You should know the following terms:

• Positive language
• Negative language
• Standard English language
• Acronym
• Professional writing
• Tone of Voice
• Slang or regional phrases
• Formal language
• Informal language

Whether you are writing an email, documenting your work on a Help Ticket, or sending a text, you should use professional writing techniques for work communications. Professional writing means that you use a friendly but formal writing style that incorporates accurate grammar and mechanics of language (things like capitalization, punctuation, and spelling). 

If this is an area where you are still growing your skills, here are a few strategies you can intentionally use to improve your professional writing:

• Make your language appropriate for the audience.
• Write using Standard English language and use proper grammar and spelling; use grammar and spell checkers if needed.
• Avoid using non-technical acronyms, such as LOL, BRB, TTFN; only use common technical acronyms when appropriate.
• Use multiple short, succinct sentences instead of compound sentences.
• Limit the use of exclamation points.
• Reread everything your write; even better, read what you write out loud.
• Maintain a positive tone while providing accurate information.
• Use a dictionary or thesaurus to ensure you are using the correct word
• Avoid humor and slang (including technical jargon)

Formal vs Informal Writing

Finding the right tone for an email can be tricky. How do you determine how formal an email should be? The first thing to remember is that PROFESSIONAL is not the same as formal; a professional email can use either formal language or informal language. 

Two key factors to determining how formal your language should be with someone you are communicating with are:

• length of time you have known the person 
• your relationship/interactions with the person outside of work

Generally speaking, the less you know and interact with the person the more formal your language will be.  While everything is a continuum, here are some comparisons between formal and informal communication:

Tone of Voice

Another important factor in crafting professional emails is tone of voice. When you have a face-to-face conversation you rely heavily on facial expression, body posture, gestures, and physical tone of voice to interpret the words they are saying and their intent. Without these visual and aural cues, we often fail to interpret the correct intent of the words.

Care must be given to the “tone” of your email. Email is akin to managing a relationship remotely so tone of voice becomes even more important. Another option when you are unsure of a person's tone is to go talk to the person face-to-face. That leaves no room for doubt. 

Avoid:

• All caps (this indicates shouting)
• Using negative words or phrases (negative language)
• Avoid excessive punctuation marks

Be sure to:

• Be personal but professional
• Use positive language
• Start with a greeting and end with a farewell

It is always good to read your email before you send it to check for tone. If you are still not sure, you can even ask a colleague to read it.

Here are additional resources you may find useful:

Complete the following task or self-assessment:

Use the following checklist to self-assess your skills.

• I can explain how professional writing is different from other types of writing I might do.
• I can incorporate strategies to improve my written communications when working on the Help Desk.
• I can leverage technology to improve my professional writing (such as ensuring that I use standard English with accurate grammar and spelling).
• I can write clear, concise emails that the user can understand.
• I understand the difference between formal and informal emails.
• I understand tone of voice and know how to apply it to professional communication.
• I can incorporate tips to write professional emails.
• I understand how to use texting appropriately.
• I can choose the best type of communication to use in any given situation.

Additionally, answer the question: How will I know I’m using strong professional writing strategies?