October 1, 2009
Crafting a Clear, Well-Organized Email Message
Less intrusive than a phone call and faster than sending a letter, emailing is far and away the most popular of all Internet activities. The way you write an email says a lot about you so be aware of the rules for communicating clearly, observe good email etiquette - or netiquette, as it is sometimes called - and you're sure to be thought of as a good email citizen.
TIP #1 – A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION: Since email may be your introduction to someone you've never met before, take your time putting together a well-written message. In a business email, remember to use a signature with your contact information as a courtesy to your reader and to avoid the necessity of second or third e-mails asking for your phone number or mailing address. Remember; after you hit the send button you won't get a second chance to make a good first impression!
TIP #2 – WELL-CRAFTED: Whether you're writing to someone you've never met, a known business associate or an old friend, be thoughtful and organized in how you craft your message. Making the first sentence of your email strong and clear is the best way to ensure that your second sentence gets read! You should know why yo'’re writing the email and be straightforward about what response or action you need from the recipient and when you will need it. Be sure to include that information near the top of the message so a busy recipient doesn't overlook it.
TIP #3 – DOs & DON'Ts: Make sure that your spelling and grammar are correct. Use your spell/grammar checker, but understand that if you're using the incorrect spelling for a particular use of a word, i.e. two vs. too, spell checker won't flag it. Don’t guess how a word is spelled, if you're not sure; look it up. That's what online dictionaries are for! It's all right to use contractions, but avoid using slang in a business setting and under no circumstances should you use offensive language. Plz don't abbrvt. words that aren't normally abbreviated. It's fine for personal email, but business email should be more formal. Don't write in ALL CAPS. They’re harder to read and are the digital equivalent of shouting. On the other hand, don't type everything in lower case in a business email; it makes you look unprofessional and lazy.
TIP #4 – CHECK IT TWICE: Re-read emails out loud before you send them. Your ears will often catch something that your eyes have missed or a word or two your fingers might have dropped while racing to transcribe a thought and keep up with your brain! Errors will make you look careless and carelessly composed messages that don't respect the recipient's time and attention are a turn-off and don't encourage careful responses in return.
TIP #5 – MORE DOs & DON'Ts: Make sure your tone is polite and friendly, but gets across your intended meaning. Avoid redundancy, wordiness that wastes the readers' time or jargon they may not understand; use simple language. Get your point across quickly, but make sure not to leave out important details. Because cliches are so common, readers can become desensitized to them. Avoid them if you want your writing to be memorable.
TIP #6 – HELP YOURSELF FIRST: Before you contact someone asking for help, make sure you’ve done what you can to try and help yourself first. Let them know what you've tried and what the results were. Usually people can tell when you're taking the lazy way out and they generally won't appreciate or respond kindly to it.
TIP #7 – ATTENTION GETTERS: One of the best ways you can capture the reader's attention and let him or her know why you're writing is by composing a strong subject line. Instead of generic subject lines like "Hi", "By the way", "Just wondering", "One more thing', etc., write subject lines with identifiers or tip-off words like REMINDER, REQUEST, HELP, RESCHEDULE, ACTION, INFO, etc. and a short summary, i.e. "RESCHEDULE: Harry can't make the meeting." This will help the reader categorize your email.
TIP #8 – TIME SAVERS: If you're only relating a single fact or asking a single question, use the subject line exclusively to relate your message. You can let the recipient know that's what you’re doing by adding (EOM) - (End of Message) - at the end of it. This indicates that the whole message is contained in the subject line and it isn't necessary to open up the email. People who get a lot of email will appreciate this kind of time saving heads-up.
TIP #9 – MAKE 'EM HAPPY: Another good way to improve your message's chance for success is to try to write it so concisely that it requires no scrolling on the recipient's part. Who doesn't love emails like that!
TIP #10 – REPEAT PERFORMANCE: If you can't fit everything you have to say in one email, send another one, again with a strong subject line and opener. This makes it easier for a reader to scan subject lines later on and find the message if they need it again and increases the likelihood of a response.
TIP #11 – TIMELY & THOUGHTFUL: Email doesn't require instantaneous action on the recipient's part, but you should try to reply in as timely a manner as possible so you don't run the risk of being thought of as rude or disinterested. There are differing opinions about whether or not it's necessary to respond with a "Thank you" or a "You’re welcome" email whenever someone does what you asked or thanks you. It's really a matter of personal preference, but I would err on the side of politeness.
TIP #12 – CONTEXT MATTERS: If you're following-up on or responding to an email that's more than a couple of days old, be sure to indicate that fact and be specific about what you're referencing.
TIP #13 – REAL TIME: Don't assume that you have to reply to an email with an email. If a phone call or a face-to-face meeting would better serve the communication between you or you find that emailing back-and-forth isn't bringing you closer to closure on a topic, call the person and talk through the issues in real time.
TIP #14 – LESS IS MORE: The more people you send an email to, the less likely any single person will respond to it or perform any action you request. The people you include in the "To" field should be only the people you expect to read and reply to the message. The "CC" ("Carbon Copy" – from the days when carbon paper was used to make one or more copies simultaneously during the creation of paper documents) field should be used sparingly and only for those people who have a need to stay in the know. The people you include in the "BCC" ("Blind Carbon Copy") field will not be visible to any of the other recipients. Don't overuse "Reply All" as this just adds clutter to everyone"s inbox. Your automatic default response should be to reply only to the actual sender. Before you reply to everyone, make sure that everyone has a need to know.
TIP #15 – WHAT'S IN A NAME: Like it or not, people do and will make assumptions about you based on your email address. Cute or racy email addresses might very well describe you and the people who know you might understand where you're coming from or be amused, but would a prospective employer? If you like your cute or racy email address and don't want to change it, then I would suggest getting a second one for business use. If your Internet service provider only gives you one email address, sign-up for a free account from a web-based email service like Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail, etc.
TIP #16 – GETTING ATTACHED: Many readers hesitate to open email attachments they are'’t expecting - even from someone they know - because attachments often carry viruses. You may not even know you're sending your reader a virus. In fact, you may not even know you're sending your reader an email! Unfortunately, there are lots of computer viruses out there that cause your email program to send everyone in your address book an infected file. Get permission from your recipient first before attaching a file to your message. At least that way, they'll know to expect it.
Professional Organizer in New York City |
Professional Organizer in NYC Professional Organizer in New York | Professional Organizer in NY
Professional Organizer in Manhattan
C
o
p
y
r
i
g
h
t
©
2005 - 2010
MILLER ORGANIZING. All rights reserved.
14 Stuyvesant Oval
NYC, NY 10009
MILLER ORGANIZING. All rights reserved.
14 Stuyvesant Oval
NYC, NY 10009