Make Your Emails Effective

• Your subject line should always be descriptive (avoid subject ‘Question’, choose specific ‘Tablet not turning on’)
• Put your “ask” or “action items” first in the email, not last, and make them explicit. It should be immediately clear to the recipient what you want.
• If there is a deadline, say so. If the request is not urgent, say so.
• If you don't need a response and an email is FYI only, say so.  (FYI = for your information’)
• Use bullets or numbered lists when possible. These are easier to skim than blocks of text.
• When something is really important, bold it (Do not overuse bold in your emails).

Spelling & Grammar

Just like Word, Outlook offers you a spelling and grammar check! If a word seems incorrect or phrasing out of place, colorful lines will appear under the content in question.

1. Right click (click with the right side of your mouse) or use two fingers on your laptop pad, to click the content in question.

2. If the suggested change is correct, select the correct replacement

3. If the suggestion is not correct, simply ignore the correction and move forward

4. At the end of the email, if you think there may be an error that was not picked up on, look at the top of the email for the column 'Review'

5. Click on 'Spelling & Grammar' 

6. Go through the additional selections to ensure no errors are present

*Note, there are also tools for translation!