Question: Suppose you need to communicate with an academic about some ordinary academic matter that falls within the scope of the ordinary activities of an academic. Perhaps this is a standard administrative or pedagogical matter that academics deal with commonly as part of their job, or some other question that would not be regarded as being out-of-the-ordinary for the academic you are dealing with. Examples of the types of matters I have in mind are the following (non-exhaustive list):

• Asking for advice on an academic topic;
• Asking for a review of my mark in an assessment;
• Asking an academic to teach me something in their field of expertise;
• Asking to apply for/withdraw from some academic program or course;
• Asking about the present status of an application or assessment task;
• Asking if an academic is interested in research collaboration;
• Turning an academic down for a position/research topic, etc.;
• Following-up on a matter where we have already had previous contact; or
• Thanking an academic for their help on a matter.

We all know that academics are basically demi-gods, and so communicating with them requires adherence to strict protocols, similar to kowtowing to an Emperor. With these kinds of examples in mind, what is the method of communication and the magical words to use to prevent a major diplomatic incident when communicating with a Professor on a common academic matter?

Note: This question is a variation of this canonical question about how to ask a Professor a question. That question is presently used as a duplicate for many questions on Academia.SE, but it is not an ideal duplicate for questions about matters that are ordinary academic matters that fall within the scope of standard academic work at a university. The present question is designed to give a canonical question about communicating these matters.