Writing professional emails at work can be an extremely daunting and time-consuming task for some. Especially for certain businesses where they have to ensure that any communication leaving their firm needs to be double and triple-checked, writing emails can be a nerve wracking experience.
Writing a professional email is a sign of adhering to proper work etiquette that is practised widely. Depending on the nature of your business, you may also be communicating with people from different countries. This is an important communication practice that can also allow you the chance to build and nurture your professional network too.
Not forgetting the good impression you’ll want to create for the receiving party! Imagine receiving curt, short or even rude replies in your inbox. And worse, starting your day off by reading one of those emails. Ugh, what a terrible start to the day!
As they say, what goes around comes around. So let’s make sure we’re doing the right thing. In this article, we’ll be sharing 3 tips that can help you to craft more professional emails while at work.
None of those jitters any more when writing emails at work!
A word of caution:
A word of caution before we delve into the article: the following mentioned tips and tricks are information that has been generally observed across numerous work sectors. There may be instances in which specific advice may not match or suit what is expected for a specific firm, industry or job role.
As such, this written piece aims to function as a guide and should not be read as a comprehensive or exhaustive list of advice for a working individual. The best way to find out what may work for your success would be by conducting ample research.
Browsing through this article could function as the first step you take into exploring numerous options on how to take your career forward. After all, you know yourself the best!
Without further ado, let’s get right into the article!
How to write professional emails at work
1) Everything's in the subject header
Yes, the subject, the header, it’s the most important part of your email. It is, after all, the very first thing the receiver will be reading when they receive your email. Oftentimes, many individuals get stuck thinking of a good header and spend too much time fumbling over the perfect header.
We all know that a header should summarise what the email is about. Is it an enquiry or a feedback? Is it a follow-up email or are you starting a new thread based off an email you had received from someone related to the subject matter?
Identifying which of these categories your email falls into can help you better structure a proper header for your email. A simple tip to help you out? If you were to take a second to explain to the person sitting next to you what exactly you’re writing about, what are some of the keywords you’ll be using?
Note those particular words down. They carry the gist of your communication. Include them in your header coherently and you should be ready!
2) Keep things succinct
That’s right, keep your emails succinct! Nobody wants to read on for paragraphs, it’s not supposed to be a novel! Keep things straight to the point. Be concise and choose your words wisely.
Everything you’ve said in the email, is there a shorter way to phrase it? If so, go for it. Cut down on unnecessary words. Be direct but be careful not to come off rude.
But, how can you know when to stop cutting down? When you realise that upon cutting out words, your email doesn’t convey the same meaning anymore, that’s your sign to stop.
Switch your perspective every now and then. What does your average day look like? And when you receive emails, which kind do you prefer? Something that’s short and sharp to the point? Or something more long-winded?
And that’s the second tactic to help you craft professional emails at work.
3) Check, check & check
Professional emails need to be error-free as possible. Make sure you check, double check and triple check before sending out your emails to the recipients. If you’re unsure about grammar, give it a quick search online or install helpful edit tools like Grammarly!
Find yourself sending out emails and having forgotten to include the attachments you’d said you’d send along? How can you prevent this from happening again? Well, it’s as simple as making a checklist before you craft the email to ensure that you have included everything in the communication material. Grammar, attachments, greetings, contact details so the receipts can reach you easily, follow-up actions, schedules, etc.
Missing out these details can hinder future communication processes. So, be sure to mention the information that the receiving party will need to make an informed decision and response.
To wrap things up...
And there you have it – a compiled list of 3 tips that you can use to write better professional emails. We hope this article has helped to calm some of the nerves that you experience when crafting communication materials for your firm. It’s really not all that bad! Take it one tip at a time! 😉
With all that being said, you have to come to the end of this article! We hope this written piece has provided you with some insights as to how you can improve your communication tactics. And, use these to your advantage when it comes to building your network!
In the meantime, if you’re on the lookout for job opportunities at organisations within Singapore that may tap on these trends to march ahead, read on! 😉
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Feel free to visit GrabJobs here for more information and interesting reads! We hope you find our resources helpful and useful 🙂
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