How to write a formal email
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The document provides guidelines for writing a formal email, including using an accurate subject line, proper salutation, introducing yourself, writing the message in clear paragraphs, using an appropriate sign-off, signing with your full name, and proofreading for content, spelling and grammar. Some key points are to address the recipient by name or title, keep the email concise while covering the main topic in 2-5 paragraphs, and end formally with signatures like "yours sincerely" or "respectfully" followed by your full name and relevant details.
How to write a formal email
- 1. 1 How to Write a Formal Email If you're used to using email to catch up with friends, writing a formal e-mail might feel pretty foreign to you. It's not quite the same as writing a business letter, but it's definitely a huge step in that direction. Clarity, conciseness and being correct are the keys! To write a formal email, follow these guidelines. Writing Your Email 1. Use a short and accurate subject header. Avoid saying too much in the subject header, but make sure it reflects the content of your email to a person unfamiliar with you. If possible, include a keyword that will make the email content easier to remember and/or search for in a crowded inbox. For example, “Meeting on March 12th” is specific enough that the email topic won’t be mistaken for anything else but not so specific as to be distracting (ex. “Schedule, Guest List, Lunch Requests, and Meeting Overview for March 12th"). Use a short and accurate subject header For example: Sending my blog link My take on Axe Deodorant Journalist Tilahun and Crown Spring Water 2. Use a proper salutation. Addressing the recipient by name is preferred. Use the person's title (Mr. Mrs. Ms. or Dr.) with their last name, followed by a comma or a colon. Optionally, you can precede the salutation with "Dear..." (But "Hello..." is acceptable as well). Using a last name is more formal (for Ferenj names, not Ethiopian) and should be used unless you are on first-name terms with the recipient. If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to (but you really should try and find one) use "Dear Sir/Madam" or "Dear Sir or Madam" followed by a colon. Subject: Good product needs no ad Use a proper salutation. Example- Mr. Solomon, or Dear Solomon, or Hello Solomon, or
- 2. 2 Dear Sir/Madam, (If you do not know who is receiving your email) 3. Introduce yourself in the first paragraph (if necessary). Also include why you're writing, and how you found that person's e-mail address, or the opportunity you're writing about. Ex. Subject: Examination Mr. Solomon, Introduce yourself/why you're writing o My name is Asnake Tesfaye. I'm contacting you to apply for reexamination in your course Online advisement and Digital Marketing…. o My name is Amare Brhanu. I am one of your students for the course Online Ad and Digital Marketing. I missed three consecutive classes because I travelled abroad for a training…. 4. Write the actual message. Be sure to get your point across without rambling; if it's fluffed up, the reader may glance over the important details. Try to break up the message into paragraphs by topic to make your message more logical and digestible. Subject: Examination Mr. Solomon Shiwabaw, This is your student Amare Brhanu. I have been blogging on topics you have provided us in class. However, you are not giving us feedback in time for some reason…. Write the actual message o The email should be no more than 5 paragraphs long and each paragraph should be no more than 5 sentences long. o Insert a line break between each paragraph; indenting isn't necessary and will likely be lost during the email transfer anyway. o Be sure to avoid informal writing.
- 3. 3 5. Use the correct form of leave-taking. This will depend on your level of closeness with the recipient. Examples include: Subject: Regrading Mr. Solomon, I am your student, Mahlet. I am writing you this email to express my disappointment on your evaluation. I have been writing on my blog since the first class. Yet, you have never given me feedback before. I am quite upset about your evaluation system and I don’t think anyone could applaud you either. To start with, your classes were irregular and you taught us nothing about mumbo-jumbo, Sorry to say this but there is no other delicate term to express my rage. Second, with all the challenges we are facing, you still expect us to be perfect. This is so inconsiderate sir. In an academic environment where over 30 students use a single desktop with low connection; how on earth, you could expect us to score a good grade? I am pretty sure that you will revise your decision and come to your sense. I do also hope you talk to me and the rest of the class for consensus regarding your grading system. If you have any questions regarding my complaints, please let me know. 6. Before ending your email and writing your full name, use one of these- o Yours sincerely, o Yours cordially, o Respectfully, o Best, o Kindly, o Yours truly, o Sincerely, o Best wishes, etc 7. Sign with your full name. If you have a job title, include that in the line after your name, and write the company name or website in the line after that. If you do not have a job title but you have your own blog or website related to the content of the e-mail, include a link to that below your name. If the e-mail is about a job, only include a career-related website or blog, not hobbies or interests.
- 4. 4 Subject: Rexamination Mr. Solomon, I am your student, Mahlet. I am writing you this email to express my disappointment on your evaluation. I have been writing on my blog since the first class. Yet, you have never given me feedback before. I am quite upset about your evaluation system and I don’t think anyone could applaud you either. To start with, your classes were irregular and you taught us nothing about mumbo-jumbo, Sorry to say this but there is no other delicate term to express my rage. Second, with all the challenges we are facing, you still expect us to be perfect. This is so inconsiderate sir. In an academic environment where a single desktop is used by over 40 students, how on earth you could expect us to score a good grade? I am pretty sure that you will revise your decision and come to your sense. I do also hope you talk to me and the rest of the class for consensus regarding your grading system. If you have any questions regarding my complaints, please let me know. Respectfully, Mahlet Ayalew PRAD student 8. Proofread your message for content. Make sure you haven’t omitted any important details (or repeated yourself). Reading your email aloud or asking someone to proofread it is a great way to get a different perspective on what you’ve written. 9. Proofread your message for spelling and grammar. If your email provider doesn’t already provide spelling and grammar options for you, copy and paste your email into a word processor, revise it if necessary, and copy and paste it back into your email. Adapted from http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Formal-Email