WEDNESDAY,

JANUARY

2 0,

2010

Email Writing Activities

Dear Learners,

In this post, I am going to give you some scenarios for writing different emails. The task is, write an email to me, and to your fellow students using those scenarios. Here I will give my email address to post your emails. My email address is; mchiluvu@manukau.ac.nz

Another thing is, to write emails to each other, I would encourage your communication with other fellow students in getting their respective email addresses and some discussions on how to write, and what to write etc.

The scenarios :

1. You are going to celebrate your 21st birthday next week and you would like to invite all of your classmates including your teacher. Write a letter of invitation.

2. Your teacher is going to get married next month. Wemail. Write a letter of congratulation.

3. Very recently you had a meal at one of the well-known restaurants in Auckland. Surprisingly, the customer service provided to you on that day was awful. Write a letter of complaint to the manager of that particular restaurant.
Posted by Mercy Chiluvuri at 7:18 PM 0 comments

Microsoft Office Templates Home Page

Dear Students,

In this new post, you find a site which is very useful in finding different templates. On this home page, you can find just about any template that you are looking for. Though, I wasn't able to find any specifically fro email that is not a problem. As you all know, email is very similar to letters in it's format, tone and voice.

Your responsibility is to check out some the templates that they have for Microsoft Word as well as templates for other Microsoft Products. Browsing these could end up saving you a lot of time. You can use these templates in our future email writing activities.

The link is:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx

Posted by Mercy Chiluvuri at 7:09 PM 0 comments

Format email messages for clarity

Dear Students

This new post would enlighten you on how to format e-mail messages for clarity. I am going to post here some of the tips given by Daniel Craig in his blog. I hope these tips would help your better understanding of writing good emails.

Keep paragraphs short

Paragraphs should be no more than five or six lines long. Short blocks of text are easier for the recipient to read, and also discipline you to focus your ideas. Keep in mind that you are writing to someone who may have hundreds of messages in their inbox, an ever-ringing phone, and constant interruptions. If you get right to the point, you're more likely to keep their attention and get the results you want.

Watch font size

Avoid fonts that are smaller than 10 points or larger than 12 points (except in headlines or to embed details). For many readers, small type makes reading difficult. On the other hand, over-large type increases the reader's need to scroll in order to read long e-mail messages, and can make your e-mail message look less professional. Also, remember

that writing in all capitals is considered shouting and is often perceived as aggressive and rude.

Use "white space"

Asking a reader to wade through line after line of text is a quick way to get your message closed back into the inbox or worse, deleted. Use white space empty space on the screen to separate paragraphs and areas of detail. The white space helps ease the transition from one subject to another.

Another point is that reading text on a monitor can produce eye strain. Separating blocks of text helps the eye focus and can reduce this strain.

Use boldface type or underlining for emphasis

You can configure Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 to automatically use Microsoft Office Word 2003 to edit e-mail messages. When you do, the rich set of formatting tools that are available in Word are also available when composing e-mail messages. You can use many of the same formatting features that are available in Word to create readable, actionable e-mail messages.

Use bullets and tables

Another way to get the appropriate attention from your readers is to use bullets and tables to call attention to particular elements of the e-mail message, such as key points and action items. This increases the likelihood that your reader will understand the content and know what actions to take. Lists and tables help the reader identify the key points in a condensed format that is separate from the text.

Be concise

No doubt you've received e-mail messages that drag on and on and leave you wondering what the point is and when the writer will get to it. When writing your messages, make your point in as few words as possible, and pay attention to sentence structure to avoiding run-on sentences. When you are clear and direct, people tend to give their full attention and consideration to the point that you are making.

Avoid jargon

Sometimes there can be so much jargon or so many acronyms in an e-mail message that you wonder if a new language was developed while you weren't looking. We are often not aware of how frequently we use jargon and acronyms that are common to us but foreign to others. Unless you know that your audience fully understands the verbiage, avoid jargon and acronyms particularly when your message is being sent to a large audience.

Use the spelling checker

Using the spelling checker in Outlook is an effective first step in editing your e-mail message. While this tool is not a substitute for careful editing, running a spelling checker on all of your correspondence is useful. Correct spelling and grammar help the reader focus on the content rather than on your mistakes! In addition to using the spelling checker, be sure to proofread your correspondence before sending it.

Include a signature line

When a recipient needs to contact you after receiving your e-mail message, the first

place they look for your contact information is in the signature line at the end of your message. E-mail message signatures should display complete contact data, including name, title, phone numbers, organization, and Web site address. This makes following up with you simple and quick. If you want, you can include an expected response time for e-mail messages.

Read one last time

Before sending your message, read it one last time. Take a moment to verify that your message is easy to read and understand. Make sure that your goal has been conveyed concisely and effectively and is likely to prompt the appropriate actions. We've all sent email messages we regretted sending and wished, "why didn't I read it one more time?" Make that "one more time" part of your e-mail discipline! E-mail will continue to be a primary form of communication in our lives. The more attention we give to the simple details of writing e-mail messages, the better our communication with others will be.

Please leave your comments. Your discussions are very valuable. Posted by Mercy Chiluvuri at 6:43 PM 0 comments
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

8 email mistakes that make you look bad

Dear Students

Here in this post I am going to give you a good website which contains information on 8 important mistakes that make us look very bad. Making common mistakes is our human tendency but if you

read the samples given posted on that website will develop your mental horizon in writing good emails.

The link is :

http://tammysong.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/email-mistakes-that-make-you-look-bad

Please leave your comments after you read the information. Posted by Mercy Chiluvuri at 5:48 PM 0 comments

SEVEN TIPS FOR EASY EMAIL

Hello students!

There is a well-written article on the EnglishClub.com website. It contains some basic email etiquette as well as some good examples.

http://www.englishclub.com/

I would like you to read the information in order for gaining thorough background information on writing emails. This would help you become a good eamil writer.

Hope you enjoy this website and please post your comments and queries. Posted by Mercy Chiluvuri at 5:27 PM 0 comments

A FEW LINKS TO RESOURCES

Hello Students!

Before you start practising writing emails, I would like you to go through the follwoing links to resources that provide more information on writing formal letter/email, which is what most people writing for business purposes are really looking for.

Brief example here:

http://esl.about.com/od/businessenglishwriting/a/bizdocs_3.htm

Some suggestions here:

http://www.blurtit.com/q340643.html

Nice PDF/learning activity here:

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/email%20worksheet%201.pdf

Some good advice and samples here:

http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/letters/l/bl_block_p.htm

Posted by Mercy Chiluvuri at 5:09 PM 0 comments

WELCOME TO EMAIL WRITING

Welcome to Email Writing!!!

This is a resource that I have put together primarily for the Email writing workshop for my advanced students, but I hope that it can be used by anyone looking to improve their email writing skills. This blog will primarily include links to information assembled at other sites, as well as some of my own observations. Hope you enjoy Mercy Posted by Mercy Chiluvuri at 4:55 PM 0 comments Older Posts Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Email Writing - Mercy Chiluvuri

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2010 (9) o January (9) what is creative writing Activity - Email Writing WELCOME TO EMAIL WRITING A FEW LINKS TO RESOURCES SEVEN TIPS FOR EASY EMAIL 8 email mistakes that make you look bad Format email messages for clarity Microsoft Office Templates Home Page Email Writing Activities

About Me

Mercy Chiluvuri I am a compassionate mother of two teenaged boys and a loving wife of a husband. I love people and helping them in time of need. View my complete profile