Arrange a business meeting: Use the two email examples below to learn how to write a formal email and an informal email to arrange a business meeting in English.

A Formal Business English Email

In the email below, James Baker, the purchasing manager at WallMart, is writing an email to Mrs. Watson, who he recently met. He wants to arrange a meeting.

This is a great example of a professional email. It’s well-organized to communicate clearly and the language is professional and appropriate.

An Informal Business English Email

In this email below, James Baker uses an informal email to communicate with Jenny [not Mrs. Watson]

Although they have just met, it seems that they got along very well at this first meeting. That’s why he feels comfortable sending her an informal email.

He could only write this kind of informal email if they got along well or if Jenny has a very informal communication style.

Formal vs. Informal Business English Emails

There are a number of important differences between a formal and an informal business English email.

• Only write an informal email in business when you know the other person very well. Or if you got along very well and have similar communication styles.

• Be careful to write an appropriate greeting. Make sure you use an appropriate greeting; not too formal or too informal.

• Only use very informal language if you know the other person well. For example, don’t use, ‘I was hoping we could catch up’ if you don’t know the other person well. It’s too informal.

• Make sure you are very polite in a formal email. If you know the person very well, don’t need to be so polite. “I’d really appreciate the opportunity to meet”, is very polite. “It would be great if we could meet”, is not as polite so don’t use this kind of language in an informal email.