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[00:00.00]Email is one of the most important ways through which we communicate.

[00:08.47]It has become part of most everyone's day-to-day life.

[00:14.99]Writing a good email can mean the difference between someone reading it and writing back, and someone ignoring it all together.

[00:27.11]Do you have questions on how to make your message more effective?

[00:33.20]Today on Education Tips, we will answer the question, "How can I make my emails better?"

[00:43.87]Emails are made up of four different parts:

[00:47.71]the subject line,

[00:50.46]the opening,

[00:51.59]the body, and

[00:54.42]the closing.

[00:55.77]Let us explore how to make each of these parts better.

[01:01.30]The subject line is what the other person, or receiver, will read first.

[01:08.63]The subject line is usually the most important part of an email.

[01:14.29]It should be short but contain enough details that the receiver recognizes the subject of the email.

[01:22.03]A good subject line sets the expectations for the email.

[01:28.64]A bad subject line can mean the receiver will not read the email.

[01:35.45]Some people will add the word "important" to the subject line, but this does not provide enough information.

[01:45.14]Instead of writing "important," two better choices for subject lines are:

[01:51.57]Meeting Tomorrow at 10am to Discuss New Changes

[01:57.42]Question About Future Classes

[02:01.65]As in any form of writing, you should know your audience.

[02:08.21]The opening of an email depends on things like how formal the relationship is.

[02:16.41]If you are sending an email to a friend or someone you work with, two good openings or greetings are:

[02:28.10]Good Morning/Afternoon,

[02:29.81]Hello, or Hello [name],

[02:36.26]If you are sending the email to someone you do not know and it is a formal situation, some possible openings are:

[02:47.66]Dear [name of department],

[02:51.19]To Whom it May Concern,

[02:54.62]In a formal situation, when you know the name of the person, a good opening is simply:

[03:03.59]Dear [title] [family name],

[03:07.93]As in, Dear Mister Brown,

[03:11.21]The body of the email is where you ask for what you need or make clear your reason for writing the email.

[03:21.26]This could be asking them a question or keeping them informed.

[03:27.55]The body of the email should prioritize the most important information.

[03:34.03]It should be direct, and it is wise to keep it short.

[03:38.87]If the person you are emailing does not know you, you should introduce yourself in the first few lines. You might write:

[03:48.86]My name is Patricia Jones. I am sending this email to get some more information about the job you advertised.

[03:59.63]After you have introduced yourself and given your reason for writing, you can follow this with the body of your email.

[04:09.82]The most important information should come first.

[04:15.64]This makes your email clear to your receiver and saves them time. Here is an example.

[04:25.07]I wanted to know if you are currently accepting applications.

[04:30.30]If so, where can I send my information? Additionally, will you be meeting people in-person or online?

[04:40.70]It is important to clearly explain yourself in as few words as possible. Try to keep your email short, but polite.

[04:54.14]This is important because you want to make yourself clear to your receiver.

[05:01.33]The last part to a good email is the closing.

[05:06.83]It is usually one or two words that let the receiver know that this is the end of the email.

[05:13.90]The ending should include your name and tell the receiver where you work and what you do.

[05:20.89]A few different closings are:

[05:24.42]Kind regards,

[05:27.40]Best,

[05:29.04]Thank you,

[05:31.22]Some applications create an automatic signature for the sender.

[05:36.72]This is useful because it saves time when you are writing.

[05:41.43]So, what does a completed email look like? Here is an example email:

[05:48.63]If you follow these suggestions, you will find that you receive more responses to your emails.

[05:57.31]Effective email writing is important especially now when so much of what we do is online.

[06:07.69]I'm Gregory Stachel.

[06:09.84]And I'm Jill Robbins.

____________________________________

Words in This Story

audience - n. the people who watch, read, or listen to something

formal - adj. of language: suitable for serious or official speech and writing

prioritize - v. to make (something) the most important thing in a group

introduce - v. to make (someone) known to someone else by name

application - n. formal and usually written request for something (such as a job, admission to a school, a loan, or such

polite - adj. having or showing good manners or respect for other people

automatic - adj. of a machine or device: having controls that allow something to work or happen without being directly controlled by a person

signature - n. a person's name written in that person's handwriting or, on an electronic message, the person's name and other contact information

response - n. something that is said or written as a reply to something