you so much..ur writing is very helpful for me. Reply Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 11:45 pm said: Its my pleasure. Shanthi Reply Nadeem Ghafoor on October 28, 2013 at 8:22 pm said: Very useful information. Could you please help me out regarding my speaking skills? Actually, I have problem with pronunciation and accent especially. Thanks & Regards, Nadeem Reply converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Pingback: 7 Tips on How to Improve Your Email Writing Skills | My Educational Technology Blog: A Place of Resources and Tools for Educators Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 11:44 pm said: Hi Nadeem, If youd like me to help you, take a look at my online courses and if they seem attractive, drop me a line via my blog and we can discuss the way forward. Shanthi Reply Junneil Cuizon on October 28, 2013 at 11:23 pm said: Most of your posts are interesting! How could I share this post in my blog? Is it possible? thanks! Reply Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 11:43 pm said: HI there, Im really thrilled that you like my posts. Id be honoured if youd share my post. You can do this as a pingback on WordPress or simply copy and paste the post to a new blog post. I really like your blog. The pictures are lovely. Shanthi Reply Marco Dess on October 28, 2013 at 11:50 pm said: I wont leave a comment about your blogI just want to say hello Shanthi! Gooood jobbbb! Bye beautiful girl!!! Marco Reply Shanthi on October 28, 2013 at 11:59 pm said: Ciao bellissimo, Grazie. When are you starting yours? Shanthi Reply converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Achala on October 29, 2013 at 6:06 am said: Thank you very much. It is very important to me. Reply Shanthi on October 29, 2013 at 8:59 am said: Im so pleased to hear that. Reply Gyanendra Poudel on October 29, 2013 at 8:28 am said: Extreamly simple and striking Reply Shanthi on October 29, 2013 at 8:59 am said: Glad you like it. Reply chantal issautier on October 30, 2013 at 7:05 pm said: just what I needed for my students.Thanks Reply Shanthi on October 30, 2013 at 7:58 pm said: Im so glad I can be of use. Reply concha ortega on November 3, 2013 at 6:03 pm said: Thank you very much for your blog. Ive just suscribe to receive the following post converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Concha Reply Shanthi on November 3, 2013 at 6:46 pm said: Thank you very much for subscribing to my blog. I hope you enjoy my past and future posts. Shanthi Reply MNIF Mohamed on November 5, 2013 at 8:52 am said: Thank you very much. Reply Shanthi on November 5, 2013 at 1:29 pm said: My pleasure. Shanthi Reply Henrique on November 8, 2013 at 10:35 am said: My English teacher in Brazil has taught me another meaning for KISS: keep it simple, stupid! Hes vey kind. hehe Reply Shanthi on November 8, 2013 at 10:51 am said: Ha Ha. Yes it does also mean that but I didnt want anyone to misunderstand the point. Thanks, Henrique. Reply Jomel on November 9, 2013 at 10:03 am said: Before, before i click the send bottom to my boss i do make sure that it is look like a true formal.. Now im glad that you have a blog like that . It will help me alot to improved more my writing skills. Im a begginer in form of learnings in english langiage esp. Those grammar, new vocabulary etc. Hope you will semd to my email. Those lessons that will help me alot.. Thank you. Your indeed great in writing. converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Pingback: 7 consejos para mejorar tus habilidades de escritura de emails Pingback: 7 dicas de como melhorar a redao dos seus emails Reply Shanthi on November 10, 2013 at 11:43 am said: Thank you, Jomel. Reply zaza on November 18, 2013 at 10:41 pm said: hi! these tips are of great help to everybody. illbe glad to join your blog and follow all your posts;thanks a lot! Reply Shanthi on November 19, 2013 at 7:32 am said: Thank you so much, Zah. Welcome to English with a Twist. Shanthi Reply salik on November 29, 2013 at 9:21 am said: thnks. you are great! Reply kumudh shekhar on December 1, 2013 at 12:46 am said: Dear Shanti Ur articles are very interesting n helpful. I am a business lecturer myself. I wish to upgrade myself to being a language teaher. Wish to take up a course to with a quality institution. Wish u cld suggest any from London. Im a Malaysian. Be it be online or face to face. Thanks. Kumudh converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Reply Shanthi on December 2, 2013 at 9:00 am said: I would always recommend International House, London. That is where I took my CELTA and the teaching is faultless. They also offer online courses. http://www.ihlondon.com/ Good luck. Shanthi Reply Khalil Al-Seraji on January 17, 2014 at 9:05 pm said: Very helpful for me and that is all i need in my emails . thank you so much Reply Shanthi on January 18, 2014 at 2:48 pm said: Its my pleasure, Khalil. Thank you for reading. Reply Psith on April 2, 2014 at 3:42 am said: Very helpful for me to keep continue English improvement skill and learning more technique. Reply Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website converted by Web2PDFConvert.com M A R C H 2 0 1 4 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 S U B S C R I B E T O M Y B L O G V I A E M A I L Enter your email address to subscribe to my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Join 2,025 other subscribers Email Address Subscribe S T A Y I N T O U C H Follow Follow @shanthistreat @shanthistreat Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.
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