Writing an Internal Email
Clarity of Message
Think about your message before you write it. Don’t send emails in haste. First, decide on the purpose of your email and what outcome you expect from your communication. Then think about your message’s audience and what they may need for your message to have the intended result. You will also improve the clarity of your message if you organize your thoughts before you start writing. Jot down some notes about what information you need to convey, what questions you have, etc., and then organize your thoughts in a logical sequence. You can try brainstorming techniques like mapping, listing, or outlining to help you organize your thoughts.
Tone
Reflect on the tone of your message. When you are communicating via email, your words are not supported by gestures, voice inflections, or other cues. This makes it easier for someone to misread your tone. For example, sarcasm and jokes are often misinterpreted in emails and may offend your audience. Similarly, be careful about how you address your reader. For instance, beginning an email to your manager with “Hey!” might be perceived as being rude or presumptuous (as in, “Hey you!”). If you’re unsure about how your email might be received, you might try asking a colleague for feedback before you send it.
Format
Strive for clarity, brevity, and good organization in your writing. Miscommunication can occur if an email is unclear, disorganized, or just too long and complex for readers to follow easily. Here are some steps you can take to ensure that your message is understood:
- Briefly state your purpose for writing the email at the very beginning of your message.
- Be sure to provide the reader with a context for your message. If you’re asking a question, cut and paste any relevant text (for example, computer error messages, assignment prompts you don’t understand, part of a previous email message, etc.) into the email so that the reader has some frame of reference for your question. When replying to someone else’s email, it can often be helpful to either include or restate the sender’s message.
- Use paragraphs to separate thoughts.
- Finally, state the desired outcome at the end of your message. If you’re requesting a response, let the reader know what type of response you require (for example, an email reply, possible times for a meeting, a recommendation letter, etc.) If you’re requesting something that has a due date, be sure to highlight that due date in a prominent position in your email. Ending your email with the next step can be really useful, especially in work settings. For example, you might write “I will follow up with a phone call to you in the next day or so” or “Let’s plan to discuss further at the meeting on Wednesday.”
Format your message so that it is easy to read. Use white space to visually separate paragraphs into separate blocks of text. Bullet important details so that they are easy to pick out. Use boldface type or capital letters to highlight critical information, such as due dates.
Do not type your entire message in capital letters or boldface—your reader may perceive this as “shouting” and won’t be able to tell which parts of the message are especially important.
Also, avoid using color to emphasize important information. Not all recipients may be able to differentiate the colors due to visual impairments. Excessive use of color may also appear distracting or too informal for business communication.
Proofread
Re-read messages before you send them. Use proper grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. If your email program supports it, use spelling and grammar checkers. Try reading your message out loud to help you catch any grammar mistakes or awkward phrasing that you might otherwise miss.
Here is a message using some of the tips we suggest:
To: Western Team
From: Zachary Zhao
Subject: Materials Needed for Wednesday Staff Meeting
Hi everyone,
For tomorrow’s 3 p.m. staff meeting in the conference room, please bring 5 copies of each of the following materials:
- Your project calendar
- A one-page report describing your progress so far
- A list of goals for the next month
- Progress report messages you have sent to clients this past month
See you tomorrow,
Zach