Emailing at INTO Manchester

At INTO, we send messages to students in many different ways, but one important method
of communication is email. Teachers and academic managers receive many emails every
day and sometimes have to do a lot of work to find out what a student needs due to poorly
written emails.

Here are some tips to follow when emailing any staff member at INTO Manchester. As you
read, reflect, discuss and make notes about why these tips are useful.

1. Use the right email account.

You should always use your INTO Manchester email account to contact INTO staff.
Why?

2. Have an appropriate subject line.

The subject line should match the content of the email.

 It should not be too long and complicated.

 Avoid panic with subject lines like “Help!” or “I’m stuck”.
 Never leave the subject line blank

Why?

3. Start with a proper greeting.

Even though an email is an electronic form of communication, it is good to begin each email
with a greeting.

 Good morning, Mrs. Jackson.

 Dear Mr. Jones,

Why?

4. Keep your email brief and on topic.

Your email should be about one topic; this should relate to the subject line. Keep it short
and to the point – but also see point 5.

Why?
 5. Provide enough detail and be specific.

Make sure your reader knows enough information about you to help with your issue.

 Who are you?

 Which course are you doing?
 Which class, teacher or assessment are you emailing about?
 What is your issue and how can we help?

Why?

6. Make your message easy to read.

Use spacing. Do not write an email as one huge paragraph. Add spaces between
paragraphs for easy reading. Keep your most important information at the beginning of each
paragraph so your points are made clear.

Why?

7. Think about your tone.

The tone of an email is difficult for a reader to assess, you may not intend, to sound rude.
For example:

“you haven’t answered my question!!!”

may be a genuine statement, but to your reader, this can feel impolite.

 Avoid exclamation marks.

 Avoid emojis.
 Avoid capital letters and bold font.
 Be polite – use please and thank you where appropriate.
 Request, don’t demand.

Why?

8. Never send an email when angry or frustrated.

If you are angry, stressed or upset about something – wait until you feel calmer to send your
email. Angry emails can often make a bad situation worse.

 You may want to ask a friend for help writing or reviewing your message.
 You could write the message in a Word document first - where it is impossible to hit
the send button by accident – then review it when you are calmer.
 Why?

9. End with a proper sign-off.

Just as the beginning of the email should have a proper and respectful greeting, you should
end respectfully and politely:

 Thanks for your help.

 I appreciate your support.
 Kind regards
 Best wishes

Clearly identify your name so the reader knows who has sent the email (even if you have
already given your name). You can even set up an automatic signature, so it always appears
at the bottom of your emails.

Why?

10. Attachments.
Don’t send large attachments – compress files if necessary. Even if your email system can
cope with the file you are sending, your readers might not be able to. Take care with your file
names too (more on this later).
Why?

11. Replying to emails and taking action regarding emails you receive.

You don’t need to reply to every email you receive. Even sending a short thank you
message, although polite, means that the person you are replying to has ANOTHER email in
their inbox to read.

However, you must read all emails you receive carefully and act on what it says if necessary.

 Do you need to answer a specific question?

 Do you need to send something to the writer?
 Do you need to flag the email to deal with later or to help you find it later?
 Are there attachments you need to download and save somewhere safe?

Why?

12. Email chains.

Email chains can be effective and save you time. Ask yourself:
  Have I included or forwarded the chain of emails, so the reader has context for what I
am writing about?
 Have I referred my reader to the chain, or a specific message in the chain for
context?

However, take care! You should be careful not to include a chain where the content is not
intended for the reader.

Why?

13. Review and edit.

Finally, before you hit the “send” button, it’s important to do a final check.

 Is it going to the right person?

 Do I need to cc anyone else into the email?
 Have you attached the correct file?
 Have you included a chain of emails you shouldn’t have
 Did you spell key words correctly?
 Are there any incorrect words which change the meaning?
 Does the message make sense?

Why?

14. Be patient.

Read any automatic reply you receive carefully. It may give you further instructions
about what you need to do. It may explain that you won’t receive a reply.

If you your email does need a response, please be patient and wait for a reply. Don’t
send an additional email to try to speed up your reply. Don’t email someone else less
relevant in the hope of a quicker reply.

Why?

The above information has been compiled with the help of the following websites:
https://rnginternational.com/how-to-write-a-professional-email-a-how-to-guide-for-students/;
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2014/10/03/email-etiquette-for-students/; https://www.smekenseducation.com/how-do-i-teach-my-
students-to-write-effective-emails/; https://drexel.edu/graduatecollege/professional-development/blog/2018/October/12-tips-for-
writing-effective-emails/

Review the following emails. Discuss and make notes about them according to the advice
above.
How would you help each student improve their emails?
Email 1:
From Yoyopinkbunny@gg.coms
To EAPMan@intoglobal.com
Cc
Subject HELP! URGENT

You did not mark me present today.

Improvements:

Email 2:
From INTO12345678@man.my-into.com
To sarah.o’reilly@intoglobal.com
Cc IFYscience@intoglobal.com IFYMaths@intoglobal.com
IFYhumanities@intoglobal.com EAPMan@intoglobal.com
Subject I need to miss the examination please help me rearrange it as soon as
possible

Hello, I am Billy I want to infrom you that I have an emrergancy trip back to my countrie on
18 Junely, and I want to ask if that is possible that I can do my examsinasion on 17 Junely
before I travvell the next day. Thank you for your consideration and waiting for your response
as soon as possible.

Improvements:

Email 3:
From INTO3456789@man.my-into.com
To IFYexams@intoglobal.com
Cc
 Subject Exam problem

Dear sir in the exam I thought that the paper submitted at the end of part1 meant the end of
the exam so when I pressed it then I turned off the screen monitoring however after I closed
it the page of part2 appeared so I turned on the screen monitoring immediately I am worried
will this affect my score assessment I emailed you yesterday and you don’t reply yet.

Improvements:

Email 4:
From XXX@yahoo.com
To SciManager@intoglobal.com
Cc centredirector@intoglobal.com NCUK@NCUK.ac.uk
Subject UNFAIR JUDGEMENT

Hi academic manager,
I am very stressed. It is extremely unfair the conversation with you today. In our meeting you
accuse me of plagiarism. I make it very clear THAT I HAVE NOT DONE PLAGIARISM. But I
still get a penalty to my work. I copy from texts my teacher gave me and NOONE EVER
TOLD ME that this is not ok. You tell me I have to cite the sources. What means cite?
Classes and a completely unfair quality of teaching and assessment didn’t teach ANYTHING
about this.
I want a fair judgement, and I want a full refund of my fees and compensation.
Your sincerely,
XXX

Improvements:

Email 5:
From INTO4567123@man.my-into.com
To IFYMan@intoglobal.com
Cc
Subject Assessment attachment
 Assessment.doc (100mb)

Please find my attachment. I know it is late!!!!!!! My bad You are lovely teachers so I
know you will accept my lateness!!!!!!!!!

Improvements: