How do I write an email professionally?

There is a training program on writing effective emails on the internet. It would be a good idea to go through that. Couple of points that are more generic which might help could be:

1. Never write an email in a hissy-fit : an email is a documentation for life. Never write anything that you will regret or can be used against you. If you are angry or upset with an email, I suggest y getup from your seat, have a glass of water, count from 1 to 50 while taking a round of your office or a floor and then come back and write your mail.

2. Always keep a balanced tone : don't sound too buttery or too curt – both can harm. Be balanced in your mail.

3. Irrespective of purpose, always answer “what's in it for me” for the reader : remember that you are writing the mail for the recipient to read and understand and not for yourself. Don't assume that the intended audience would just know what you are talking about. Always give a context to your mail. It could be “as discussed” if you called the person up earlier and are following up with a mail or “my purpose of writing this mail is” if you are interacting with the recipient for the first time or “with reference to the mail below” if you are picking up a conversation going on in a mail thread.

4. Use “sandwich” technique: a lot of times you Haber deliver some bad news to a recipient. It will become more frequent when you gain experience and become a manager with a bunch of people reporting into you. Sandwich as the name suggests, “sandwiches” bad news between two pieces of good news. For instance, if you are writing feedback to your team member, you can write : “you are proficient in technical skills and knowledge. While you might want to work on your team skills, you have great potential to deliver knowledge sharing sessions and becoming a subject matter expert”. So what you did here is sandwiched the fact that the guy sucks at teamwork but also complimented that he is someone with great technical know-how at the same time.

These are just basics. Of course a lot of it will also come with experience. So don't be afraid of writing “bad” emails – they will just end up making you better!