Formulating a well-executed and thoughtful message is a precious skill. Industry analysis state that an average professional spends roughly 28 percent of the workday reading and responding to information. Spending so much time just transmitting data can lead to an incorrectly drafted response slipping through if the message is not proofread. Keep in mind when framing emails that the recipient doesn’t know the tone of your voice. Even a straightforward answer can be considered unresistant, confrontational, or disrespectful to others when worded poorly. It is sensible and advised to pause, take a step back , and reread the drafted content before hitting the ‘Send’ key. Here are some suggestions that can secure a good start …
Spell Check
When writing to somebody new, make Certain you spell their name accurately. People don’t like it when you misspell their name. Initiating communication with a misspelled name will set a downbeat tone for your correspondence moving forward. Ensuring the name is spelled correctly, you also want to ascertain that there are no typos in the communication. One effortless tool is the Grammarly application, a codifying adjunct that examines spellings, grammar, punctuation, clarity, and much more. Grammarly provides both free and paid services depending on your need.
Formatting
A well-executed email is easy to read and unambiguous. If the email is wordy, bullet points and bolded words can become your best companions in emphasizing the context of the email. Avoid wordy emails if you want the recipient to notice your questions.
Maybe Don’t Telegraph
Email has its advantages, however, its not needed all the time; a phone call a video call will suffice. If you need to have a commodity based conversation that demands a particular style, pick up the phone and make the call. You don’t want to spend the afterlife going back and forth with emails when a simple phone call would have sufficed.
When Emotional, Pause
Been there, done that! Emails that truly push your buttons by being amateur and downright rude. It can be compelling to reply with an all-out assault of angry and defensive drafts. Don’t do it! Instead, take some time to sit back, review the problem, and respond calmly and professionally. Comprehend this; the ‘Recall Message’ option doesn’t always work. You’re better off taking a step back and requesting someone you trust for advice on how to address the situation and replying to it once you’re clearheaded and rejuvenated.
Be Conservative About Humor
Unless you know the recipient well and comprehend their sense of humor, limit to trying to be funny in your emails. Humor can easily be lost in paraphrasing when it’s not linked to your facial expressions or tone. When in distrustfulness, leave it out.
While enterprises lean on multiple modes of communication, email remains a practical and favored means of communication. The decision to work remotely post the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially boosted the dependency on email to collect, store, and transfer data.
We hope you found the information in this blog helpful. Knowing the rules of business email etiquette will allow every professional to communicate effectively.
EMAIL ETIQUETTE TIPS
