Email Etiquette for Middle and High School Students

Summary

Sydney Dunn's video emphasizes the importance of proper email etiquette for students, especially when communicating with teachers. She highlights the differences between casual texting and formal emails, advising against the use of slang, emojis, and demands. Dunn provides a step-by-step guide on crafting emails, including writing descriptive subject lines, using polite openings and closings, and asking clear, context-rich questions. She also offers a free PDF email etiquette guide for students at sdetiquette.com to help them navigate professional email communication effectively.

Takeaways

• 📝 Email skills are distinct from texting skills; emails should be formal and well-structured.
• 🔑 Capitalize the first letter of every sentence and always capitalize 'I' in emails.
• 🚫 Avoid using casual language and slang from text messages in emails.
• 😀 Use emojis sparingly and only after establishing a friendly relationship with the teacher.
• ⏱ Emails are not as instantaneous as text messages; allow teachers one full school day to respond.
• 📜 The subject line should be a short, descriptive summary of the email's content.
• 🌟 Start the email with a pleasant greeting using the teacher's title and last name.
• 🔍 Make your question clear by providing context such as page numbers, URLs, or screenshots.
• 🙏 Use polite requests instead of demands when asking for something from your teacher.
• 📩 End the email with a courteous closing and sign off with your full name, class subject, and period number.

Q & A

What is the main topic of Sydney Dunn's talk?

Sydney Dunn's talk is about email etiquette, specifically how to communicate effectively with teachers via email.

Why is it important to distinguish between email and text messaging skills?

Email and text messaging skills are different because emails are more formal and require proper grammar, punctuation, and a professional tone, unlike the casual nature of text messages.

What are some examples of casual words and phrases that should not be used in emails?

Examples of casual words and phrases to avoid in emails include 'i know right', 'yep', 'hey', 'ok', 'lol', 'you're', 'yeah', 'please', 'sorry', and 'bruh'.

What is Sydney's stance on the use of emojis in emails?

Sydney advises that emojis, while helpful in conveying tone and personality, are considered unprofessional in emails and should only be used after getting to know the teacher well, and even then, sparingly.

How should students approach the subject line when writing an email to their teachers?

Students should write a short, descriptive summary in the subject line that reflects the content of the email body, which helps in organization and searching for old emails.

What is the recommended way to start an email to a teacher?

The email should start with a pleasant greeting such as 'Hello', 'Good afternoon', or 'Good morning', followed by the teacher's title and last name, and a comma.

Why is it crucial to be clear and specific in the body of the email?

Being clear and specific helps the teacher understand the context and the issue at hand, enabling them to provide accurate and helpful responses.

What is the difference between a polite request and a demand in an email?

A polite request is courteous and includes phrases like 'can you please', while a demand can come across as forceful and may use imperative sentences without a question mark.

How should students end an email to their teacher?

Students should end an email with a closing such as 'thanks' or 'thank you', and always sign off with their full name, class subject, and period number for clarity.

What resource does Sydney Dunn provide to help students remember email etiquette?

Sydney Dunn provides a one-page email etiquette guide for students, available as a free PDF download from her website sdetiquette.com.

How long should students wait before sending a follow-up email to their teacher?

Students should wait one full school day before sending a follow-up email to their teacher, as emails are not as instantaneous as text messages.

Outlines

00:00

📧 Email Etiquette Basics

Sydney Dunn introduces the concept of email etiquette, emphasizing the difference between casual texting and formal email communication. She advises against using texting language, emojis, and demands in emails, especially when communicating with educators and professionals. She also highlights the importance of patience when waiting for email responses, suggesting a full school day should pass before sending a follow-up.

📝 Crafting the Email: Subject Line and Opening

The second paragraph focuses on the structure of an effective email, starting with the subject line. Dunn advises against leaving it blank or overfilling it, recommending a concise summary instead. She then discusses the importance of a pleasant opening, suggesting formal greetings with the teacher's title and last name, and clarifying the use of titles for women.

🔍 Clarity in Email Communication

Dunn stresses the need for clarity in the body of the email, where students should provide detailed context for their questions. She gives examples of how to articulate issues clearly, such as attaching screenshots of error messages, to ensure teachers understand the problem and can offer appropriate assistance.

🙏 Polite Requests and Closing the Email

In the final paragraph, Dunn discusses the importance of making polite requests rather than demands when asking teachers for help. She also covers the significance of a proper closing, suggesting phrases like 'thanks' or 'thank you', and reminds students to sign off with their full name, class subject, and period number for clarity.

Keywords

💡Email etiquette

Email etiquette refers to the set of rules and conventions that dictate how one should compose and send emails, especially in a professional or formal setting. In the video, Sydney Dunn emphasizes the importance of email etiquette for students when communicating with teachers, highlighting the differences between casual texting and formal email communication.

💡Capitalization

Capitalization is the act of writing the first letter of a word, sentence, or proper noun in uppercase. The video script stresses the need for capitalizing the first letter of every sentence and the pronoun 'I' in emails to maintain formal writing standards, contrasting with the casual style often used in text messages.

💡Emojis

Emojis are small digital icons used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication. The script mentions that while emojis can convey tone and personality, they are generally considered unprofessional in emails. Sydney advises using them sparingly and only after establishing a good rapport with the teacher.

💡Subject line

The subject line in an email is a brief summary of the email's content that appears in the recipient's inbox. The video points out common mistakes students make with subject lines, such as leaving them empty or writing the entire email in the subject line, and advises being descriptive to help with organization and searchability.

💡Opening

The opening of an email sets the initial tone and is the first part that the recipient reads. Sydney explains that a polite and formal opening, such as 'Hello' or 'Good morning' followed by the teacher's title and last name, is crucial for making a good impression and establishing a respectful communication.

💡Crystal clear question

A crystal clear question is one that is specific, detailed, and easy to understand. The video emphasizes the importance of clarity in the body of the email to ensure the teacher can quickly grasp the student's query or issue, providing examples of how to ask for help effectively.

💡Context

Context refers to the circumstances or background information that helps to understand the meaning of something. In the script, Sydney advises students to provide context in their emails, such as page numbers, URLs, or screenshots, to help teachers understand and address their questions more efficiently.

💡Polite request

A polite request is a courteous way of asking for something, as opposed to a demand. The video script illustrates how to phrase requests in emails to teachers, using a question mark and polite language, to ensure a positive and cooperative interaction.

💡Closing

The closing of an email is the final part before the sender's signature, often expressing gratitude or a formal sign-off. Sydney suggests using phrases like 'thanks' or 'thank you' in the closing to maintain a polite and appreciative tone, and reminds students to sign their full names and include class details for clarity.

💡Instantaneous

Instantaneous refers to something that happens immediately or without delay. The video script contrasts the immediacy of text messages with the more patient approach required for email communication, advising students to allow teachers one full school day to respond to their emails.

💡Email skills

Email skills encompass the ability to write, send, and manage emails effectively. The video's theme revolves around the distinction between casual texting and the more formal email skills necessary for academic and professional communication, as Sydney provides guidance on how to improve and apply these skills.

Highlights

Sydney Dunn emphasizes the importance of proper email etiquette when communicating with teachers.

A distinction is made between email and text messaging styles, with a focus on formality in emails.

The use of casual language and emojis in emails is discouraged for professional communication.

Emails should be carefully composed with proper capitalization and punctuation.

The subject line should be a brief, descriptive summary of the email's content.

Openings should be polite, using appropriate greetings and titles for teachers.

The body of the email should include a clear and detailed question to provide context for the teacher.

Attachments like screenshots can help clarify issues when submitting emails to teachers.

Requests to teachers should be phrased as polite asks rather than demands.

The use of a question mark can transform a statement into a polite request.

The email closing should be courteous, often including thanks or thank you.

Emails should be signed with the student's full name and class details for clarity.

Emails are not as instantaneous as text messages; patience is required for responses.

A follow-up email should be sent only after giving the teacher one full school day to respond.

Sydney Dunn provides a free PDF download of an email etiquette guide for students.

The guide is available at sdetiquette.com for easy reference and printing.

Transcripts

hey there students my name is sydney

dunn and i'm here to talk about email

etiquette

if you're using emails as the main way

to communicate with your teachers your

email skills need to be on point

and notice i said email skills not

texting skills there's a big difference

between emails and text

texting with your friends is short

casual and full of words like

i don't know i know right yep hey

okay lol you're yeah

you please sorry and my favorites

bruh and yes

please don't use these in emails and i

know you type as quick as you can when

texting so do i but emails are different

and you should take your time to make

sure all your sentences start with a

capital letter and that i

is always capitalized as far as emojis

go

it depends emojis are a great way to get

your tone across and to show personality

but they're still considered

unprofessional in emails so only use

them after you get to know your teachers

really well and don't overdo it

and it's better just to leave them off

completely when it comes time to

emailing administrators college faculty

or future employers

and last thing to remember is that

emails are not as instantaneous as text

messages

you don't keep sending them one after

the other and you've got to wait and

give teachers

one full school day to respond before

sending a follow-up email

okay let's work our way through the

email first off the subject line

that poor little subject line sometimes

you guys leave this completely empty

and other times you type your entire

email in the subject line

why please don't do this the subject

line is the place to write a very short

summary

of what the body of the email contains

so be descriptive

it just helps keep everybody organized

and it really helps if you've got to go

back and search for an old email

next up is the opening there is so much

power in those first few lines to set

the tone of the email

so be pleasant you want to open with

hello or good afternoon or good morning

plus the teacher's title and last name

and then a comma

remember if a woman is married she's a

mrs if not she's a miz

and if you're not sure always go with ms

okay now on to the most important part

of the entire email

the crystal clear question

this is the part where you help the

teacher figure out what in the world

you're talking about

you should be doing everything you can

to make your question crystal clear in

this section

add details page numbers url links

screenshots whatever it takes to provide

the teacher some context to your

question

if you send an email that says i don't

know how to submit this

your teacher is going to be like well i

have no clue how to help you

but if you say i'm submitting my

persuasive essay through the portal and

receiving an error message that says xyz

do you have any suggestions or even

better

i'm having trouble submitting my

persuasive essay through the portal

i've attached a screenshot of the error

message do you have any suggestions

boom teacher knows exactly what you're

talking about and can take steps to help

you

and when you're asking your teacher for

something make sure you're asking

and not demanding even if you're not

intending to be rude it's easy to see

how the sentence

i turned in my paper and i need you to

put in my grade can sound like a demand

versus i turned in my paper can you

please put in my grade

adding that question mark makes it

instantly more polite

if you need your teacher to do something

for you polite request

will always get you better and faster

results than demands

all right last part stick with me the

closing don't forget the closing

there's lots of options but thanks or

thank you

is always a good choice and even if

you've met the teacher before

you should sign your emails with your

first and last name

also make sure you add your class

subject and period number to help your

teacher know exactly what class you're

in

that's it you made it so now when you go

to email your teachers you can snap out

of your text in mode and write that

email

to include a descriptive subject line a

pleasant opening

a crystal clear question and a good

closing

and to make all these email tips super

easy to refer back to i made you

a one page email etiquette guide for

students it's a free pdf download you

can print or save it on your computer

and you can find it at sd etiquette.com

email etiquette thanks for watching