Marketing & Communication and UT Language Centre have put the most important tips for you here. In addition to practical tips for writing an effective article or email, we also give tips on using images and the UT house style. We give an overview of which UT templates are available and where you can download the UT logo.
Writing guidelines
- How do you write a good e-mail
In this section, we will consider the specific aspects that are important for writing a good email. Just to be clear, the practical tips set out in the style guide still apply, of course, to writing a clear email. Thus, where necessary, the tips for email traffic will also include references to the style guide.
Subject
The subject is an important part of any email. Based on the subject, the recipient can select and filter the messages in their mailbox before reading them. If nothing else, a good choice of subject will make it more likely that your message will actually be read. Thus, use a clear subject line that reflects the contents of the email. You should preferably wait until you have finished typing your message before filling in the subject line. That way, it is easier to rephrase the main theme of the email.
Use 'CC' and 'BCC'
Try to restrict the number of addresses added to the ‘CC’ to the absolute minimum. Provide those you want to inform with a summary, with any correspondence attached for information purposes. If you do include someone in the ‘CC’, give them a clear indication of what you expect. This usually implies that no immediate action is required, but exactly how should the recipient respond to your mail? If you add someone’s address to the ‘BCC’, then this recipient will not be visible to the other recipients. Use this for large mailings, for example. There is no point in unnecessarily revealing other people’s email addresses. In other situations, transparency is required, so put them in the ‘CC’.
Salutation (opening) and valediction (close)
Emails, too, should include an appropriate salutation and valediction. Use an ordinary business salutation such as Dear Mr Smith or Dear Ms Jones. You have more freedom in the case of replies to emails or informal internal emails, for example, Dear Geert, Hi Marjolein. The valediction can vary and is adapted to the situation. Yours faithfully is commonly used in business messages for external contacts. In subsequent correspondence, the valediction can be more informal, for instance, Regards or Best regards. There are more options in the case of informal or internal emails. Always make sure that the salutation and valediction match one another.
Introduction
The introduction contains the essence of the message, and the background details. You can, if you wish, use the five Ws + H for this purpose (who, what, where, when, why, how). An example may help to clarify this.
“Our work here at the Marketing & Communications department (MC) involves providing the most effective possible support to University of Twente staff in preparing their communications. In addition to various resources, MC also offers several training courses, such as the ‘Writing for the Web’ course, with which you are already familiar. Wed like nothing more than to sit down with the staff of the Centre for Training and Development (CTD) and look at the complete range of training courses in the field of communication.”
Middle section
The introduction is followed by a more detailed message, to further explain the introduction. Following on from the example given above, the explanation could be:
“The questions raised by this include: Is our appraisal complete? What are the customers’ current requirements? Is there a need to expand/modify the products on offer? Are there any opportunities for cooperation between CTD and MC? “
You could also combine these four questions into a list, as a way of adding structure. This could involve the use of ‘bullets’, numbering, or first of all, then, finally.... This, in turn, is all about creating an uncluttered layout. In this connection, it is important to select
- a single, easily readable font
- a single font size
Write text that can be scanned with ease. People tend to scan, rather than read. Readers scan texts or emails. If (after the scanning process) the email seems to be sufficiently interesting, then the reader will undoubtedly go on to read it in more detail. If necessary, prepare the text in Word first, as this makes it easier to revise. That way, you can avoid sending an incomplete text by mistake. Moreover, this enables you to concentrate on preparing a text that can be scanned with ease. When you are done, it is only a matter of copying and pasting. Use the following elements to create a text that can be scanned with ease:
- Subject;
- Introduction;
- Subheaders;
- Photographs; (see also ‘Use of photographic and video material’)
- Links; (see also search-engine-friendly writing)
- Key sentence at the beginning of the paragraph.
The Ideal closure
Close your email with a review or summary.
- I trust that I have correctly confirmed our agreements.
- I hope that this letter contains all the information you require.
Alternatively, it could involve a call for clear action
- I’ll phone you next week to discuss your views on the matter. Would you like to ask any questions before then? If so, please contact me at @ - Please issue an acknowledgment of receipt / respond to my question before
- You can sign up via...
The sample mail could then conclude with the following closing sentence.
'We would very much like to make an appointment to learn more about your bid. With regard to planning, given the large number of CTD staff involved with this subject, we feel that the most practical solution would be for the CTD to propose a date for a meeting. It will be no problem for those of us at M&C to fit in with their plans. We very much hope to hear from you soon,'
Signature
Be sure to use a professional signature. Be sure to include your contact data in an automatic signature. We have prepared a sample (corporate email signature) that you can use, along with some special images that you can add to your signature. You can find more examples on the MC website, relating to internal templates and downloads.
Appendix
You can send an electronic appendix or attachment along with the email. Give clear names to the files you are sending, for the convenience of the recipient, and state in your email exactly what kind of file you are sending. Take care not to send excessively large files. It is best to compress these using a zip program. And always check to make sure that you really have attached the file to the email. You’ve probably lost count of the times that you’ve had a subsequent email saying something like ‘Oops .... here’s one with an attachment....’
Emailing staff and/or students
The issue of sending a mail to one or more recipients has been discussed above. You will need to meet special conditions if you want to send an email to all members of staff or to a large group of students or staff. Check guidelines for details. Of course, all of the tips discussed here also apply to these emails.
- How do you manage your overloaded inbox?
Do you recognize the problem of our relentless growth of in-box overload and how this can cause stress?
The Email Charter has published an Email charter with ground rules to fix this 'commons' problem and make that stress disappear. See the charter below, please share and adopt the things you think are useful.
1. Respect Recipients' Time
This is the fundamental rule. As the message sender, the onus is on YOU to minimize the time your email will take to process. Even if it means taking more time at your end before sending.
2. Short or Slow is not Rude
Let's mutually agree to cut each other some slack. Given the email load we're all facing, it's OK if replies take a while coming and if they don't give detailed responses to all your questions. No one wants to come over as brusque, so please don't take it personally. We just want our lives back!
3. Celebrate Clarity
Start with a subject line that clearly labels the topic, and maybe includes a status category [Info], [Action], [Time Sens] [Low Priority]. Use crisp, muddle-free sentences. If the email has to be longer than five sentences, make sure the first provides the basic reason for writing. Avoid strange fonts and colors.
4. Quash Open-Ended Questions
It is asking a lot to send someone an email with four long paragraphs of turgid text followed by "Thoughts?". Even well-intended-but-open questions like "How can I help?" may not be that helpful. Email generosity requires simplifying, easy-to-answer questions. "Can I help best by a) calling b) visiting or c) staying right out of it?!"
5. Slash Surplus cc's
cc's are like mating bunnies. For every recipient you add, you are dramatically multiplying the total response time. Not to be done lightly! When there are multiple recipients, please don't default to 'Reply All'. Maybe you only need to cc a couple of people on the original thread. Or none.
6. Tighten the Thread
Some emails depend for their meaning on context. Which means it's usually right to include the thread being responded to. But it's rare that a thread should extend to more than 3 emails. Before sending, cut what's not relevant. Or consider making a phone call instead.
7. Attack Attachments
Don't use graphics files as logos or signatures that appear as attachments. Time is wasted trying to see if there's something to open. Even worse is sending text as an attachment when it could have been included in the body of the email.
8. Give these Gifts: EOM NNTR
If your email message can be expressed in half a dozen words, just put it in the subject line, followed by EOM (= End of Message). This saves the recipient having to actually open the message. Ending a note with "No need to respond" or NNTR, is a wonderful act of generosity. Many acronyms confuse as much as help, but these two are golden and deserve wide adoption.
9. Cut Contentless Responses
You don't need to reply to every email, especially not those that are themselves clear responses. An email saying "Thanks for your note. I'm in." does not need you to reply "Great." That just cost someone another 30 seconds.
10. Disconnect!
If we all agreed to spend less time doing email, we'd all get less email! Consider calendaring half-days at work where you can't go online. Or a commitment to email-free weekends. Or an 'auto-response' that references this charter. And don't forget to smell the roses.
Contact
EEMCS faculty team
MC-EEMCS intranet
Resarch institute teams
General contacts:
CES
CFM
FIN
EB and SP
GA
HR
LISA
There are no specific contacts at MC for LISA employees. LISA has its own communication team.
MC
SBD
Pre-U
Student Union
For ideas, comments or changes to this page, please email webteam-hr@utwente.nl
Courses
If you want to know more about any of these topics, check out the wide range of courses on communication. The Career Development Centre (CTD) offers many courses in this field. Or contact MC using the contact information below. We are happy to help you.
Tips
Take a look at the course offered by the Centre for Training & Development (CTD) for employees.
Contact
For advice on effective communication, you can also contact the Marketing & Communication team within your faculty/department:
EEMCS faculty team
MC-EEMCS intranet
Resarch institute teams
General contacts:
CES
CFM
FIN
EB and SP
GA
HR
LISA
There are no specific contacts at MC for LISA employees. LISA has its own communication team.
MC
SBD
Pre-U
Student Union