The Etiquette of Email

"Emmmaaaa, Can I plz have a quote from u on ur event? thx!! PS- wana get lunch lata? luv uuuuu!" If I ever received this, I'd delete it. If I ever sent something like this, I'd expect it to be deleted. Unfortunately, with the web at our fingertips and T-9 teaching an ever-growing generation how to communicate with others, it's easy to forget how a proper email is fashioned and just how important it is how we address others. The email sample above would never fly in the professional world, and many students aren't properly trained on how to write a formal email. Not being able to do something simple as craft a professional email can seriously damage one's entire career: you represent a company, therefore everything you write is a direct reflection of the company's standards of professionalism. On the contrary, writing a well-versed and flawlessly punctuated email can give your career that extra boost employers these days are searching for. This skill is something that can truly make an intern stand out. Put simply, writing an email is not similar to writing a Facebook wall post. When I'm crafting an email (because there is a proper structure), I always begin with a greeting. "Dear Tim Thomas," for example, if it's someone I don't know very well. If it's someone I do, it is appropriate to open an email with "Hi Tim," or maybe even "Hey Timmy," if it's your best friend. Next comes the body. If I don't know them, asking for a quote would look something like this: "My name is Emmalyn Anderson, representing the Lasell College Department of Communication in Auburndale, MA. I'm just wondering if you may be willing to provide us with a quote for your upcoming event "Working with Children"? If so it would be greatly appreciated." Introduce yourself, and identify where you're from. It's just plain polite, and otherwise, it may look like spam. Next, respectfully ask permission for what you want. Don't assume anyone is entitled to give you anything. If it's a friend, then you may be more relaxed. Something like this would be acceptable: "I'm currently working on a story for Lasell's Comm. Dept. on your "Working with Children" event, and I'm wondering if you'd be okay with providing me with a quote I could use? We'd really love to pump this story up for you!" In this situation, there's no need for introduction, because we're friends. So jump right into what you need, and suck up a little bit: first, I asked his permission for a quote, again. Still not assuming that because we have drinks every Thursday that I'm entitled to a quote from him. Second, I sucked up a bit: mentioning I'd "really love to pump this story up" shows that because you're close friends, it would be like you're doing a favor as well and shows that you care about what has your friends' name on it. You chose them for the quote because you want to give them media exposure. See? It's all in how you phrase it. Finally, it's time to close the email. For someone I don' t know, this is a pretty standard closing: "I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time, Emmalyn" This is putting the ball in their court. You let them know their response is waiting on THEIR convenience, with no rush to them. Then, you thank them for taking time out of their busy day to focus on your specific requests, out of the hundreds you should rightfully assume they get. Lastly, I signed my first name, giving them permission to contact me on a first-name basis in the hopes that he may write back in the same fashion and you can be on a now first-name basis to build a relationship with this person in the future. If it is your friend, you can be far more informal with this, but structure is still imperative. "Please let me know if you'd be interested in helping me out on this one. Hope to hear from you soon!, Emma" Here, you're asking for help so that it doesn't seem too much like he'd owe you anything for doing him the favor of "pumping the story up for you." Next, you write "Hope to hear from you soon!" in an excited manner, because you really like this person, but just because you're friends doesn't mean you expect an immediate response. Again, ball in their court. Then, you can sign off with a shortened name that you would give them permission to address you as. And, send. Simple things such as how you open and close your email are an easy way for higher-ups to recognize just how valuable you are to a company. Writing an email may seem easy-but it's the simple time you take to make sure it's properly formatted that can ultimately help or hurt you. What's in your outbox?