“Writing E-mails”
The very first time I felt like an amateur at something and had to admit it out loud was when I had to write my first email to my new internship colleagues. YES! Writing professional emails are not what I thought! Usually when I spoke to past professors through email, I thought I spoke in a professional manner, I thought my writing was polite, how wrong was I. Being in this internship, taught me that there are specific ways to write professional emails that give off a confident, yet friendly attitude. The first couple of emails I wrote, I had to have my Design Team mates proofread them before I sent them out. They would read them, then eventually erase everything I have and pretty much write a waayyyy better one in a matter of seconds. I couldn’t believe how hard it actually was. So I would have to think really hard, and write every line with deep concentration before presenting it to my team. After about a week of having every one of my emails proofread, I was able to write emails on my own, proudly!
The trick is, you always want to come off like you know what you want, when you want it, and how you want it. You shouldn’t come off as, unsure, or timid, even when asking questions. The client or colleague might have other things going on, so you want to help them help you if thats the case. Also, be mindful that although you want to write a detailed and precise email, less is more. You don’t want to write a whole essay in an email, so if you can shorten a sentence or two, do so. What I found helpful is reminding clients of upcoming meetings or projects, just to make sure they have a recorded note of it in their email. Clients are people too, so end your emails with something encouraging and pleasant to assure them that you appreciate their time.
