While working to write business emails, many employees feel at a loss. Having never been taught the proper conventions, they flounder. I myself wrote some less-than-desirable emails in my time as an undergrad. Throughout my professional writing courses, however, I have picked up beneficial skills that have had an invaluable effect on the emails I send. 

What Not To Do

At first, email authors may struggle to see how convoluted their messages are. Take, for example, this email I sent last year, requesting a letter of recommendation from a former professor. 

Is this email horrible? No. But it could be better. For instance, there is a major flaw with wordy sentences and jumbled thoughts. For example, I spend way too much time on specifics with when I met this professor. I also provide too much fluff (unneeded information) when expressing what I hoped the letter would say. In fact, it comes off a bit pushy and could steer the receiver away from wanting to write me a recommendation. 

Writing letters like this can be complicated. Sometimes, it feels like there are too many things to remember, and it can be difficult. With a few techniques, however, writing a business email doesn’t have to feel impossible. 

Opening Your Email

Oh boy, oh boy, salutations. They really can be the bane of your existence. If you open an email too formally, you can confuse coworkers (see the meme above). Some of your most anxious coworkers, people like me, will wonder what they have done to make you so angry at them. It’s a slippery slope to tread, and it is best to hand it with the utmost care. Don’t feel inclined to write a salutation that is too formal simply because you’re at work. However, an air of casualty can be taken too far. See the meme below for an example of this:

Some phrases, often employed to appear casual, can completely remove professionalism from an email. Never open with an expression as informal as “‘sup dudes.” It comes off as unprofessional, and it will often cause your coworkers to cringe. 

What is the solution, then? It’s actually pretty simple. My go-to is “Hi [recipient’s name].” It’s simple, concise, and leaves little room for misinterpretation. You really can’t go wrong with this salutation. 

The Body of Your Email

Getting to the Point

A lot of people have a tendency to open with extended greetings. In the email I placed above, for example, I added the phrase “I hope this email finds you well” before I went into what I actually wanted. Although phrases like this are written with the best intentions, it’s far more important to be concise in an email. Get to the point. Your recipient will thank you for it.

Using Bullet Points

It may also be necessary, at times, to split up your email with bullet points. If you have a large list of information you need to get across, bullet points make that easier for your recipient to comprehend. At my current job, for instance, it is part of my responsibility to put together crafts for young children. When sending my boss an email requesting materials for these crafts, I always use bullet points. Why? Well, look at how this request would look like without the bullets:Hi [my boss’s name],

I have prepared the instructions for the upcoming craft, and I would like to request the following materials: popsicle sticks, pom-poms, sharpies, glue, construction paper, and scissors. 

Thanks, 

Serena 

Does the email make sense without the bullet points? Sure it does. But would my boss know this was a request for material before reading it? Absolutely not. Take a look at the altered email, though: 

Hi [my boss’s name],

I have prepared the instructions for the upcoming craft, and I would like to request the following materials: 

• Popsicle sticks 
• Pom-poms 
• Sharpies 
• Glue 
• Construction paper
• Scissors 

Thanks, 

Serena

Doesn’t the revised email read so much smoother? Do you see how my boss could pick out the important parts before she even read the message? That’s the power bullet points have. When used appropriately, they are an invaluable tool to business writers everywhere. 

Varying Sentence Openers

When it comes to readability, there is another barrier a lot of emails face. Many writers open every single sentence with a subject (“I” or “You”, for example.) Unfortunately, though, emails like this are more challenging to read. They become choppy and can give your recipient a headache. 

Other than subject openers, there are a whole host of ways to start sentences. In fact, I utilize a great deal of them in this very blog post. It may take some getting used to, and it is definitely possible to overdo it. Once you strike a good balance, though, your writing will become so much easier to read.

Closing Your Email

Deciding how to close an email can be as complicated as opening one. Can you imagine how stiff an email would be if it ended simply with the word “goodbye” or “that is all”?

Likewise, ending an email by being too informal is equally as harmful. 

I prefer the standard “Thanks” with my name at the bottom. To me, this feels the simplest and least controversial route. Other people may prefer sign-offs such as “Best” or “Sincerely.” Personally, I find those closings a bit stiff, but I’m not going to fault anyone if they use them. 

Sample Email Done The “Correct” Way

If I were to rewrite my previous email, implementing my own advice, it would read more like this: 

Ta-da! Isn’t this email so much easier to read? Although my opening and closing didn’t change, the body of my email got a significant upgrade. I utilized bullet points and sentence openers, and suddenly, my email worked much better. 

Why This Matters

Efficient email-writing is a skill you will need in almost any professional position. The better you are at email writing, the better you will appear to your employer and coworkers. Fixing an email is simple, and the benefits are well worth the time. If you write an email wrong, you may have to send follow-up after follow-up explaining yourself, or your coworkers may use them to pass incorrect judgments on you. When it comes down to it, writing emails efficiently just makes sense.