Mohsen Kabiri
2020
HOW TO WRITE
BUSINESS EMAILS
Introduction:
What is a business email?
Business email is a method of communication most companies depend on for
their correspondence, both domestic and international. It plays a key role in
communication with customers, colleagues, partners and sponsors.
Aside from its speed in reaching people, your email address is a form of
advertising as your company name is included in the email address. Each time
you send an email, your recipient is reminded of who you are and the company
you represent, even if they have never met you, which is a great way to raise
awareness of brand especially for smaller, less-known companies.
Business Email vs. Letter
Primary Difference
The first thing that distinguishes a business letter from a business email is their
nature: a letter is a hard copy while an email is a soft copy– an electronic
message. After one composes a business letter, it is printed, sealed in an
envelope, the postage is affixed and then sent using a postal service (AKA Junk
mail). A business email, conversely, also is composed using a computer or
electronic means, but in a matter of just a few seconds, it is electronically
transmitted to the recipient.
The Content of Business Communication
In case of a formal communication, you are likely to want to convey your
message in a business letter. For example, when writing about a contractual
issue, it is wiser to have a hard copy of your correspondence. The drawback to
this is that pieces of paper can get lost, and a business email can remain in an
electronic folder or cloud forever. A business email can convey the same
message, but if it is a serious matter, business email is often viewed as less
formal than a business letter. And if your communication requires an ink
signature, you obviously cannot sign a business email in ink. You can affix an
electronic or digital signature to an email message, however.
Letter vs. Email Format
A business letter is considered formal and usually follows a set of rules about
formatting commonly known as the block style. It includes such rules as
indenting new paragraphs and allocating the left margin. When you are
composing a business email, it is easy to replicate the traditional block format
by typing your greeting, body and closing salutation flush with the left margin,
because if you tab over for paragraph indents and closing salutations, the format
might look odd, depending on the size of the monitor or screen from which the
recipient reads the communication.
Maintaining Confidentiality
In terms of confidentiality both forms lack certain security concerns as a hard-
copy business letter can be photocopied and a soft-copy email can be forwarded
to others who are not privy to the initial communication. Therefore, in both
cases, the confidentiality of the content solely relies on the integrity of the
recipient.
Status Makes a Difference
Routine correspondence is not normally conducted using formal business
letters. For instance, a supervisor writing a direct report is likely to use email for
communicating an informal message, such as notification that she will be out of
the office. On the other hand, in case of communicating a policy directive,
issuing a commendation or disciplinary action, a hard-copy is most likely the
preferred format, and that is when the company maintains paper records.
The Anatomy of a Business Email
The Format
To and From Fields:
In the To field, two elements are found: the recipient's name and address as
illustrated below:
In the From field, include your own name as illustrated below:
From: Joanna Rogers
[email protected]Subject line:
Include the subject of your email briefly yet descriptively. It should make it easy
for the operator to scan a slew of other emails to find yours. There will be a
complete session on subject lines later on in this course.
Imagine that you send two colleagues an e-mail with an attached copy of a
report about company expenses for the second quarter of 2019. Simply writing
Company Report in the subject line is not enough to express what the topic of
your message is. And Report on company expenses for the second quarter of
2019 attached is too long.
When your subject line contains too many words, it will be more difficult for
recipients to read it quickly, and it is also possible that their email software will
truncate the subject so that they can’t see all the information.
Consider the following alternative:
Subject: Company Expense Report Q2 2019
This version is much better than previous two options because it is both concise
and precise. The reader will quickly understand exactly what he or she is
receiving.
Concerning capitalization of your subject line, you have multiple choices.
Naturally you should always capitalize proper nouns such as Joan or Tehran, but
for the rest of the words in your subject you can choose between the following
options:
• Capitalize the subject line as you would a title, beginning everything
except minor words with capital letters.
o Example: Company Expense Report Q2 2019
• Capitalize the first word of the subject, as well as any proper nouns, but
begin any other words with lower-case letters.
o Example: Company expense report q2 2019
The decision relies on your preferences in style and aesthetic values as well as
the context A. Capitalized subject appears more polished, and professional. For
longer subject lines, however, initial capital letters all the way through can
sometimes be a little overwhelming; in such cases, a better option is to use initial
capital letters for just the first word and any proper nouns. Subjects with no
capital letters at all, generally don’t look as polished.
Body
In an e-mail, everything that appears in the freeform box, including the
salutation, signature file (i.e., the sender's contact information), and all the
content in between is referred to as the body.
Salutations
The salutation is the opening line of your e-mail where you address the recipient
directly, usually by name. In business letters, your choices for salutations are
phrases such as:
Dear Ms. Smith,
Dear Max,
To Whom It May Concern:
A list of useful phrases to use depending on the context is provided later on in
the course.
Message Content
Most e-mail messages are no longer than a few paragraphs, and many messages
are even a mere line or two. There is no minimum length requirement, but an e-
mail should always be clear.
In most e-mail messages, you should skip a line after your salutation, between
each paragraph, and before your closing (e.g., Regards). It is not necessary to
indent at the beginning of each paragraph; skipping a line between paragraphs
will suffice.
Closings
There are multiple ways to close an email message. First you must choose your
closing word or phrase based on the context and your recipient, if you wish to
include one—for example, Thank you or Regards.
If you know your recipient and are addressing him or her by first name, in most
cases, you can then add just your first name. If you are writing more formally
and are addressing the recipient by last name, it is usually preferable to close
your e-mail with your full name as shown in the following figures:
Writing your first name in friendlier contexts
Writing your full name in more formal contexts
Note that it is incorrect to put a period after your name in the closing line:
How to write the email
Unit 1
Know your recipient
When composing an email, pick the right tone based on the level of formality
you intend to maintain between you and your recipient. Generally, there are 3
main tones you could choose from:
• Informal: An email written to any relatives, family or friends. There are
no particular rules for informal email writing and people can use any
language of their choice. This style is the closest to speech so there are
everyday words and conversational expressions.
• Semi-formal: An email written for a colleague or a team-mate within a
project comes under this category. This is the most common style in
professional/work emails. The writer and the reader are both busy, so
the language is simple, clear and direct. Sentences are normally short
and there is use of contractions (I've for I have). Modesty and dignity
must be maintained.
• Formal: Suppose we are writing or composing an email for any type of
business communication. It will come under the category of formal
email. Formal email writing will be an email written to companies,
government departments, school authorities or any other officers.
Salutations
The greeting (salutation) line is the opening of your email where you address
your recipient.
Informal Semi-formal Formal
James, Dear James: To Whom It May
James- (Although it may sound Concern:
(Seemingly abrupt, but too informal, this (a very formal greeting
it is a solid opening for salutation has had a common in business
many types of emails.) happy place in external, letters when you do not
international, formal know the recipient)
communications.
Hello, James. James, Dear Sir or Madam:
Hello, James- James- (a very formal greeting
(These are acceptable (Seemingly abrupt, but used when you do not
in a business context it is a solid opening for know the recipient)
when you know the many types of emails.)
person reasonably well.
The punctuation in the
second case in
untraditional outside
the world of emails.)
Hello James, Good morning, James. Dear Mr. Smith:
(This opening is (It is both businesslike (appropriate for when
common but and friendly. Of course, you do not know the
traditionally at the time when you recipient well or when
punctuated wrongly; send this message, it the person is senior to
therefore, it is not an should actually be you)
ideal way to begin an morning in the
email.) recipient's time zone.)
Hi, James. Greetings. Dear Sirs:
Hi, James- Good morning. Dear Gentlemen:
(Too casual for a Good afternoon. (These openings are
business old-fashioned and they
communication. presume that all the
Depending on your (appropriate for emails recipients are male. You
company culture, you going out to multiple are not recommended
may use them for recipients) to use them.)
communication with
coworkers you know
well.)
Hi James, Dear Colleagues: -
(This opening is (Use only when
common but communication with a
untraditional as it friendly group of
needs a further colleagues from the
comma.) same status. If there are
senior in the group, it
sounds inappropriate.)
Jane and Tim, - -
Dear Jane and Tim:
Good morning, Jane
and Tim.
(They are appropriate
to address a friendly
group although it can
be unusual to use them
for more than two
recipients.)
Hello, - -
(If you can’t figure out a
way to address your
recipients directly,
whether as Marketing
Staff, Colleagues, or
something else, the
three salutations
Greetings,
Good morning, or Good
afternoon may
be preferable to the
more casual, less
professional-sounding
Hello.)
Unit 2
How to Punctuate Salutations in Emails and Letters
Have you ever wondered if you should write “Dear Joe,” or “Dear Joe:” at the
beginning of an email or letter? The difference between the comma and the
colon might seem insignificant, but it actually reflects the level of formality in
your message. To begin all your correspondence with the desired level of
business professionalism or casual coolness, follow the guidelines below:
Formal Salutations
Salutations (or greetings) in formal letters and emails are followed by a colon:
Examples:
Dear Mr. Periwinkle:
Please accept my resignation from my position as lead bank teller. I am leaving
to pursue my career as a trapeze artist.
or
To Whom It May Concern:
I have attached my application for stamp collector of the year.
Informal Salutations with Adjectives
There is a common misconception that commas should never be used after
salutations. That’s just not true. Commas can be used after informal salutations
that include an adjective such as “Dear”. The trick is that you have to decide if
your message is formal or informal. Letters and emails to family are pretty much
always informal; however, the level of formality in business letters and emails
will depend on your work environment and your personal relationship with the
recipient:
Examples:
Dear Mom and Dad,
Thank you for the birthday gift! I really love my new guitar and intend to play it
at every family gathering from here on out!
Dear Sam,
I look forward to seeing you at tomorrow’s sales meeting. Let’s grab a cup of
coffee afterward, okay?
Informal Salutations with Interjections
Realistically, most of us will use an interjection such as “Hi” or “Hello” instead of
“Dear” when inviting a coworker for coffee. In this situation, a comma follows
the interjection and a period or exclamation point follows the recipient’s name:
Examples:
Good morning, Sam.
Hello, Sam.
Hi, Sam!
Casual Salutations between Friends and Family
Let’s be honest: the comma and period format can look too fussy for messages
to family and friends. Even the online Q&A section for The Chicago Manual of
Style conceded that efficiency trumps formality in casual communication; so
don’t worry too much about starting that next email to your grandparents with
“Hi Grandma and Grandpa,” rather than “Hi, Grandma and Grandpa.”
Unit 3
The four-step plan
Many messages are short and routine. You can write or dictate them without
any special thinking or preparation. However, documents that are not so need
more thought and careful planning. Here is a useful, simple framework for
structuring all written messages. I’ve been using this structure in my training for
many years, and I know it works:
INTRODUCTION • Why are you writing?
(Background and basics) • Refer to a previous letter, contact or
document.
DETAILS • Give information/instructions.
(Facts and figures) • Ask for information. Provide all relevant
details.
• Separate into paragraphs. Ensure logical
flow.
RESPONSE or ACTION • Action the reader should take.
(Conclusion) • Action you will take.
• Give a deadline if necessary.
CLOSE • Sometimes all that is needed is a simple
(A simple one-liner) one-line closing sentence.
Let’s look at this four-point plan in more detail.
1. Opening or introduction
The first paragraph will state the reason for the communication, basically
setting the scene. It may:
• acknowledge previous correspondence
• refer to a meeting or contact
• provide an introduction to the matter being discussed
Examples
• Thank you for your letter of . . .
• It was good to meet you again at last week’s conference.
• We wish to hold our annual conference at a London hotel in September.
Caution: You will not build relationships if you use introductions like, ‘We
spoke’ or ‘As spoken’. Say ‘Thanks for your call’ or ‘It was great to speak to you’
so that you put some feeling into your message.
2. Central section (details)
This main part of the message gives all the information that the recipient needs
to know. Alternatively you may be requesting information, sometimes both.
Details should be stated simply and clearly, with separate paragraphs used for
individual sections. This section should flow logically to a natural conclusion,
which will probably state any action needed.
3. Conclusion (action or response)
This section draws the message to a logical conclusion. It may:
• state the action expected from the reader
• state the action you will take as a result of the details provided.
Examples
Please let me have full details of the costs involved, together with some sample
menus.
If payment is not received within seven days, this matter will be placed in the
hands of our solicitor.
4. Close
A simple one-line closing sentence is usually all that is necessary to conclude a
message. This should be relevant to the content of the message.
Examples
I look forward to meeting you soon.
I look forward to seeing you at next month’s conference.
I would appreciate your prompt reply.
Please call me if you have any questions.
The four-step plan is illustrated in the following latter and email:
Unit 4
Email closings
There are multiple ways to close e-mail messages. First you must choose your
closing word or phrase, if you wish to include one—for example, Thank you or
Regards. If you know your recipient and are addressing him or her by first name,
in most cases you can then add just your first name. If you are writing more
formally and are addressing the recipient by last name, it is usually preferable to
close your e-mail with your full name.
The following figure shows a closing, accompanied by the signature file (which
is covered in detail in the next section), for an e-mail from a person who knows
his recipient fairly well.
His closing word (Regards) and name appear on consecutive lines. If he were
sending a message to a potential client, though, he might sign his message as
follows:
In Figures 3 and 4, the font used in the email body is the same as the signature
file font. If, however, your signature file has been specially formatted (preferably
by your art department or a professional designer) so that its appearance is
distinct from the rest of the text in the body of your message, you should in a
formal e-mail repeat your full name after your closing, as shown in the figure.
Otherwise it may seem as though you didn’t bother to “sign” your e-mail.
Below are some common email closings accompanied by comments on their
use:
Informal Semi-formal Formal
Thanks, Regards, Sincerely,
(Similar to Thank you, Yours respectfully, Yours truly,
but more casual. Most (This is a safe, Yours sincerely,
appropriate if you are acceptable closing term (This is a polite,
writing to coworkers in almost all situations, professional way to
you know well and ranging from fairly close, but is most
have a good casual to quite formal.) appropriate for formal
relationship with, or emails, such as initial
when you are emailing, communications with
say, vendors or people prospective clients. In
who are somewhat emails with people you
junior to you. If you already know, Sincerely
have reason to be may come across as
really appreciative, excessively formal.)
Thank you is generally
a better choice.)
None Thank you, Yours faithfully,
(For quick, casual (This closing is ideal (It is British usage. It is
emails to people with when you want to show used when the recipient
whom you have an appreciation for is not addressed by
established business something the recipient name, as in a letter with
relationship, closing has done or is going to a “Dear Sir” salutation)
with just your first do for you. (If you want
name is a common and to be very appreciative
acceptable practice.) and say
Thank you very much,
then you can keep that
as a separate sentence
and perhaps add a
different closing. For
instance:
Thank you very much.
Regards,
Rose
NB In the closings, only capitalize the first letter.
Unit 5
Please find attached: Is it necessary to notify your recipient?
Pleases find attached is a common phrase in business letters. In emails,
though, it sounds too old-fashioned and is a wordy jargon that you may be
better off avoiding it. The first reason is that this phrase is stuffy and the
biggest goal in email communication is to be straightforward. Another oddity
with Please find attached is that it is a command while it doesn't need to be.
There is no need bossing around about finding things.
Alternatives to use instead of Please find attached
You'd better use direct language and avoid difficult business lingo. The
following phrases can be used in your email to notify the recipient about
attachment(s):
• Please have a look at the attached [file or item].
• I have attached [file or item].
• The [file or item] you asked for is attached.
• Please refer to the attached [file or item] for more details.
• The attached [file or item] includes …
Attachment etiquette
1. If the purpose of sending email is only the attached item, do not leave
the body of the message empty. Simply, use one of the phrases above
and then attach the file.
2. If the attachment is unexpected, give your recipient notice in the body of
the email.
3. If you mention attachment in the body, do not forget it.
4. Do not attach huge files. Use services like Dropbox for transferring large
files.
Punctuation in business emails:
Punctuation is a subtle arrow in your quiver. Mistakes or underuse can cause
communication problems and at times misunderstandings.
Terminal Punctuation
Every sentence should end with a terminal punctuation mark, i.e. a period,
question mark, or exclamation mark. Skipping terminal punctuations make your
sentences incomplete.
Here’s an example:
Wrong:
I talked to Finance, and they approved the agreement
Right:
I talked to Finance, and they approved the agreement.
Use question marks sparingly. If you use too many question marks in one email,
you’ll sound like you’re interrogating the recipient.
"What’s your status? Have you talked to your team yet? Are you free for a call
tomorrow at noon so we can discuss any potential changes?"
Semicolons (;)
A semicolon can also connect two unique, but related, sentences. It cannot act
as a comma.
Wrong:
She can call me tomorrow, she can give me an answer then.
Right:
She can call me tomorrow; she can give me an answer then.
Comma (,)
Here are the main rules for the comma:
1. Use a comma to separate words or phrases in a list
• Writing well takes time, effort, and a lot of hard work.
(NB: In a list like this, it’s not necessary to put a comma before the final ‘and’
although in the US it is common to do so.)
2. Use a comma to separate adjectives modifying the same noun
• Please send us a large, self-addressed envelope.
• I enjoy the warm, humid climate in Singapore.
3. Use a comma to separate two clauses that are joined by a co-ordinating
conjunction (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So).
• The expansion of our business is a long-term project, and we need an
efficient management consultant to help us.
• John has the necessary qualifications, but Dave has more experience.
• I believe this candidate has the relevant qualifications, and he also has
considerable past experience
4. Use commas to insert or expand on the main sentence or part of them
• Mandy Lim, my secretary, will contact you soon to make an
appointment.
• The Managing Director, who is overseas at present, has asked me to
reply to your letter.
• I need Mark, and possibly Doreen as well, to help with this project.
• Please switch off all electronic devices, including mobile phones, as the
aircraft will be departing soon.
5. Use a comma to separate phrases and clauses to make your message
easier to read
• We have five different models, each with its own special features.
• Although I agree with the points you mention, I would like clarification
on various issues.
Salutation Punctuation
There are a few different ways to punctuate your salutation.
If it’s a formal email, use a colon.
Dear Ms. Foster:
If it’s a relatively casual email, use a comma.
Dear Anna,
And if you’re on close terms with someone, you can use a dash.
Hi Aja —
Exclamation Mark
Use exclamation marks as sparingly as you use question marks. If you go
overboard with exclamation marks, you’ll come across as hyper and overexcited.
"Thanks again for a productive conversation yesterday! Good news, I talked to
Finance and we’re good to go! Can’t wait to work together!"
In general, exclamation marks aren't considered very professional. So, leave
them for your happy hour text messages to friends.
