EMAIL WRITING
How many emails do you write each day?
How much time do you spend ploughing through your inbox?
Nowadays, email is an important communication tool both for personal and business use. We constantly communicate by email with colleagues, superiors, suppliers, customers, etc. and due to the fact that it's so easy to forward an email to an endless list of people, you never know in whose hands your email might end up in. So, if you think about it, it wouldn't shock you if I say that your email is a powerful personal PR tool and that how you write your email will influence the image people have about you.
Now, are you paying enough attention to the quality of your email? Here are a few tips to take into account:
1. Informative Subject Line. Be concise but informative, this helps your recipient to understand the content and they can prioritize. Never send it blank.
2. Use the spell check. Mistakes look bad, they give an awfulimpression. You must also re-read the text and make sure you don't make any other grammatical mistakes, this just causes confusion and your email more difficult to understand.
3. Pay attention to your tone. People too often reply rapidly to emails and this means they transmit their emotions with much more ease than with traditional letters. Take your time and calm downbefore replying. DON'T WRITE IN CAPS, THERE'S NO NEED TO SHOUT!
4. Be conservative. In day-to-day business it's best to be concise, brief and to the point, while also being polite.
5. Use the "reply" button. How many times have you received an email that just said OK! OK to what??? People are busy - and if like me also forget with ease - so help to jog their memories by including their message.
6. Urgent tag. If you're one of those who always send their email with the urgent label, I would just like to let you know that NO-ONE TAKES ANY NOTICE (sorry for shouting).
7. Organise the information. If you are asking various questions - or even answering them - be schematic and help your reader follow you. When answering questions it's also best to summarise each question before your answer.
8. Be careful what you forward. Someone else's email could be offensive depending on who receives it, edit it if necessary.
9. I believe it's best to leave the graphics and emoticons for friends and family.
10. Sign off professionally. Work on a signature that looks smart and professional, it's good for your image.
Here are just a few tips that I hope will help you to reflect on the importance of email writing. Although emails are normally shorter, they should be written with the same care and caution than traditional letters, it's your professional image that's at stake.
