Thursday, January 16, 2014

Writing Effective E-mails

 


Increasingly,  e-mails are the primary mode of communication, for better or worse.   While they are not ideal for collaboration and we have all heard the complaints about e-mail overload,  they are a convenient and often necessary tool.     Therefore it is important to know how to write a good one.
The points that follow deal with business and professional e-mails, not personal communication.

The top ten tips for writing an effective e-mail message:

  1. Have an e-mail address that is recognizable.   It should be in English.
  2. Have a clear and specific subject in the subject line
  3. Within the body of the message,  remember that important stuff goes first.
  4. Be brief.  Paragraphs should be short and to the point.  Normally,  4 or 5 paragraphs are the limit.
  5. Do not use social media slang and abbreviations (ex. plz, LOL,  u)
  6. Be polite.  Avoid using all capitals as means the equivalent of shouting.
  7. Begin the message with a greeting or salutation.  
  8. Close the message with  an appropriate sign-off and your name.   Some suitable sign-offs include:  Best regards;  Regards; Best wishes;  All the best;  Thank you;  or simply write your name alone.
  9. Include a signature block as the final piece of information on the e-mail.  This shows pertinent information such as your full name,  title/position,  company,  contact information.
  10. Remember your reader.   What you know, they may not know.  If you cannot communicate sufficiently in an e-mail what they need to know,  then perhaps e-mail is not the best medium of communication.  Try a face to face chat,  or a phone call.
 
And remember that e-mail is not necessarily private, and it can last for a very long time.  Never write anything in an e-mail that could get you in trouble if it were to get in the wrong hands (read by the wrong eyes).



Some handy web links:

A powerpoint presentation about effective e-mail

101 e-mail etiquette tips 

Business writing tips

Business e-mail examples

More business e-mail samples







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