Monday 7 November 2011

Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips - By: Dennis G. Jerz and Jessica Bauer, on March 8th, 2011

Most forms of communication nowadays is instant but lack proper form of writing and this can lead to misinterpretation which could result in strained relationships between sender and receiver.
This article lists 10 ways to write effective emails which will result in the proper communication of the intended message. The following are the 10 tips:

1.      Write a meaningful subject line- If it’s too vague or empty then the receiver may not even open it.

2.      Keep the message focused- Email may contain more than one message and this can cause a problem because once the reader reads the first message, they will automatically assume that the rest of the email is a continuance of the same message. If you have more than one message then separate it or keep one message per one email.

3.      Avoid attachments- It is beneficial to copy and paste the contents into the email instead of attachment because most often people forget that something was attached or may lack the programs required to open the email.

4.      Identify yourself clearly- your first and last name is more than enough.

5.      Be kind. Don’t flame- A person may be writing in anger but you have to weigh your words carefully because this one email may cause you to lose your job or friend forever.

6.      Proofread- Make message look professional.

7.      Don’t assume privacy- Don’t send anything that you wouldn’t want your name attached to.
8.      Distinguish between formal and informal situations- If you’re writing to a friend its ok to put in smiley faces and abbreviations but not when sending an email to a professional person.

9.      Respond promptly- Respond ASAP, even if you write “sorry, I’m busy right now”, this will not make the receiver wait for a long time.

10.  Show respect and restraint- Email is not private so be careful when sending it to large groups of people.



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