One evening I was with my friend for dinner. He had recently been appointed as a project leader and was to lead a group of 25 people. As we were chatting he suddenly asked me ì Julia, how do I communicate effectively through Emailsî. On my insistence to explain what he means he said ëearlier my communication was limited and mainly local. I used to scribble on a memo pad or put some remarks on the memo received and that is that. Now being a Project leader I am suppose to communicate to the team which is not only spread nation wide but is global in nature. I have to therefore rely heavily on E-mails for obvious reasons. To be precise Julia, I am not aware of if there are any email etiquetteís and how to make my e-mail communications effective.
His difficulty came as no surprise to me. I told him that there are many people facing similar situations. People are used to snail mail for years together and now in todayís competitive world email cannot be wished away. It is simply the fastest, easiest and cost effective way to communicate. Most of people now a days rely heavily on e-mail communication, may it be personal or business. This makes it all the more challenging and the most difficult mode of communication due to the following reason:
- The person you are communicating with is not physically present in front of you. So both parties cannot study each otherís facial expressions. (Same as snail mail)
- You cannot hear the person as in telecommunication. So change in voice-modulations not possible to detect & study. (Again same as snail mail)
- Your writing can be misinterpreted by the receiving party (again same as snail mail)
- Over and above ñ since this is easiest fastest & cost-effective mode more & more people are using it. There fore one gets very many mails every day ñ some useful some not so useful and some junk. Available time remaining the same one has to sort between these mails, attend to the mails which needs attention. Unlike snail mail one cannot take its own sweet time to reply. Attention to the e-mails have to be given at earliest. There fore one has to format the reply in a short span of time, in a very effective manner, which keeps the attention of receiver. That is why E-mail messaging is a challenging.
Keeping all these in mind one has to be very tactful while handling emails. You should be able to give a personal touch to your email and it should carry the message as intended.
Broadly there are two types of communications:
- Related to Business
- Personal.
E-mailing to personal people is more easier than business.
Related to business, Email communications can be further divided in two broad categories:
- Your own office colleagues
- Known business acquaintance like regular suppliers/ long standing customers, new customers, prospects, and other outsider but related to business.
When you are communicating to your own office colleagues you may use the abbreviated communication such as ëuí for ëyouí or ëyrí for yourí or ërí for ëareí etc. This way one can write quicker and also gives feeling of a group. While spelling mistakes are pardoned but try not to make or better make spell check as default.
While communicating to second level i.e. known business acquaintance you should be more formal. Try not to use any abbreviations and just simple no to any spelling mistakes.
Other important points to note:
The Start point:
1. Identity: Your email address should provide your identity. Names like ëguesswhoí or ëits_meí create a bad impression and are not treated with respect. Besides due to ëjunk-mailsí and ìvirus-fearí doubtful looking mails gets deleted.
2. Subject: All emails have a subject box. Always fill in this box. Your subject should give an indication of your message. For example ñ ëproject X budgetí ëmaterial availabilityí ëhappy birthdayí
Avoid writing a very long subject line.
The Body: This is where you will write your main message. While doing so keep the following in mind.
1. Be Concise: Make your message to the point. Long mails are irritating and time consuming.
2. Courtesy counts: Since you are communicating with people, known or unknown. Your courteous gestures play a vital role. It never hurts to use words like ëpleaseí, or ëthank you.í Be polite in your mails as it speaks volumes for you.
3. Grammar and spellings: It is important to check your spellings in each mail that you send. Emails full of misspellings not only irritates the reader but also creates a bad impression of your company. An email without full stops, punctuations and comma are difficult to read and sometimes even change the meaning of the text. Make spell check as default.
4. Abbreviations: In business mails it is best not to use abbreviations. The recipient may not be aware of the full forms of some abbreviations.
5. As a thumb rule try to fit the message in the screen window. If for some reasons your memo is lengthy try to ensure that the main points are covered in the first screen window. This will ensure better attention.
6. Avoid writing all in capital letters. Writing in capital letters is as insulting as honking car horns ñ it amounts to shouting.
7. Try avoiding different color backgrounds in your letter. Daily business communications should be in simple text, easy on eyes and easy to follow.
Sending your mail: Before you send your message read it to yourself. Ask yourself what would be your reaction after reading the mail. Take time to make your message sound clear and positive. If you r replying see that the original message goes with reply. It helps the receiver to connect to his message.
In todayís fast paced environment e-mails are indispensable as they accelerate communication. So be careful with what you write and send. It brings out your professionalism level and efficiency. Poor email communication skills can cost you heavily in your business.
Improve your email messaging skills----- Itís worth it!
Payal A. Malkani
payal_nan@hotmail.com
EMAIL ETTIQUOTES
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