Module 3
Email and Professional Online Communication
“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt.” — Colossians 4:6
Lesson
What You Will Learn
- Create a professional email address
- Write, send, reply to, and forward an email
- Attach a file to an email
- Use a clear subject line, greeting, and signature
Lesson Notes
Your Professional Email Address
Employers will judge you by your email address before they meet you. Use a version of your name, such as maria.lopez27@gmail.com. Avoid nicknames, slang, or numbers that could be misunderstood.
Free email services include Gmail and Outlook. You will need a phone number or another email to set one up; your re-entry coordinator can help.
Parts of an Email
- To: the person's email address.
- Subject: a short summary, such as Application for Front Desk Position.
- Greeting: Dear Ms. Carter, or Hello Mr. James,
- Body: short paragraphs. Say why you are writing, give details, and state what happens next.
- Closing and signature: Thank you, followed by your full name and phone number.
Reply, Reply All, Forward, and Attach
Reply answers only the sender. Reply All answers everyone on the message, so use it carefully. Forward sends the message to someone new.
To attach a file, click the paper clip icon, find the file, and select it. Always check that the attachment appears before you click Send.
Email Etiquette
Read your message once before sending. Check the name, spelling, and attachment. Respond to employers within one business day. Never send an email when you are angry; wait and pray first.
Key Terms
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Subject line | The short title of an email |
| Attachment | A file sent with an email |
| Reply All | Sends your answer to everyone on the message |
| Signature | Your name and contact information at the end of an email |
| Inbox | Where new emails arrive |
In-Class Activities
Choose Your Professional Address
Write three possible professional email addresses for yourself. Circle the best one and explain why.
If accounts are available in class, create it with your instructor's help.
Fix This Email
Rewrite the email below so it is professional:
to: boss subject: (none) hey its me i need the job still?? call me back asap
Assignment: Write a Professional Email
Write an email to a hiring manager named Ms. Janet Reed at Harbor Staffing asking about the status of your application for a warehouse associate job.
- Include a clear subject line, greeting, two short paragraphs, closing, and signature.
- Mention that your résumé is attached.
- Keep it under 120 words.
Graded with the Module Assignment Rubric.
Reflection Journal
Colossians 4:6 asks us to let our words be full of grace. Think of a time words (spoken or written) hurt you or someone else. How can you make grace your “default setting” when you communicate, especially in writing where tone is easy to misread?
Prayer focus: Ask God to guard your words and give you grace in every message you send.
Weekly Reading & Devotions
Your First Impression Arrives Before You Do
Before an employer meets you, they may meet your email. They will see your email address, your subject line, and the first few words of your message. In a few seconds, they will form an impression of whether you are professional, careful, and serious about the job.
Consider two messages about the same job. The first comes from lilmama4life@email.com with no subject line and says, hey is the job still open. The second comes from keisha.warren@email.com with the subject Application for Warehouse Associate and says, Good morning, Mr. Lopez. I am writing to ask about the warehouse associate position posted on your website. Both women might be equally hardworking. Only one is likely to get a call back.
Professional email is not complicated. Use your name in your address. Write a subject line that says what the message is about. Start with a greeting, keep the message short and clear, and end with your name and phone number. Read it once before sending, and check that any attachment is actually attached.
Email also creates a permanent record. Messages can be forwarded, saved, and printed. That is why it matters to write only what you would be comfortable having anyone read, and never to send a message when you are angry. Pause, pray, and reread first.
Some facilities do not allow live email. If that is true for you, practice with paper templates now so the habits are ready when you have access after release.
Think About It
- What professional email address would you create? ______________________
- When have your words, spoken or written, been misunderstood? ______________________
- What is one habit that would help you write with grace? ______________________
Daily Devotions for Week 3
Seasoned With Salt
Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.— Colossians 4:6 (KJV)
Salt adds flavor and preserves. Words seasoned with grace make conversations better and help relationships last. Before you speak or write today, ask: Is this gracious? Is it helpful?
Reflect: Whose conversation could use more grace from you this week?
Pray: Lord, season my words with grace.
Do: Write one kind note to someone today.
Swift to Hear
Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.— James 1:19 (KJV)
In a world of instant messages, this ancient wisdom is more needed than ever. Reading carefully before replying, and waiting before reacting, prevents many regrets.
Reflect: When have you replied too quickly and regretted it?
Pray: Lord, make me quick to listen and slow to anger.
Do: Before responding to anything today, pause and take one breath.
Words That Build
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying.— Ephesians 4:29 (KJV)
Paul's test for our words: Do they build up? Every email, every conversation, every text can build or tear down. You have the power to be a builder.
Reflect: What words have built you up in your life?
Pray: Lord, let my words build others up.
Do: Encourage one person with specific words today.
A Guard on My Lips
Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.— Psalm 141:3 (KJV)
David asked God to stand guard over his words. We can pray the same over our keyboards and our conversations. Some things are better left unsaid or unsent.
Reflect: What is one thing you are glad you did not say?
Pray: Lord, set a guard over my mouth and my messages.
Do: Practice waiting 24 hours before responding to something that upset you.
Speaking Truth in Love
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things.— Ephesians 4:15 (KJV)
Honesty and kindness belong together. Professional communication is truthful without being harsh, and kind without being dishonest. This balance is a sign of spiritual maturity.
Reflect: Is it harder for you to be honest or to be kind?
Pray: Lord, teach me to speak truth in love.
Do: Practice saying something honest in a kind way today.
Module Quiz
- 1.
Which email address is most professional?
- 2.
What does the subject line do?
- 3.
What should you check before clicking Send when you mention an attachment?
- 4.
Reply All sends your response only to the person who wrote to you.
- 5.
List the five parts of a professional email.