Writing Effective Emails
Virtual
Who Should Attend
Federal civilian employees, military employees, and contractors and anyone else who wants to develop the skills needed to write clear, well-organized, effective and persuasive emails.
Course Overview
Email is short-form writing that encapsulates every aspect of good writing practice. Mastering email writing will aid you in every other form of writing you do, and because it is a short form, it helps you develop “big-picture” thinking so that you can hone in upon your goals. Email is everywhere and everyone uses it, so writing emails that stand out for their clarity and conversational tone helps you project the image necessary for professional credibility and career advancement.
The course is interactive with engaging writing prompts to move participants into a writing practice characterized by naturalness and conviction.
This course focuses on writing emails that are simple and clear. Course objectives are consistent with the Federal Plain Language Writing Act.
Course Objectives
- How to write effective emails by “starting at the end,” deciding what you want to say and working your way toward the path that best expresses the objective.
- How to use clear, persuasive and concise language.
- How to effectively imagine the reader so that your writing achieves a natural, conversational tone that strikes the right balance between cordiality and proper business etiquette.
- How to “hear” your writing so that you consistently give your writing the voice of an author.
- How to frame your Call to Action (CTA) in a winning manner.
- How to develop strong writing skills that cross over into every other form of writing you do.
- How to write strong subject lines and improve your “open” ratio.
- How to write opening sentences to improve your “open” ratio (on platforms that offer previews of the email content).
Write email messages using:
- welcoming, well paced language
- short and clear sentences that express your message
- active verbs
- a clear Call to Action
- appropriate methods of concept development
- lists and tables to simplify complex material
You will also learn to:
-Design the document and layout in a reader-friendly format that parallels the message you wish to convey.
-Establish good pre-writing strategies and routines.
-Develop a solid sense of email etiquette.