Email etiquette-power point-slides

Email Etiquette
English for Academic Purposes
Workshop Series

Professional Development
at Notre Dame
 Check out the list of upcoming workshops on
the Graduate School’s website:
 www.nd.edu

What challenges do you
encounter in sending
and receiving emails?

When is it appropriate to send
an email?
 When you need to relay a short amount of
information quickly.
 When the reply can be as brief as the original
message.
 When you need to get in touch with someone you
don’t see on a daily basis.
 When you need to set up an appointment or
meeting.

Question:
When is it better to have a
conversation in person?

Audience:
To whom are you writing?
 Your Professors
 Your Students
 Your Colleagues
 Often the same rules apply – be professional!
 Send from your ND account or from a respectable
email address.
 Avoid abbreviations, bad grammar, and
emoticons common to email with close friends.
 Capitalize as though you are writing a letter.

Subject
 Never send a professional email without one.
 Give a brief and specific description of your
reason for writing.

Are these good email
subjects?
 Question about Paper
 Schedule Meeting to Discuss Proposal
 Absence
 Homework for Academic Writing Class

Greeting
 To your professors:
 Dear Professor ___,
 Dear Dr. ___,
 Dear Matt,
 only after the professor has specifically indicated that
you are to address him/her by first name

Greeting, cont.
 To your students:
 Dear Sarah,
 Dear Joe,
 To your colleagues:
 Dear Emma,
 Hi Mark,
 for colleagues whom you know

Content: General Rules
(More on this later…)
 Get to the point!
 State your reason for writing as clearly and
concisely as possible.
 Do not include unnecessary information.
 Be clear about what response you expect.
 Answer to a question
 Arrange an appointment
 Put the information in a sensible order.

Signature
 To your professors:
 First name, if you know them well (ex. Advisor)
 Full name, if you don’t know them very well
 To your students:
 Sign your email with the name you would like your
students to call you. Example: Professor Lee.

What do I write before my
name?
 Thanks,
 Thanks very much,
 Best,
 Sincerely,
 Other ideas?

Before you hit send...
 Proofread!
 Spelling
 Concise sentences
 Clear ideas
 For important emails, have a friend read it.

After you send the email
 Don’t expect an immediate reply.
 How long should you wait?
 What if you don’t get a reply? (Next Slide)
 When you receive a reply, respond if
necessary.
 Sometimes only: Thanks! Or, See you then!

What do you do if you
don’t receive a reply?
Handout:
Academic Interactions,
Page 74

Showing Respect to
Professors in Emails
 Acknowledge that you know they are busy
and you respect their time.
 Don’t ask for too much.
 When asking for a favor, give the professor
the option of saying no.
 Provide possible solutions to problems.

Making an Appointment
 Schedule a few days in advance when
possible.
 Let the professor know when you are
available – days and times.
 Avoid writing “today” or “tomorrow.” You
don’t know when the professor will see your
email.

Demanding vs. Polite
Requests
 Without intonation and facial expressions,
you must find other ways to be polite.
 “Please” can help, but can sometimes sound
pushy.
 Please send me your comments by tomorrow.
 Use modals and expressions of possibility
 Could you please send me your comments?
 Would it be possible for you to send me your
comments by tomorrow?

Politeness in different
situations
 Imagine you are a professor. One of your
students has not turned in some
assignments. You want him/her to stay after
class tomorrow. Compose an email to the
student.
 Imagine you are a student. You want to talk
to your professor after class about the topic
for your research paper. Compose an email
to your professor.

But, don’t be overly polite or
give too much information!
 What not to write:
 Dear Professor,
I was hoping that I could meet with you to discuss
my paper for your extremely interesting class. I
know your brilliant and insightful comments will
make the paper so much better. No one else can
possibly help me. I can meet with you any time.
I’ll rearrange my schedule if necessary.
 What’s wrong with this message?
 How would you fix it?

Indicating deadlines politely…
 …for a letter of recommendation.
 …for a paper you are submitting to a
conference or journal.

Apologizing
 When is it necessary?
 Cannot meet a deadline
 Must reschedule an appointment
 Missed a meeting
 What information should be included?
 Only what is necessary for the receiver to know
 Example: If you are sick, do not include the details.
 How you will solve the problem

Forming Apologies:
Finish the Sentence
 I’m sorry about…
 I’m sorry for…
 I’m sorry that…
 I’m sorry to…
 I apologize for…
 I apologize that…

Practice:
What would you write if…
 …you want to ask a professor to be your advisor?
 …you have to miss class because of serious
illness?
 …you want to arrange a meeting to discuss a class
paper or project?
 …you want feedback from your advisor on your
thesis or dissertation?
 …you want to ask a professor to write a letter of
recommendation?

In what other scenarios
would you write an
email?

Beware!
 Email is easily misunderstood.
 When you send, be as clear as possible.
 When you receive, if you are upset by an email, wait before
responding.
 Be sure to hit “reply” rather than “reply to all”!
 Do not discuss confidential information in emails.
 If you are writing a very important message, fill in
the address LAST. That way, you can’t accidentally
send the message before you’re ready.
 Consider leaving the message in your “drafts” box
for a day and then editing it again before sending.

Upcoming EAP Workshops
English Pronunciation Strategies and Techniques
Monday,
Apr. 8
Paraphrasing, Using Sources Effectively,& Avoiding Plagiarism
Thursday,
Apr. 4
Interviewing and Networking Strategies for International Students
Co-sponsored with the Career Center
Wednesday,
Mar. 27
Providing Effective Written Feedback to Students
Co-sponsored with the Kaneb Center for Teaching & Learning
Tuesday,
Mar. 19
EAP & Fischer O’Hara-Grace Event
Game Night Social
Thursday,
Mar. 7
US Classroom Culture: Dealing with Difficult Situations as a TA
Co-sponsored with the Kaneb Center for Teaching & Learning
Thursday,
Feb. 28
Forms and Structures for Clearer Writing
Tuesday,
Feb. 19

One-on-One Tutoring Services
 Tuesday 3:00-6:00
 Wednesday 2:00-5:00
 Thursday 9:00-12:00
 Friday 9:00-12:00
 Make an appointment at cslc.nd.edu.

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