Better Email Writing Workshop

The purpose of this class is to help students with the three major dimensions of writing email messages: technical aspects, writing aspects, and best practices / email etiquette. This class is NOT an in-depth writing class, but rather an opportunity for students to learn the finer points about how email works, how to write to satisfy the needs of different audiences, and how email is best used. Students will learn the major DOs and DON’Ts of email writing, and will come out of this class with a better understanding of the role email plays in business.

Pre-Requisite Classes:

There are no pre-requisites for this class, but Business Writing with MS Office 2003 Level One is highly recommended before taking this class.

Performance-Based Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

· Understand and explain basic technical concepts behind how the Internet transmits email messages

· Explain why some emails are able to contain formatting and others are not

· Understand the legal aspects and implications of email

· Describe best practices with respect to subject lines and composing email messages

· Understand the differences between various audiences, and how to write differently for them

· Describe the common do’s and don’ts of email writing

Email Writing Workshop

Introduction: How Email Works

· About email systems

· Internal vs. external email messages

· The three different types of email messages

· What happens when you send, receive an email message

Part 1: Think Before You E-Mail

· Beware Potential Perils

· Deciding When to Use E-Mail

Part 2: Composing Your E-Mail Message

· Collecting Your Thoughts with the Five Ws

· Writing a Subject Line with Real Oomph

· Incorporating a Salutation and Signature

· Grabbing the Reader's Attention: The Lead

· Organizing with the Inverted Pyramid

Part 3: Keys to Effective E-Mail

· Striving for Simplicity

· Writing with Power...or Paste?

· Eliminating Mechanical Errors

· Spelling Counts!

· Using the Active Voice

· Avoiding Sexist Language

Part 4: Polishing Your Cybermanners

· Setting the Right Tone

· Dodging Conversational Pitfalls

· Watch Your Cyberlanguage

· Extinguishing Flames

· Reviewing Netiquette Guidelines

· Netiquette Guidelines for Managers

Parts 5 and 6: Formatting E-Mail Messages, and Managing Overload

· On Format Settings

· Enhancing Readability

· Sending Attachments with Care

· Controlling Your In-Box Clutter