In this day and age where email usage is so prevalent, sometimes people get lazy and forget to construct the best message they can. Email can be used in business as well as for personal use. However, with email handling so much communication, people take advantage of it and fail to put a coherent thought together. The following are some tips that will help you build a polite email.
For starters, be concise. In this arena, less means more. Expert say any message of more than 100 lines is considered long and will probably not be read. Some companies are taxed for every second of internet connection, so they will not be happy to accept messages that are too long.
Be careful with attachment. Don't use it to send a short message. Use it to augment your message or to send work or another project. Attachments can be tricky so be sure to use them wisely. It's also a good idea to let the party know what the attachment is for. Many people are wary of attachments as they have been known to contain viruses. Some business have a firewall set up to intercept attachments so depending on the type it is, it may not even reach its destination.
Know who you are sending the email to. You need to pay close attention when you address an email to multiple recipients. First, be sure that everyone on the list needs the information that you are sending. If there are people that don't need the message or if it doesn't apply, then you may have to deal with some angry people. No one wants their inbox cluttered with junk mail. Also be sure that the addresses are current. Take the time to check the addresses every so often and make necessary updates.
Be careful what you write. Again, since email use is so widespread, it's easy to become very familiar with the message. However, not everyone appreciates such informal notes. If you are not addressing a person you know, then don't use short phrases. It may also seem unprofessional to use emoticons, so avoid them. Once you construct your email run a spellcheck to make sure everything is correct. Emails with a lot of mistakes don't look good and make a bad impression.
Formatting problems. Not all email programs are created equal. With this being the case, stick to the easiest format available. Email is for communication, not a design exercise. Simplicity is usually the best way to go.
Starting and finishing. Be sure to start your message with a proper opening. Many times people jump right into the body of the email. It looks better to have a simple opening such as 'Dear' or 'Hello'. Both are appropriate. You can choose to end with 'Sincerely' or if you want something more informal, go with 'All the best' or 'Yours truly'.
This simple guideline is sometimes enough to keep internal business communications focused on the task at hand. But often, this basic instruction is not enough to make email between colleagues as efficient and suitable to the work environment as should be required. In those cases, office workers, home-based workers, managers and administrators alike need more specific instructions about what email subjects are appropriate for business correspondence and which are not.
The following five email etiquette guidelines are a great starting place for what not to discuss when writing business email correspondence:
1. Angry Emails - If there are problems serious enough within the work system to cause real anger, the issues should be dealt with face-to-face in a way outlined by company policy. As an example of what not to discuss in work email, one counselor/trainer urges workers and staff members not to gossip or complain about a fellow worker's lack of production, way of doing a job or even something unconnected to the business, such as personal habits. This type of message has a way of hurting the sender as much as anyone involved.
2. Disciplinary Matters - Some of the most damaging content in email concerns disciplinary action, whether that action involves the email sender or another person in the organization. Stating one's opinion about disciplinary action taken against another worker may become part of future discussions and ultimately hurt more than feelings. Managers and supervisors may consciously use such "evidence" in future personnel matters.
3. Illegal Subjects or Discussions - Discussions about activities that are illegal in nature should never be part of business email messages. This can include threats against an individual, dealings in unlawful objects or drugs, racist comments or inflammatory speech. This should be common sense to most email users but surprisingly is not. If the subject is not something you would feel comfortable discussing with your direct superior, or your mother for that matter, it probably shouldn't be discussed at all.
4. Sexual Relationship Issues - Even as "harmless" gossip, communications involving these issues should not be part of email messages. These items can offend recipients of the email as well as anyone that may inadvertently read the message. Legal culpability is also a concern in this area due to the rise of detailed policies against sexual harassment within the workplace.
5. Personal Information - Rather than being a specific "thing" not to discuss, many of those who counsel and train in the field of business communications strongly urge that all business email messages should be free of personal information. Some studies indicate that 80 percent of all email could be considered spam. In a similar way, much of the work email sent each day, with content about where to eat, what show to see, etc. is basically unnecessary.
Email recipients will always embrace communications that are focused, concise, and to the point. If, at any time, it seems that the direction of an email message leads itself towards any of the five subjects discussed above, it would be best to end the session, delete the message and start over. (Or, better yet, not send it at all.) To quote a variation on an old proverb, "speech may be fleeting, but email is forever." Make sure your words don't leave the wrong indelible impression. The winner may just be your career.
Casey Markee has sinced written about articles on various topics from Recreation Vehicle RV, Credit Cards and Travel and Leisure. Casey Markee is a consultant with worldwide security provider GWAVA. Visit them online for information on their new. Casey Markee's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.