6 Cs of Writing a Professional Email




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Munadil Shafat
Student (MBA), Bangladesh

6 Cs of Writing a Professional Email

🔥NEW No matter how many new digital means of communications exist, the old-school email still has an important place in professional and personal settings. Those of us who use email regularly know that some errors are really common, like when we forget to add an important attachment, find a silly spelling mistake just after hitting the send button, or send an email without greetings or signature.
Another thing is that a lot of our emails remain unnoticed everyday. Most of these situations can be avoided to some extent if we remember and practice the 6 Cs of Writing Emails properly. So here we go:
  1. CLEAR: Make the purpose of writing your email clear at the very beginning preferably in the first one or two sentences. Use the subject field as much as possible for that purpose.
  2. CONCISE: Body of your email should be concise and constructed with short sentences or the reader may lose motivation to read it. Vanessa van Edwards from Scienceofpeople believes an email should be written under 3 paragraphs otherwise one should consider other means of communication. She proposes the following 'rule of thumb' that you might find handy:
    • One line message: Use chat.
    • Within 3 paragraphs: Use email.
    • More than 3 paragraphs: Consider a phone call or voice message or a video email.
    • More than 5 questions: Video call.
  3. COMPLETE: Structurally, an email should have a subject line, then a greeting line, followed by your message, a closing remark, your sign and attachments (if any). Also you should ensure your message passed the 5W1H (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How) test. Make it complete in all senses.
  4. CORRECT: When writing email, people generally make mistakes in the following four areas:
    • Grammar
    • Punctuation
    • Usage
    • Spelling
    Correct them before sending your next emails.
  5. COURTEOUS: In an Email Writing workshop I attended, the host Jennifer Fitzgerald analogized communications to building a bridge. Where your goal is to build a strong, sturdy bridge. Interpersonal communication, done well, will add a stone or two and make the relationship stronger. Done poorly, you take away a stone, or two, and the relationship suffers, is weaker and may eventually, tumble into the water. So be respectful to your reader(s). Use polite words, show professionalism in every aspect of your communication.
  6. CUSTOM-MADE: We deal hoards of emails each day. In a world of information overload, it is a regular phenomenon that a chunk of them always stay without noticed. To ensure yours ones always get read first, it is important to customize it from bottom up. Readers always subconsciously ask WIIFM i.e. What's In It For Me? when they skim through their inbox. To capture their attention, the 6th C is very important in my opinion. So, always utilize every scope for customization when crafting and formatting the message, the greetings and most importantly the subject line of your email.
⇨ These were the 6 Cs of Email Writing. Can you think of another C for sending proper emails? Leave me a reaction! Thanks...

Sources:
Jennifer Fitzgerald, Email Writing Workshop.
Vanessa Van Edwards, "Choose your mode carefully", Science of People.
Kamini Taneja, "The 5 Cs of Email Writing", British Council.
 

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3
Graham Williams
Management Consultant, South Africa
 

6 C's of Writing a Professional Email

I like this check-list. For me number one on the list is COURTESY. That goes a long way to rescuing ... Sign up

 
0
Dr. Schoenborn
Management Consultant, Germany
 

Good Old School

Why always trying to reinvent the wheel, if things are in place, which worked well for centuries and... Sign up

 
3
Graham Williams
Management Consultant, South Africa
 

6 C's of Writing a Professional Email

Without neglecting the other C's, brevity (being Concise) is good. French philosopher Blaise Pascal:... Sign up

 
1
NAMUWENGE EDITH BECCA
Uganda
 

Cs of Sending a Professional Email

You also need to be Clear on the action you require. Consideration of clarity should be applied. Esp... Sign up

 
1
Doaa Saayed
Professor, Lebanon
 

6 C's of Writing a Professional Email

Some professors communicate only through email with their groups. In this way students have to send ... Sign up

 
1
Allastair Mitchell
Consultant, South Africa
 

Tips for Writing a Professional Email

It's important to be concise, because you can easily lose your public with long explanations. I am ... Sign up

 
1
Anonymous
 

Two More Tips for Writing a Good Email

I agree most of these 6Cs are to be regarded. For sure we try to send a clear statement, check befor... Sign up

 
0
Graham Williams
Management Consultant, South Africa
 

6 + 1 C's of Writing a Professional EMail

If I had to add a 7th C, it would be "Credibility". Over time, the other 6 C's help build the writer... Sign up

 
0
Munadil Shafat
Student (MBA), Bangladesh
 

About 7th C - Credibility

@Graham Williams: I can't agree any further about your 7th C. Just wondering about the ways to do th... Sign up

 
1
Jeremy Marentette, Canada
 

8th C for Writing Emails: 'Cautious'

I agree with the 6/7 C's and would like to offer another: CAUTIOUS. I think being cautious with emai... Sign up

   

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