Communicating via e-mail will always be part of your professional career. We at Anglia Education know that conveying the right tone when sending messages online can be difficult for people who are learning English. There are different nuances that non-native speakers might miss out on or might find challenging to translate from their native language.
There are different ways to make our e-mails look and sound professional – from the subject line down to our closing and sign-off. Here’s how you can do it:
1. Subject Line
The subject is the most crucial part of your e-mail as it determines whether or not your recipient will even read your message. But often, writing a good subject line is overlooked. For English learners, one tip in writing subject lines when sending e-mails online is to keep the phrase short while conveying your message’s goal. This way, your readers will know exactly what to expect from the e-mail even without opening it.
2. Greeting/Salutation
A greeting is a way to acknowledge your reader. Having a greeting is a vital step in making your e-mails sound professional, as the greeting establishes rapport and trust between you and your reader.
For people learning English, using greetings in online messaging formats such as e-mails can get tricky. You need to remember that the type of greeting you use would depend on different factors, such as relationship, setting, and goal.
Here are some examples:
- “Hi (Name of recipient),” – for informal/casual e-mails
- “Dear (Mr./Ms. Name),” – it may sound old-fashioned and stuffy to some, but this greeting is appropriate for more formal settings.
- “Hello, (Name),” – a good balance between casual and formal greetings
- “Greetings,” and “Hi there,” – for instances when you don’t know the name of the recipient
- “Hi everyone,” – when addressing a group of people that are non-gender specific
3. Body
The bulk of your e-mail would be the body. As some are still learning English online, it might be a bit of a challenge to write an effective e-mail body, as it needs to be understood clearly by the recipient.
To craft the body of the e-mail as effectively as possible, always keep in mind the specific purpose of your message. By only focusing on the essential details of your e-mail, the body becomes more concise and gains a clear perspective. A very lengthy e-mail can be confusing to read and might lose your message’s goal in the fluff. There is also a big chance that the recipient won’t even read the entire e-mail if it’s full of unnecessary details.
4. Closings
A friendly yet professional closing is a way to end your e-mail on a positive note and leave a good impression on your reader. But for many English learners, choosing the right kind of closing for their online correspondences can be a little bit confusing.
Common professional e-mail sign-offs or closings include:
- Sincerely
- Kind regards
- All the best
- Many thanks
- Respectfully
- Talk soon
Other things to consider:
Always proof-read your e-mail before sending it.
You might be tempted to hit the ‘Send’ button as soon as you finish composing the e-mail, but grammar errors and spelling mistakes tend to make your e-mails feel unprofessional, especially for English learners. So make sure you proof-read your e-mail at least once before sending your online message.
Keep the font professional.
A clear and readable font is easier to read than a typeface that is too fancy. It also keeps the e-mail looking professional. Use bold, italics, and all-caps only if necessary and if it would enhance your message.
The same goes for using emojis. Avoid using emojis to keep the e-mail looking professional.
Use exclamation points sparingly.
When sending an e-mail, we want to come across as approachable and enthusiastic as possible. But one common mistake of people who are learning English online is that they often use too many exclamation points in their e-mails. Making use of excessive exclamation points in the e-mail is not only unprofessional, but it also comes off as disingenuous and insincere.
Boost Your Career With Anglia Education
Learning English remains one of the essential skills one would need when building a professional career. Anglia Education can help you master the language to help you network, build relationships, and climb the corporate ladder. With Anglia Education’s online AI-powered courses, you can sharpen your English language skills in no time. Furthermore, Anglia Education’s digital library can also help you build other skills to boost your career. Learning English online with Anglia Education is a career move you won’t regret.
Kristine
For more tips on learning English online, click here.
