EMAIL FORMAT
Email is a digital, electronic form of communication that permits the sender to adopt any format including a formal letter (for readers outside the organization), a memorandum (for readers inside the organization, a brochure, or a quick and informal note.
Any communication, to be correct, must include complete information, including the following:
*The sender's name and return contact information
*The reader's name and contact information
*The date of the communication
*The subject of the communication
*A body that is well written, polite, and reader-centered.
All of these except the body are included in an e-mail's header.
Sometimes signatures are included that restate the sender's name, organization, and contact information. These signatures follow the body.
If attachments are included, that fact should be mentioned in the body of the message. If the email is a transmittal (merely a cover page for a main document being delivered), the message should be quite short, only a paragraph or two and no more than would print on a single sheet of paper.
QUALITY CHECK
Check to see that the following items are completed before sending emails.
- The addressee's email address is correct.
- The addressee's name is correctly spelled.
- The subject line contains meaningful text that is correctly spelled.
- Any attachments are listed.
- The signature block is appropriate and contains current information.
- The body is carefully edited for comprehension.
- The body is proofread for spelling and typos.
- All numbers and names are triple checked.
CAP Notes
Context, audience, and purpose drive format choices. You must decide whether email is the correct document type to use for a specific communication. Once that decision is made, you must make additional format choices. What font is best for this audience? What size font is best? What color font is best?
An additional formatting concern involves selecting heading levels and the font choices for those heading levels. Keep in mind that your audience may decide to print the email, so unless you have a good reason to use color, you should plan for black-and-white printing. That could mean using headings of all caps instead of bold red font.
See, also, the CAP Lecture tab on the navigation bar.
An additional formatting concern involves selecting heading levels and the font choices for those heading levels. Keep in mind that your audience may decide to print the email, so unless you have a good reason to use color, you should plan for black-and-white printing. That could mean using headings of all caps instead of bold red font.
See, also, the CAP Lecture tab on the navigation bar.
For Discussion
What is the most difficult aspect of creating a template for an instructional manual booklet?
Copyright 2012 Updated December 27, 2012
Ida L. Rodgers, See terms on Course Style Guide Home page.