Email follows the same frame as a letter: a greeting, a body, a closing and your name. What changes is speed, which makes it easy to send something you will wish you had read again.
Key idea
Write a clear subject, open with a greeting, keep it brief, proofread, and reply within a day or two. Use "reply all" only when everyone needs the reply.
Why it works
A subject line lets busy people find your message and know what it is about before they open it. A greeting and a closing keep the tone friendly in a medium where tone is easy to misread. Short messages respect the reader's time. Email is permanent and easy to forward, so writing as if the whole office might read it is simply prudent. "Reply all" fills many inboxes at once, so it is for replies everyone truly needs.
Worked example: A better subject line
Hana's email to her professor is titled "Hi." What would be better?
- A subject should say what the email is about.
- "Question about the essay due Friday" tells the professor at a glance.
Answer: A subject that names the topic.
Worked example: Reply all?
Kofi's manager emails 40 people: "The office will close at 3 on Friday." Kofi wants to say thanks. Should he reply all?
- Forty people do not need to read his thanks.
- If he wants to thank the manager, he replies only to her, or says nothing at all.
Answer: No. Reply only to the sender, if at all.
Common mistake
Writing emails in all capitals, skipping the greeting, or replying all to a whole list with "thanks!" All capitals reads as shouting. Email is permanent and easy to forward; if you would not want it read aloud at a meeting, don't send it.