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Learning the dos and don'ts of email
Despite the widescale adoption of wikis, blogs, intranets and other forms of internet communication, email remains the killer app that keeps us all in touch.
Sending an email has become as natural as drawing breath.
In fact, we are inundated with emails, both wanted and unwanted. We have sophisticated filtering technologies that help keep most spam at bay, yet most of us remain buried in email and struggle to keep up on the correspondence.
Here are some Dos and Don'ts to help you cope.
Do be concise. I hate having to read through a weather report of the scores of last night's match before I get to the point of the email.
Keep it short and simple.
Don't leave questions unanswered. Give all the necessary information to pre-empt a reply email asking questions. Your reader will appreciate the efficiency. Make sure you answer the 5Ws (who, what, where, why, when plus how) in your email messages. Doing this will cut email volumes significantly.
Do learn to spell, punctuate and use proper grammar. I've been known to use 'short' spellings (tho') and shortforms (BTW) in my emails and I admit it's bad form. But at least these are intentional. I am constantly amazed at the number of emails I receive that the sender hasn't bothered to run a spell check.
Do be personal. Leave the formal language to lawyers and write conversationally and make sure the content of your email is customised to each recipient. That way you don't need to be worried about spam filters and you save time by sending only relevant information.
Do use templates. If you tend to get asked the same questions time and again, like directions to your office or payment terms, feel free to use response templates.
As long are you are fully answering the question, this is a great way to save time and effort.
Don't delay. What people love about email is its immediacy and people expect to receive a reply within 24 hours or even the same working day.
Leave it longer than that, and you can expect another email message asking if the first one arrived.
Don't use attachments if you can help it. Not only is this a surefire way to get caught in spam filters, you will burden the email system of the recipient.
Don't be urgent. Just because you think something is urgent, doesn't mean the recipient will agree. If everything you send has an ! in the priority line, not only with the indicator become meaningless, you come across as aggressive and impatient.
Don't shout. WRITING IN CAPITAL LETTERS IS LIKE YELLING IN YOUR READER'S EAR. IT'S JUST RUDE.
Do include the message thread. This gives context and saves a lot of time. A busy sender might not remember the details of a request; and its good to keep everything together.
Do add a disclaimer. This can limit liability and eliminate risk, especially if the sender is unaware he is spreading a virus, or a rogue employee is using company resources for other purposes, like pushing racist or obscene materials.
Do use 'reply to all' sparingly. This practice alone would cut email volumes significantly if everyone would practice it. Only send information to those who need it.
Do use emoticons with care. Email strips much of the non-verbal communication that humans convey when having a conversation. A busy person who is banging out many emails as part of their day to day work can unwittingly come across as unfriendly. Using the occasional smiley face reassures the recipient that no offence is intended.
Don't forward chain letters. Ever!
Don't copy or forward a message without permission. You could be breaking a confidence or even risk breaking copyright laws. I once had an email I'd sent posted on someone's blog. It made me feel violated and vulnerable.
Do think about the subject line. Emails sent without a subject line or ones whose subject doesn't reflect the content risk ending up in a black hole, forever 'unfindable' in the recipient's in box.
Do avoid using cc. Copying in the whole world just propagates the glut of email. Send information only to those who need it!
>>Sherrilynne Starkie is the managing partner of Strive Public Relations, a strategic communications consultancy serving the Isle of Man. Visit her business blog, Strive Notes for frequent updates www.strivepr.com/notes or follow her on twitter.com/sherrilynne.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: South
