Business correspondence

In any business setting, being able to write professional emails and other correspondence, like memorandums and letters, is important.  At my current job, my main form of correspondence is through email.  Whether I’m writing an email to my co-workers or to my customers, I always am aware of what I am writing.  It is important to have a clear subject title so the reader will have a good idea what the email is about.  It is also important to state what the email is about in the opening paragraph, whether it is to give information or ask for information.

I have found in my correspondence with my students that the less information in the email, the better.  I always try to put the most important information in bulleted lists or only bold the important words or statements that I want them to retain.  

There also is a difference in how you correspond with co-workers and with the customer or student.  With co-workers, I have found that you can be more direct and not have to be as formal, as long as you convey the message that you are trying to give.  With the customer, they may not be aware of everything regarding the issue, so you may have to give a little more information, but as long as it is concise and explains what you are seeking.  

Another thing when communicating through email that I find useful, is to always put a due date, regardless of the audience.  Everyone is busy and if you don’t put a “please respond by…” in the email, the person may file it away to work on later or even not respond at all.  If a response date is included, the reader is more apt to respond and provide the information requested.