In this course, we will cover important concepts relating to email communication for CPAs. These concepts include tone, formality, appropriate response time, copying, and many more.
By mastering email best practices, you will establish a reputation for sending user-friendly correspondence, which will cause your clients and team members to open your messages quickly rather than put them off.
In addition to the core topics covered in this course, participants in the past have asked about matters such as:
- Out-of-office messages
- Greetings and sign-offs
- Acronyms and abbreviations
- Proofreading strategies
- USING ALL CAPS; and
- Emailing outside of standard business hours
Publication Date: December 2025
Designed For
CPAs who handle a high volume of emails. - CPAs who regularly send emails to clients. CPAs who wish to receive prompt, streamlined responses —the instructor obsesses over how to make life easy for your readers.
Topics Covered
- Email length
- Tailoring to your reader
- Appropriate response time
- Subject lines
- Pleasantries, e.g., “I hope all is well.”
- Copying – Reply vs. Reply All
- Following up
- Email vs. oral communication
- Formality
- Tone
Learning Objectives
- Explain how to draft emails that are easy to respond to
- Explain how to write in a style that is both professional and courteous
- Explain how to obey the etiquette of email communication
- Explain how to adapt your level of formality depending on the audience
- Explain how to elicit faster responses to your emails, both from clients and team members
Level
Basic
Instructional Method
Self-Study
NASBA Field of Study
Business Management & Organization (1 hour)
Program Prerequisites
None
Advance Preparation
None
Instructor
Ryan Standil
Ryan Standil leads seminars about effective written communication. He is a regular speaker at accounting firms, law firms, corporations, and governmental agencies.
Ryan attended Western University, in Canada, where he graduated from the Ivey Business School and the Faculty of Law. After graduating, Ryan worked at a law firm in Toronto, focusing on corporate and commercial matters.
Today Ryan owns and operates a seminar company, called Write To Excite.
Ryan’s mission is to help professionals grow their income by improving their writing.
Ryan is a frequent contributor to the leading newspaper in Canada, The Globe and Mail. Unsurprisingly, his columns can be described as “writing about writing.”
During Ryan’s communication seminars, participants learn how to view their own writing from the perspective of their readers. By adopting this perspective, participants are able to draft emails and documents that resonate with their various audiences.
Ryan’s training leaves participants with practical tips that they can apply right away.