Marketing Mix: Promotion, Exercises of Marketing

Download Marketing Mix: Promotion and more Exercises Marketing in PDF only on Docsity! University Prep Fall Writing B 1 Formal Emails One of the common types of writing you will encounter is writing emails in English. The expectations for formality and content vary dramatically in this format depending on to whom you are writing and the topic of the email. For this section of the course, we will focus on formal emails like the ones you will likely send in the future to professors or employers. The Structure An email has a very different look than the other types of writing discussed in this text. However, there are still similarities when you are writing a formal email. The basic outline of a formal email is as University Prep Fall Writing B 2 follows: 1. Subject line (similar to an essay title) Although the subject line is similar to a title for a typical essay, it is important to keep the information limited to only what is necessary. This type of "title" is not meant to be creative, but rather to give the reader an immediate idea of the content of the email. Do not leave this field of the email blank. Keep the ideas brief, and put the most important information first. Most purposes for emailing can be boiled down to a single noun phrase that highlights the most important information. 2. Salutation The salutation is where you address the reader. You should use the title that best shows the level of formality. If the reader has a title, be sure to use the appropriate form. Do not assume it is appropriate to use only a first name in the salutation. Most Common English Titles (honorifics) Mr. all men Miss unmarried women Mrs. married women Ms. woman regarless of marital status Dr. someone with a PhD, a medical doctor or veterinarian Professor used less frequently in the US than Dr. President/Principal/Dean/Director/Chief Executive other titles specific to the job may also be used To Whom it May Concern when emailing to a general office/business account without knowing the name of the person to address your question to University Prep Fall Writing B 5 needed) or your job title, but can also be as simple as just your name. Don't forget to use the form of your name that would be most easily recognizable to the reader. 1 Exercise: Outline Read the situation below and create an outline to show how you would organize your email. Your professor has scheduled office hours. Unfortunately, you are unable to make it at that time because of a schedule conflict. You have a question about the course that would be too difficult to discuss over email. 2 Exercise: Draft an email Read the situation below and create an email draft explaining the situation and offering a solution. You transferred from Ensign College to BYU Provo. Although you took an Introduction to Economics class as part of your Associate's Degree at Ensign, the class credit did not transfer and you are expected to take the class again. Write an email to the BYU Enrollment Services explaining why you think the course should be re-evaluated to count toward your degree at BYU. Polite Requests One of the important aspects of writing a formal email is using polite language to make requests. Culturally speaking, a request in English is more polite the less direct it is. Note the difference between someone saying "I would appreciate it if you would wash your hands before dinner." vs "Wash your hands." University Prep Fall Writing B 6 Two ways that grammar can support creating a polite request is through the use of modals and if clauses. In the example above, the word would is used to soften the request. This can also be done using modals like could, might, and can. Dependent clauses with if soften a request as well by focusing on the reader's ability to decline the request and the writer's awareness of the potential disruption the request may cause. Examples of polite requests: “I would appreciate it if you could [request].” “It would be [adj] if you could [request].” “If you could [request], that would be [adj].” “Can/Could you/I [request]?” Would you/I be able to [request]." “Would [time/request] work for you?” “If possible…?” / “Would it be possible to [request]?” “Do/would you mind [request]?” “Would you be willing to [request]?” 3 Exercise: Polite requests Your teacher will assign a partner to you. With your partner, practice 2-3 different ways of making a polite request in each of the following scenarios: You need to borrow a stranger's phone to make a call because you lost yours. You are sick on the day of a major presentation and need to reschedule it. You need your team at work to come to an urgent extra meeting about a project. Other common words used to demonstrate politeness are known as hedging adverbs. These are words such as just, only, possibly, University Prep Fall Writing B 7 maybe, and perhaps. Writers will include these to increase the courtesy felt in a request. I am just emailing to ask if you could check the budget report attached in this email. Would you possibly be available for me to interview for my career development course? It would only take twenty minutes, I know you are very busy. 4 Exercise: Draft an email Read the situation below and create an email draft explaining the situation and offering a solution. You have a personal emergency that you need to take care of during one of your class times. However, the schedule for that class day includes information that is essential for the upcoming test. You know that the professor teaches another section of that class at a later time which you could attend after resolving the personal issue. Formatting Formal emails follow many of the same conventions of formatting and style as an essay. It should be written in an easy to read font in a 10-12pt size. Colorful text should be avoided unless necessary to draw attention to something (such as a deadline). Do not use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS at any point in your email because the internet culture designates this as yelling (angry). You are welcome to instead use bolded, italicized, or underlined text to make an emphasis. Expressive punctuation (such as multiple exclamation points or ellipsis) and emojis should also be avoided. The main difference between an email and an essay is that an email does not need to be indented, and can instead just be left-aligned.