Skill of the week: Communication

Activity: Email Makeover 
Time: 10 minutes (approx.)

Clear emails save time and make a good impression. Many English learners write long emails with too many words because they are afraid of sounding rude. The good news: short and clear emails are also polite!

Step 1. Read this email.

“Hello, I am writing to you because I wanted to know if maybe you could possibly send me the document that we talked about before, if it is not a problem.”

Step 2. Find the problems.
Is it too long? Is the request clear? Do we know which document?

Step 3. Read the improved version.

“Hi Anna, could you please send me the document we discussed on Monday? Thank you!”

Step 4. Learn useful phrases.

• Could you please…?
• I’m writing to ask about…
• Thank you in advance.
• Let me know if you have any questions.

Step 5. Your turn!
Rewrite this email in a clearer, shorter way:

“Good morning, I hope you are fine. I was thinking that maybe we could possibly have a meeting sometime next week, if you have time and if it is convenient for you.”

Reflection: Which words did you remove? Why?

Share your version in the comments or send it to me to my whats app number: +549 3415 961943. I will give you feedback! 

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