EMAIL COMMUNICATION QUICK TOOLS
STATE YOUR PURPOSE FOR THE EMAIL IN THE SUBJECT LINE AND IN THE INITIAL SECTION OF THE EMAIL
TRY AND DO A SANITY CHECK OF YOUR EMAIL AND THE STATUS, IS THE EMAIL BEING SENT AT THE RIGHT TIME? HAS THE RIGHT INFORMATION ? GOING TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE? ASKING THE RIGHT INFORMATION? CORRECT TONE ?
TRY AND NOT COVER TOO MANY THINGS IN A SINGLE EMAIL
FOCUS ON ONE THING AT A TIME AND MAKE IT HAPPEND
DONT RUSH IT
MAKE SURE YOU CLOSE THE DEAL ON A SINGLE ISSUE AT A TIME
TRY AND DO WHAT YOU CAN TO AVOID TAKING STEPS BACKWARDS-KEEP MOVING FORWARD
BUILD UPON YOUR PAST DISCUSSIONS
CONTINUE TO MAKE GAINS
BREAK YOUR EMAIL UP INTO SEVERAL EMAILS, EACH ADDRESSING A SEPARATE SUBJECT, THIS WAY EACH THREAD HAS ONE SINGLE TRAIN-OF-THOUGHT
TRY AND STAY ON TOPIC, WITHOUT DRIFTING OFF ONTO OTHER TOPICS, IT WILL CONFUSE THE READER
IT IS BEST TO USE A HIGH CONTEXT STYLE OF COMMUNICATION, AND BE AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE WITH YOUR READER, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE NOT WORKED WITH YOUR READER BEFORE
WRITTEN WORD IS NOT THE SAME AS SPOKEN WORD, SO THINGS CAN & WILL GET MISUNDERSTOOD VERY QUICKLY
MAKE SURE THAT AS YOU GO THROUGH EACH IDEA, THOUGHT, TOPIC, SUBJECT, THAT YOU CONFIRM THE THE OTHER PARTY IS CLEAR
ASK THEM TO RE-ITERATE THE SECTION IN BRIEF WORDING TO VERIFY AND VALIDATE THAT BOTH OF YOU ARE ON THE SAME PAGE AND YOU SEE THINGS THE SAME WAY
DONT ASSUME COMMUNICATION HAS HAPPEND AND IS CLEAR
ALWAYS DOUBT IT SLIGHTLY AND GO BACK TO REINFORCE THE COMMUNICATION
BREAK THINGS DOWN I TO SIMPLER AND SIMPLER SUBSECTIONS TO DIGEST THE INFORMATION EASIER
ITS ALWAYS GOOD IN LATTER EMAILS TO DISCUSS PREVIOUS RESULTS AND ACCOMPLISHMSNTS TO REFRESH THE PERSONS RECOLLECTION OF WHAT HAPPEND PREVIOUSLY
WHEN A NEW TOPIC ARISES, TRY AND START THAT IN A NEW THREAD, DONT COMBINE TOPIC THREADS
The Do's and Don'ts of Email Etiquette
Do not send emotional emails
Use Grammer checker on full check for passive voice, try and use active voice
(ex. not preferred) documents are attached
(ex. preferred) please sign the documents at the bottom of page 3, by April 11th at 2pm for processing
Use email to transmit data only
do not embed pictures
do not embed a logo, or company tag, it takes up extra memory, just use text
do not use too many colors in text, red, etc. it maybe interpreted unfavorable
hide your HYPERLINKS within a word, i.e. LINK1, LINK2, LINK3
make sure the links work
Use caution when sending data, do not send sensitive data, send only enough data to address the issue and do not overwhelm the recipient
Do have a clear subject line. Your email should contain only the in formation needed, nothing more, nothing less
Don't forget your signature.
Do use a professional salutation.
Don't use humor. Jokes are funny to everyone and, what if the joke was forwarded to the wrong person, like your boss, or a customer. Do not use sarcasm, sexual, racial, cultural, or other possible offensive language.
Do proofread your message.
Don't assume the recipient knows what you are talking about.
Do reply to all emails. But, not ReplyAll
Don't shoot from the lip, hip, don't guess
Do keep private material confidential.
Don't! overuse exclamation points. Don't use LOL, LMAO, LMFAO, SOL or other slang, it is embarassing when someone doesn't know your code words, also do not abbreviate, use the full word.
Proper Sample Email Structure
Current Date: (mm/dd/yyyy)
Attention To:
First Name, Last Name
Title:
email Addr:
Physical Addr: (unit, street, city, state, zip)
Phone: (pst/est)
Fax:
Re: (reference)
Introduction
Paragraph
Body
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Conclusion
Bullet 1
Bullet 2
Bullet 3
Addendum
Document 1
Document 2
List of Attachment
Document 1
Document 2
From:
First Name, Last Name
Title:
email Addr:
Physical Addr: (unit, street, city, state, zip)
Phone:
Fax:
By Jacqueline Whitmore March 25, 2016
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When the use of email became common in the early 90s, the business world changed. Email now takes up a significant portion of our workday. According to a study by the International Data Corporation (IDC) workers spend 28 percent of their workweek reading and answering email.
While we try to work faster and more efficiently, we must not forget the social rules that accompany any form of communication. Here are some of the dos and don’ts of email etiquette.
Most of us have to compete with the hundreds of emails clogging our inbox every day, so the clearer your subject line, the more likely your message will be read. For example, if you’re sending a proposal to someone, be specific and write, “The Fitch Proposal Is Attached.”
Every email should include a signature that tells the recipient who you are and how to contact you. Set it up to automatically appear at the end of each email. Include all of your contact details so the recipient doesn’t have to look up your address, email or phone number.
Using “Hey,” “Yo,” or “Hiya” isn’t professional, no matter how well you know the recipient. Use “Hi” or “Hello” instead. To be more formal, use “Dear (insert name).” Using the person’s name in the salutation -- “Hello Robert” -- is quite appropriate, but remember not to shorten a person's name unless you're given permission to do so.
Humor does not translate well via email. What you think is funny has a good chance of being misinterpreted by the other party, or taken as sarcasm, without the accompanying vocal tone and facial expressions. When in doubt, leave humor out of business communications.
Don't be surprised if you're judged by the way you compose an email. For example, if your email is littered with misspelled words and grammatical errors, you may be perceived as sloppy, careless, or even uneducated. Check your spelling, grammar and message before hitting “send.”
Create your message as a stand-alone note, even if it is in response to a chain of emails. This means no “one-liners.” Include the subject and any references to previous emails, research or conversations. It can be frustrating and time consuming to look back at the chain to brush up on the context. Your recipient may have hundreds of emails coming in each day and likely won’t remember the chain of events leading up to your email.
Related: Google's 'Smart Reply' Feature Arrives on Desktops Today
Give a timely and polite reply to each legitimate email addressed to you. Even if you do not have an answer at the moment, take a second to write a response letting the sender know you received their email. Inform the sender if their email was sent to the wrong recipient, too.
Related: Ever Get a 'Please Do This, ASAP!' Email Commandment at 4:50 p.m.? Not Cool.
Never send an angry email, or give a quick, flip response. Give your message some thoughtful consideration before sending it. If you feel angry, put your message into the “drafts” folder, and review it again later when you are calmer and have time to formulate an appropriate response.
It is far too easy to share emails, even inadvertently. If you have to share highly personal or confidential information, do so in person or over the phone. Ask permission before posting sensitive material either in the body of the email or in an attachment.
Related: Email Needs Endless Management. Follow These 4 Simple Rules to Boost Your Productivity.
Exclamation points and other indications of excitement such as emoticons, abbreviations like LOL, and all CAPITALS do not translate well in business communications. Leave them off unless you know the recipient extremely well. It’s also not professional to use a string of exclamation points!!!!!
It may take some practice to keep your emails professional and to the point, but you will look more polished and organized in the long run.