Donna McPartland

SLM 521

Email – Elective #7

Email Suggestions and Tips

As PDS liaison, I will be working closely with you during the course of your internships at McDaniel College. Much of our correspondence will be done through email. In an effort to prevent past communication problems from recurring, I am sending this list of suggestions. During your internships you will be communicating via email with professionals at your field placement schools. Hopefully these suggestions will facilitate more effective communication.

1. Always include your signature at the end of your message. I need to know who you are.

a. If your name is not in your URL I may not know who has sent the message (this has happened many times).

b. If you use a different first name (Katie instead of Kathryn) please indicate that in your signature. That way I will know how to address you.

2. Keep in mind that what you send may not be what I see when I read your message. Emotions are not transferred through email.

a. I may not realize you are feeling ill or that you meant the last statement as a joke.

3. When sending a hot link to a web site, include http:// before the URL since some email reading software may not recognize the URL without it.

a. Please place the hot link on a separate line, and do not put a period at the end.

4. For ease in reading your messages, it is better to keep your messages short – short lines, short paragraphs, short message.

a. These guidelines have been suggested:

i. 75 characters or less in lines

ii. 25 lines or less in messages

iii. Only a few sentences in paragraph

5. Use grammar and spell check before sending your message. You wouldn’t believe the misspellings I’ve received.

a. You may give me or your mentor teacher the wrong impression regarding your competence in becoming a teacher.

6. Keep in mind that your username may give your correspondent the wrong impression. You will be communicating with professionals during your internships and it is important to present yourself as a professional.

a. A username such as “gogirl” or “soccerhero” might give the wrong impression.

7. Use the subject line to give your correspondent an idea of the reason for the message. If you are informing me or your mentor teacher that you will not be able to attend your practicum this should be indicated in the subject.

a. If this information is being sent on the day of your absence you should include the word “Urgent” in the subject line.

8. If your email software gives you the option of including the correspondent’s message in your reply, please do so. Otherwise, be sure to include some context in your reply that lets me know what question it is that you are addressing.

a. I send out messages to different individuals or groups, and if your response does not indicate to which email you are responding, it’s possible you may lose credit.

9. Use plain text. Some fancy texts, or special characters, are not understood by some email reading software, and I may not be able to understand what your message meant.

a. Your message may come through with lots of symbols that interfere with the meaning of the message.

10. PLEASE check your email regularly. You should do this everyday. Sometimes a week or so goes by before I receive a response, and the excuse is that the intern has not checked his/her email.

a. Additionally, please be thoughtful enough to respond promptly when asked to do so.

b. In almost all cases, my email to you requires a response from you.