By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Write a professional email with a clear subject, greeting, purpose, request and closing.
- Choose correctly between To, Cc, Bcc, Reply and Reply all.
- Prepare for, take part in and follow up an online meeting politely.
- Protect privacy and avoid common slips on video calls and in group chats.
- Plan your day so that urgent and important work gets done.
At school and at work, people judge you by how you communicate long before they see how well you work. A short, clear email gets an answer; a rambling one gets ignored. A prepared person in an online meeting saves everyone's time. None of this needs special talent. It needs a few habits that you can learn today and practise with made-up messages before the real ones arrive.
The shape of a professional email
A professional email respects the reader's time. The reader should understand, within a few seconds, who it is from, what it is about and what you want them to do. Use six parts: a specific subject, a greeting, the reason for writing in the first sentence, the details, the request with a date if there is one, and a polite closing with your name.
- Marker 1: Specific subject
- Marker 2: Polite greeting
- Marker 3: Purpose in the first sentence
- Marker 4: Short reason
- Marker 5: Clear request and date
- Marker 6: Closing and name
Read this figure as text
A simulated email with a subject line, greeting, purpose, details, request and closing marked.
An email from Amina Wanjiru to Ms Njeri Otieno, subject: Request to move Friday's team meeting to 10:00. Marker 1 points to the subject line, which is specific. Marker 2 points to the greeting, Dear Ms Otieno. Marker 3 points to the first sentence, which states the reason: I am writing to ask whether Friday's meeting can start at 10:00 instead of 09:00. Marker 4 points to the reason and details: two team members have a training session until 09:30. Marker 5 points to the request with a date: could you let me know by Wednesday? Marker 6 points to the closing: Kind regards, Amina Wanjiru.
Compare subject lines. "Hello" or "Question" tells the reader nothing and may be mistaken for spam. "Request to move Friday's team meeting to 10:00" tells them what to expect and helps them find the message later.
| Weak | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hi | Invoice 2041 for the printer: payment query | Names the subject and a reference number. |
| URGENT!!! | Please confirm the venue by Thursday 3 pm | Gives the real deadline instead of shouting. |
| Re: Re: Re: Fwd: stuff | Updated agenda for Monday's meeting | A fresh, honest subject when the topic has changed. |
| hey can u send it | Could you send the signed form today? | Complete words, polite and specific. |
To, Cc, Bcc and Reply all
To is for the people who must act or reply. Cc (carbon copy) is for people who should be informed and need not act. Everyone can see the To and Cc lists. Bcc (blind carbon copy) hides the recipients from each other. Use it when you send the same message to many people who should not see each other's addresses, such as parents or customers, because showing addresses to everyone is a privacy slip.
Reply answers only the sender. Reply all answers everyone on the message, including everyone in Cc. Use Reply all only when everybody needs your answer. A reply such as "Thanks!" sent to forty people wastes forty people's attention.
- Does everyone on the email need to see your answer?
- YesDo thisCheck the list of names first.
- NoIs your answer only for the sender?
- YesDo thisOnly the sender receives it.
- NoDo thisAddress it to the specific people who need it.
Read this figure as text
A decision tree for choosing between Reply and Reply all.
Start: you are answering an email sent to several people. Question 1: does everyone on the message need to see your answer? If yes, use Reply all. If no, ask question 2: is your answer only for the sender? If yes, use Reply. If no, write a new message to the specific people who need it. Never use Reply all for a simple thank you.
Online meetings: before, during, after
An online meeting is a meeting held over a video or audio call. The tools differ, but the manners are the same everywhere. Good meetings are mostly decided before they start.
- Read the agenda
- Join 3 minutes early
- Test microphone and camera
- Quiet place, tidy background
- Notes ready
- Mute when not speaking
- Say your name
- Wait your turn or raise hand
- Look at the camera
- No side tasks
- Read or send the notes
- Do your actions by the date
- Reply to what you promised
Read this figure as text
Three columns listing what to do before, during and after an online meeting.
Three columns. Before: read the agenda, open the link a few minutes early, test your microphone and camera, charge your device or plug it in, find a quiet place with a tidy background, and have notes ready. During: mute your microphone when not speaking, say your name when you join, wait for your turn or use the raise-hand feature, look at the camera when you speak, and avoid doing other tasks. After: send or read the notes, do the actions assigned to you by the date agreed, and reply to anything you promised.
- Be on time. If you will be late, send a short message to the organiser.
- Mind your background and your microphone. Check what others can see behind you. Many programs offer a blurred background. Assume that a microphone left on can hear everything.
- Ask before recording. Do not record a call or take screenshots of other people without telling them and getting permission.
- Be careful with links and files. Share a link to a document rather than attaching copies. Only open links from people you expect to hear from.
- Chat is not private. Messages in group chats can be seen by many people and may be saved by the organisation.
Managing your time
Messages and meetings can fill a whole day if you let them. Three habits help. First, check email at set times, for example three times a day, rather than every few minutes. Second, put your own work in your calendar as blocks of time, just as you would a meeting. Third, sort tasks by urgency and importance. Urgent tasks need doing soon. Important tasks matter for your goals. The most useful time is often spent on tasks that are important but not yet urgent, because they are the ones that become emergencies if you wait.
| Urgent | Not urgent | |
|---|---|---|
| Important | Do now: submit the application due tomorrow | Plan: save a weekly backup, learn a new spreadsheet skill |
| Not important | Hand over or answer briefly: a quick request from a colleague | Limit or drop: endless scrolling, unneeded notifications |
When working with others, agree where things live. If a team uses a shared document, put your comments in the document and not in ten separate emails. Say clearly who is doing what and by when. Write "Joseph will send the figures by Friday" instead of "somebody will send the figures".
Common mistakes
✖ Instead of: Writing a long email without saying what you want.
✔ Do this: State your purpose in the first sentence, and put the request and any date near the end.
✖ Instead of: Putting a whole group in To or Cc so everyone sees each other's address.
✔ Do this: Use Bcc when the recipients do not know each other or should not see each other's addresses.
✖ Instead of: Staying unmuted in a meeting while typing or talking to someone else.
✔ Do this: Mute when you are not speaking. Keep side conversations off the call.
✖ Instead of: Replying instantly to every message.
✔ Do this: Check email at set times, and answer when you can give a useful reply.
If something goes wrong
- I sent an email to the wrong person.
- Do not panic. Some programs offer a short Undo send window right after sending. If it is too late, write a short, polite message asking the person to delete it, and tell your teacher or manager if it contained anything private.
- Nobody can hear me in an online meeting.
- Check that your microphone is not muted in the meeting program, that the correct microphone is chosen in its settings, and that the system volume or microphone setting is not muted. Leave and rejoin if needed.
- My email program put my reply in the wrong thread or under a wrong subject.
- If the topic has changed, start a new email with a fresh subject. That is clearer and easier to find later.
Key terms
- Bcc
- An email field that sends a copy to people without showing their addresses to the other recipients.
- Netiquette
- The polite, considerate way of behaving in email, chat and online meetings.
- Phishing
- A trick message that pretends to be from a trusted source to make you give away passwords or money.
Practise it for real
Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.
Write three professional emails
In a text editor or your email draft folder (do not send), write three short emails using the six-part shape: 1) ask a teacher or manager, Ms Otieno, to extend a deadline by two days; 2) apologise to Joseph for missing a meeting and ask for the notes; 3) send a group of five classmates the time and place of a study session. Choose Bcc for one of them and say why.
Challenge: be ready for a call
Without help, prepare for a made-up online meeting at 10:00 tomorrow with your class. Write a checklist of what you will do the evening before, ten minutes before, and after the meeting. If you have a camera and a meeting program, open a test call with a friend or a practice meeting room, check your sound, camera and background, and practise muting and unmuting.
Knowledge check
6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.
Summary
- A professional email has a specific subject, greeting, purpose, request and closing.
- To is for action, Cc is for information, Bcc hides recipients, and Reply all is for when everyone needs the answer.
- Prepare for meetings, mute when not speaking, ask before recording, and follow up on your actions.
- Check email at set times and protect time for important work.
- Never put passwords or private details about others in email or chat.
Checklist: can you do these?
Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).
Related lessons
References and further reading
Official sources for details that can change between versions.
- Compose and send email in Thunderbird (Mozilla Support)
- Top tips for staying secure online (UK National Cyber Security Centre)