Writing skills are as important in electronic as in paper communication. Minutes, memos, and reports—increasingly, all these documents are sent electronically. When it comes to e-mail, you need to address two questions: how can I send better messages, and how can I better manage the e-mail I receive?
Not everyone is skilled at writing e-mail or knows when e-mail is needed. Some managers send e-mail just because they have the technical capability to do so. Thus, they waste both their time and the time of those who receive their messages. People who were compulsive memo writers continue to write—they’ve just found a new medium.
The e-mail we receive shows that not everyone is skilled at writing digital messages. Some managers’ e-memos are indecipherable notes, phrases joined together with dashes that require a phone call for interpretation. Other messages ramble and are excessively long—the equivalent of several pages of paper. Writ- ers often don’t realize that electronic communications are still communications, and they don’t take that extra moment to review and organize their thoughts before keying them onto the screen and pressing the send button.
Often, too, senders of e-mail seem to assume that the recipients are mind readers or else are so familiar with everything happening, that they can take a sentence out of context and understand its relationship to the bigger picture.
Also, a preponderance of e-mail messages is sent under the subject heading “FYI,” which can make reviewing your morning e-mail frustrating, particularly if you receive many messages during the day. Instead, use a precise subject that tells readers exactly what the e-mail is about.
Here are some rules to follow when sending e-mail.
- Keep messages clear but concise.
- To help recipients prioritize e-mail, highlight at the top of the message whether your e-mail requires any type of action—for instance, “Performance Standards, for Your Review and Approval.”
- Make certain that your information is accurate. Because e-mail can be printed, archived, forwarded, and even broadcast, it becomes a permanent document with your name attached to it. Contrary to what the delete key says, e-mail is never permanently deleted and can be retrieved.
- Don’t send an e-mail if you are angry or emotional. Cool off, then review your response. You may find you want to send a more tactful message.
- Reread each e-mail for spelling errors and correct grammar. E-mail shouldn’t go out with misspellings, incomplete sentences, or grammatical errors any more than snail mail should.
- Be discriminating when attaching lengthy attachments. They take time to download as well as time to read.
- Consider the volume of e-mail a recipient receives before including them in a broadcast list.
- Be careful about identifying some e-mail as “urgent.” Use this warning sparingly. Otherwise, you may find yourself in the same predicament as the boy who cried wolf too often.
- If you have not had any correspondence with someone, introduce yourself with your first e-mail by identifying your company, area of interest, background, etc.
- If you e-mail someone only occasionally, use a greeting and a closing. If you are in constant and consistent e-contact with someone, not every message needs a greeting. However, a brief sign-off, like a simple “Thanks,” is polite.
- Add contact information at the bottom of your e-mail messages in each and every message you send. Include your name, title, e-mail address, company, phone and fax numbers, and company Web site address.
How should you manage the e-mail you receive?
It’s very easy to get caught up in your e-mail, checking almost every few minutes to see if you have another message. But that is a terrible waste of time. Better to check your e-mail about twice a day, more often only if you receive time- sensitive information. If you aren’t able to check your e-mail for a period of time, be sure to leave an outgoing message indicating the date when you will be reading and responding to your messages.
Separate attachments from e-mail and electronically file them. Don’t allow e-mail to accumulate to the point that your server cannot handle another message.
Did You Know . . . ?
Nearly 80 percent of people read their e-mail as soon as it arrives. They either don’t want to or don’t know how to disable the function on their computer that tells them as soon as they have new mail.
How Do You Rate?
Answer yes or no to each of these questions.
- Is your message immediately obvious?
- Does the average sentence length exceed 25 words?
- Does your writing contain lots of exclamation marks?
- Do your sentences or paragraphs start with the same word?
- Do you use capital letters for words that don’t need them?
- Do you use words or expressions more than once—words like actually, basically, really, generally, or very?
- Are there often spelling mistakes in documents you send?
- Do you try to be funny in correspondence with customers, vendors, or colleagues?
- Do you use jargon in your writing, regardless of the reader’s expertise in your field?
- Do you feel uneasy about your punctuation?
How many times did you answer yes? Seven to ten yes answers suggest that your writing may be difficult to follow and you need to work on your written communications. Four to seven yes responses suggest that you are halfway there but spending a little more time on your written communications would be worthwhile. Three or fewer yes responses, and your writing should be easy to follow; the effort you make to send precise, brief communications is likely appreciated by those who receive them.
Tips
- A printed version of a memo can be more effective than an electronic one when used to mark a shift in policy.
- The spell check feature is the first line of defense against errors but not the last. You are. Spell check is a useful tool, but it’s no substitute for a careful review by you. After all, if you choose the wrong word but spell it correctly, the spell check won’t spot the error. And it certainly won’t tell you if you misspelled someone’s name, a place, or a product.
- Use humor sparingly in your business communications, if at all. When you’re face to face, someone can tell you are joking. Not so when you joke on paper. You could offend someone unintentionally.