Effective vs. Ineffective Business Emails Analysis

Activity Overview

In this hands-on analysis activity, you’ll research real business email examples, evaluate their effectiveness, and share your findings with the class through our discussion platform.

Your Mission

Find and analyze business email examples to determine what makes them effective or ineffective in achieving their communication goals.

Step 1: Research Email Examples

Finding Examples

Use Google searches like:

“examples of ineffective emails”
“effective business email samples”
“bad email communication examples”
“professional email best practices examples”

What to Look For

Choose emails that clearly demonstrate effective or ineffective communication strategies. Good examples include:

Emails requesting information or action
Project updates or status reports
Client communications
Internal team communications

Step 2: Analyze Your Examples

Key Analysis Framework

Ask yourself: What is this email trying to accomplish, and does the communication help or hinder achieving that goal?

Effective Email Characteristics

Consider whether the email demonstrates:

Clarity and brevity - Short and to the point, ensuring readers will actually read it
Specific context - “I’m reviewing the memo and need clarification on the point in section X, page 3…”
Clear action items - Reader knows exactly what to do next
Appropriate tone for the audience and situation
Proper subject line that accurately reflects content

Ineffective Email Warning Signs

Watch for emails that:

Should have been a chat message - “Thanks!” or “Got it!” responses
Should have been a conversation - Complex negotiations or sensitive feedback that requires back-and-forth discussion
Lack specific details - Vague requests like “Please handle this ASAP”
Include unnecessary recipients - CC’ing people who don’t need the information
Bury important information in long paragraphs

Post your findings to our class discussion platform using this format:

Subject line: [Create an illustrative subject line describing the email type] Example: “Weekly Project Status Update” or “Requesting a Deadline Extension”

Link to email: [Where can we read the email example?]

Brief description: [What did/didn’t work well and how it could be improved]

Final judgment:

EFFECTIVE

MOSTLY EFFECTIVE

SOMEWHAT INEFFECTIVE

INEFFECTIVE

Example Post Format:

Subject line: Declining a Meeting Request
Link to email: [URL to your example]
Brief description: This email effectively declines a meeting while offering alternative solutions. The writer was specific about why they couldn't attend  and provided two concrete alternatives. However, it could have been improved by including their availability for rescheduling.
Final judgment: SOMEWHAT EFFECTIVE

Step 4: Learn from Classmates

Read and respond to at least 2-3 posts from your classmates as they come through. Consider:

Do you agree with their analysis?
What patterns do you notice across different examples?
Which examples would be most useful for your own professional communication?

Discussion Questions

While analyzing, consider:

Purpose clarity: Can you immediately understand what the sender wants?
Medium appropriateness: Should this have been an email, chat, call, or in-person conversation?
Audience awareness: Is the tone and detail level appropriate for the recipient?
Action orientation: Does the reader know what to do next?

Looking Ahead

The insights you gather today will directly inform Thursday’s workshop where you’ll practice writing professional emails for different business scenarios. Pay attention to the specific strategies that make emails effective - you’ll be applying them in your own writing.

📥 Download This Activity

Find this file on our repo and download it!

🤖 AI Study Prompts

After completing the class analysis, enhance your understanding with these prompts:

“Based on the email examples I analyzed, what are 5 additional principles of effective business email communication?”
“How do effective email strategies differ when communicating with clients vs. internal team members?”
“What are common email mistakes that professionals should avoid in international business contexts?”

Next Activity: Email Writing Workshop - Thursday’s hands-on practice session