More About Email

When do you use email?
Email is a good communication channel if you need to inform an audience or make a request that is simple and concise.
It is best used when your audience has understanding of the content of your email or the request is a commonly understood subject.
Email can also be used to document communication that requires a record of interactions.

How do you use email well?
Start with a clear subject. 

Your subject should tell the audience what your email is about. If you are requesting an action on the part of the audience you can say this in the subject. For example recently I received an email from a student who wanted me to review their grades at the end of the semester because they were concerned I had missed some of their assignments. If you are making a request from your audience put it in the subject in plain language.

Try to avoid descriptive words around the request unless you know how the audience is feeling about the content of the message already. Typically it is the audience who gets to decide how the request should be described. It is not audience centred to describe the request and it can create confusion for your audience to do so. Keep your messages concise and clear by avoiding descriptions.

A poor example of a subject:
Subject: Humble request to please review grades as soon as possibles

This subject is long, describes the request as “humble” or the author as “humble” and puts urgent timing on the message. Remember our messages need to be audience centred. Is it important for the receiver to do this as soon as possible or the sender? If it is not important to the receiver do not add the urgency of the request. You can put the timing request in the body of the email rather than the subject.

A better example of a subject:
Subject: Request for grade review

This is concise, simple and gives the reader the important information they need. It creates audience centred messaging. 

If you are providing information put that in the subject. For example a colleague is providing you information about changes to the schedule in a project you are collaborating on.

A good subject here would be:
Subject: Information – Project schedule

This subject tells the audience they are being informed about something and what the information is about.

What do I call my instructor?

In your course syllabus or in the first class your instructor will likely explain to the group how they like to be addressed. Use the name they request. If they would like to be called by their first name please do this.  If you don’t know how people prefer to be addressed it is good to ask them. It is likely in the syllabus or in past emails in the signature.

For example students can sometimes feel uncomfortable at first using first names for their instructors in the college context. However, if the instructor has requested this it shows respect to do so rather than make up salutations from your past understanding of other relationships. For example, when addressing me as your instructor I prefer you use my first name. When I am addressed as ma’am it makes me feel elderly, when I am addressed as madame it makes me feel like I should be running a saloon during the gold rush in the Yukon Territory. I am not comfortable sharing my marriage status with my students nor do I feel it is important in our relationship for you to know it. My preference is for you to call me by my first name.

This could be different for other instructors. If you are not comfortable asking you can look at how your instructor states their name in their syllabus, how they sign off on emails and how others refer to them for indications as to how they prefer to be addressed.

What salutation do I use in my emails?

A first email message likely has name only but again, you need to think about what the relationship is between you and the audience. Are you familiar with one another? Using their name only is probably a good approach. Is the subject of the email sensitive in some way and you don’t know the audience well? Perhaps you will use Dear: (Name).  You need to make a judgement about the salutation when emailing.

As emails are exchanged in the same topic often more than once, sometimes the name becomes dropped as the exchange takes place in a texting style, look to your receiver to see how they continue or do not continue the salutations as the emails are exchanged in the same topic. Your goal is to create clarity and be concise so reducing the number of emails back and forth is one of the goals but no matter how many are generated in the same topic using polite language is advised.

What about Pronouns?

Pronouns indicators are increasingly used in communication to indicate how people see themselves in a spectrum of gender. It is common practice to see signatures in academics that indicate a pronoun preference behind their name. While you may not be in the habit of sharing your pronouns it is something you can practice in the context of your learning by adding a pronoun indicator behind your name on your signatures in your emails. If someone is telling you their pronouns in their syllabus, their email communication or explicitly in a conversation and you do not use their pronouns as requested it is conveying your disrespect of them.
Sharing pronouns can be a way to create safety in a community around gender presentation and an invitation for others to share their pronouns so a community has norms created to affirm one another.

If you are not sure of a persons’ pronouns you can ask them what their pronouns are and if you are not comfortable asking you can use gender neutral pronouns of  ‘they/them’.

Here is more information about using pronouns in communication from Egale Canada Human Rights Trust about Pronoun usage:https://egale.ca/awareness/pronoun-usage-guide/

What do I write in the email?

The body of any email should be audience centred and written in a structured way to help your audience understand the message.

Typically emails are used to do one of two things make a request or provide information.

An email that requires a response or action from the audience can be structured like this:

    • Background Specifics
    • Clear Request
    • Sign off

Here is an example of an effective email from a student asking for a grade review:

Subject: request for assignment review

Hello Karen
Last month you provided me an extension on assignment 3. I submitted the assignment in brightspace on March 22.

At your convenience can you please review the assignment?

Thanks for your consideration,

Student name
Student number

Sometimes students need information about an assignment that is beyond what an email could help with. Consider if you need some time with your instructor to really dig in and understand an assignment or topic or if you just need a quick question answered.

If you make a request for information that would likely result in more than just a one or two sentence response it is probably better to request a meeting with your instructor.

When you require a meeting provide some general times and dates to set the meeting up. It may seem helpful to leave the meeting time with the receiver but leaving the scheduling open often creates confusion and more email messages back and forth which creates more work for everyone involved.

An example of a student asking for a meeting so they could go over the concept of financial ratios with their instructor could be:

Subject: meeting request ratios clarification

Dear Karen

I would like a meeting with you to help me gain clarity around the financial ratios we covered in our last class. I have a few questions about this topic. I am not able to attend student hours this week as I work at that time.

Can you provide me with a time and place we can meet? I am available on Tuesday morning, Thursday afternoon and all day Friday this week and I can meet at the campus or in an online meeting.

I look forward to your response.

Thank you,

Student Name

An informative message in an email will likely be using a direct structure that may be aligned with this:

    • Buffer
    • Background specifics
    • Information
    • Invitation for clarification or action
    • Sign off

An example of an informative email message that provides a colleague with schedule information for a project follows:

Subject: information timeline apartment project update

Hi Vivek

Hope you are doing well. I just came out of a meeting with our project sponsor in regards to the schedule and timeline of the landscaping taking place outside the apartment building on Straume Avenue. 

The sponsor has advised the landscaping crew is only available to work on this project April 25-29th. They will need full access to the parking lots and the fence lines around the building. 

I am sharing this with you because we likely do not want the two contractors on site at the same time. 

If you need me to update the shared schedule or inform any of the other parties about the changes please advise. If I don’t hear from you I will assume this is taken care of by your team. 

Thanks for your patience as we work out these final details. I am looking forward to the building maintenance and renovations being completed at the end of May. 

Thanks, 

Vijay
Building Superintendent

Here are some examples of emails that can be copied and changed for your purposes in the context of your schooling.

Request for review of an assignment grade.

Subject: Request for grade review MGMT 201

Hello XXXX

Thanks for the marks in assignment 6 you provided. Based on the mark I believe you may have missed the second file that was included in the assignment drop box which was a video file to support my work.

Thanks for your attention. I look forward to your response.

Student Name
Student Number

Request for extension of an assignment.

Subject: Request for extension BENG 150

Hello XXXX

I am writing to request an extension for assignment 4 in business communications. Can you please provide me with an extension until January 14th for this submission?

Thank you,

Student Name
Student Number

Request for Referral

Subject: Request for assistance

Hello XXXX

I am wondering if you could please refer me to someone at the college who I can talk to about my registration? I am accidentally registered in two business finance courses and I only need one.

Thank you,

Student Name
Student Number