Chapter three summaries ENG 93

Chapter three summaries ENG 93
Effective messages are not the same as talking to someone face-to-face or even over the telephone. When we talk face-to-face, we pick up meaning from facial expressions, body language, specific gestures, and, of course, tone of voice. Even telephone conversations preserve the meanings conveyed by tone of voice. But messages lose these extra ways of conveying meaning as we exchange messages, and so writers need to take care when writing email messages, even though they seem impromptu or off-the-cuff. The best general advice: What you include in your email message depends on why you are writing and to whom. Effective messages are short and to the point. Receivers don't want to scroll through two or more screens of text to get your message. On the other hand, don't make your messages so short that the receiver doesn't understand you. Provide enough information so that the receiver understands both the context and the details of the message. As with any email message, make your message clear and direct. But especially as you write to specific individuals, anticipate what that particular reader will want or need to know about you and your request or your information. For example, if you write to a professor to request an appointment, anticipate that the professor will ask you to come to regularly scheduled office hours. Explain that you have class during that time but that you are available at other times you then list. In other words, remind your reader of the key contextual details that are necessary for your message to make sense and to get you a quick response.