Effective E-mail Writing

7/29/2019 Effective E-mail Writing

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WRITING EFFECTIVE E-MAILS

A. TALAPATRA


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10 COMMON

E-MAIL HABITS THAT WASTE TIME AND CAUSE

PROBLEMS

1. Vague or nonexistent subject line2. Changing the topic without changing the subject

3. Including multiple subjects in one note

4. Sending before thinking

5. Inadvertent replying to all.

6. Omitting the context of a reply.

7. Shooting the messenger.

8. Misaddressed recipients.9. Displaying addresses of recipients who are

strangers to each other.

10. Replying vs. forwarding


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TOPICS

1. Addressing

2. Subject Line3. Message Text

4. Signature Line

5. Attachments6. Style

7. Confidentiality and Security

8. Managing Email

9. Dos and don'ts


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ADDRESSING

Limit to who really needs to know

Make it clear in text who has action and who is info

addressee

Use BCC to protect Email addresses unless

everyone knows each otherWatch Reply All

Use address book with mail groups & validate

often.

Avoid typing addresses free hand; many addresses are

similar; watch auto fill.

Send same message to multiple recipients by editing

message as new or cutting and pasting


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Make sure forward does not embarrass sender

Get permission if in doubt

Fill in addresses last to avoid sending an

incomplete Email by mistake


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SUBJECT LINE When someone scans through a new email, the only thinghe/she initially reads is the subject line. This helps the

recipient to decide whether to open, forward, file, or trasha message

The subject clearly summarizes your intentions forsending the mail

Keep it short - long subject lines will get truncated. Don't ever send an email with an empty subject line.

Don't have the subject as "Hi" or "Hello there" unless thepurpose of your email is to simply say hello.

If your reply is not relevant at all to the subject line, start anew thread with a fresh subject line which moreaccurately reflects the e-mails actual contents.


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SUBJECT LINE

Headline (think newspaper)

Grab Attention

Summarize message

Make it easy for recipients to triage your Email and

find it laterDont Reply All to a message to grab addressees

without changing subject


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RATE THESE SUBJECT LINES

1. Subject: Important! Read Immediately!!

2. Subject: Meeting3. Subject: Follow-up About Meeting

4. Subject: Announcement

5. Subject: Do we need a larger room for Socialmeeting on May 14?


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SALUTATION

The first line of your email should be a greeting, followedby an empty line and then your message body.

If it is the first time you are emailing somebody, "Hi(name)," should be preferred. Using "Dear (name)," is toostuffy and awkward.

Salutations are tricky, especially if you are crossingcultures

Frequently, titles are different for men and women, andyou may not be able to tell which you are addressing\

The family name is first in some cultures and last in others Honorifics may vary based on status or age

Make sure you have got all this right before you proceedwith the email.

E.g.: It is safer to use "Ms." instead of "Miss" or "Mrs."unless you know the preference of the woman inquestion.


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MESSAGE TEXT

Keep the message focused and readable

Keep the most important details at the top. Dont

bury them in the middle of a paragraph

Keep it short

Keep everything on one page (screen)Break into paragraphs

Leave blank lines between paragraphs

Use short sentences (12-15 words) and activevoice

Use plain text editor, not MS Word

Avoid fancy typefaces


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MESSAGE TEXT (CONTD.)

Often readers press reply as soon as they read a

sentence where they have something to say, andforget reading the rest of the mail

If there are more than one items, number the

points, to ensure they are readFinal sentence should provide a concrete action for

the receiver


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Write in standard professional English with

Capitalization and correct spelling. Dont try to impress.

Avoid chat speak, e.g., CUL8R & emoticons,.

Dont use abbreviations in business emailsDont type in All Caps like yelling.

Avoid !!!

Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT.

Use * * to highlight text if you must.

Proofread & spell check.


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Quote back selectively when replying to long

messages Yes, I agree. is useless without context

Top quote vs. bottom quote no consensus

Avoid Fisking, replying line by line in an argumentative

manner Identify yourself clearly to cold contacts

Hello, I amThe reason I am writing

Hello, so-in-so suggested I contact you

Respond Promptly Apologize if you dont

Interim reply when too busy

Dont shoot the messenger


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ATTACHMENTS

Use sparingly.

Cut and paste relevant parts of attachment into text ofEmail.

Use URL links instead. Upload attachments to website and cite URL.

Recipients who do not know you may be reluctant toopen attachments or click URLs

Post attachment first to avoid Oops, heres theattachment.

Trend is posting large attachments into blogs followed

by Email announcement. Gives people a chance to comment on attachment without a

series of Reply All messages.

Those interested can check comments or use RSS feed to benotified.


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SIGNATURE LINE Include (if you want people to contact you)

Your name Title Organization Email address (especially on listservs) Website Phones

Can be shortened for frequent correspondents orplaced in header of Email stationery

If you must include a quote in signature keep it short.

This message is intended for Clutters up Email.

Often longer than message. Omit unless your company requires it.

Avoid visiting cards because some readers treat themas attachments


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STYLE

Threads

Multiple replies can get out of hand, but continue them tomaintain the tread.

When they start to drift start a new thread withexplanation.

Be true to venue. Formal vs. informal

Dont Flame More common in chats and blogs, but still wrong.


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STYLE (CONTD.)

Forwarding stuff, e.g., chain letters

Avoid this as it annoys most people. Check address list before forwarding a Did you see

this? - They may have received it.

If you must forward, strip out addresses and use BCC to

hide your address list.Do not overuse high priority option.

Avoid delivery and read receipts.

Do not ask to recall a message. Just apologize and correct.

Do not copy a message or attachment withoutpermission.

Do not scoop someone elses message.


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STYLE (CONTD.)

Chill out!

Avoid sending a snarky reply to an irritating e-mail. Wait 24 hours.

Write, but dont send.

Dont reply at all and let them wonder.

Offer to speak by phone or in person; Email is not a goodtool for clearing the air.

Leave no record of sensitive or emotional responses.

Never say in Email what you wouldnt say in person or

would not like to see in the press or defend in court. Once you hit Send you have lost control of the Email.

You can never be certain that it was erased from alllocations. Think of all Email as Permanent.


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USE OF TO & CC FIELDS

Usually it is implied that if you have included

someone in the "To:" field, then s/he is an intended

recipient and should reply if required

If someone is in the "Cc:" field, then the email is

merely an FYI ('for your information') for him/her,

and he/she is not expected to reply

If you want a particular person to reply to a specific

part of your email, make that clear (e.g., Arjun,

could you forward me last week's budget?"), or ifyou want everyone to reply, you can say something

like "I would appreciate everyone's feedback about

my ideas.


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USE OF TO & CC FIELDS

When an email has more than one recipient, there

is the danger of nobody replying becauseeveryone thinks that someone else has already

replied. That is why "Reply to All" might be a good

idea to show that you have already replied so that

somebody else does not later duplicate the

information you have just provided.


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CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY

Dont assume privacy.

Unencrypted Email is not secure and may be monitored

Dont include in an unencrypted Email anything you

would not want a third party to read

Details of encrypting and digitally signing Email is

beyond the scope of this presentation


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CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY (CONTD.)Protecting yourself

1. Have a separate free Email account for newsletters,white paper registration, etc.

2. Delete browser history, cache, cookies, userids andpasswords after using a public Internet connection.

3. Logout and close all Apps after using a public Internetconnection. (Restart if possible.)

4.Dont conduct company business on non-securepersonal computer.

5. Back up your Email.

6. Beware of spam. If it sounds too good, it is.

Report it.7. Beware of Phishing attacks.

Forward them to customer service.

8. Never include personal or financial info in an Email.


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CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY (CONTD.)

9. Dont unsubscribe from anything you did not subscribeto.

10. Beware of friends Emails as they may pass malwareand viruses unintentionally

11. Install a good security suite on your personalcomputer.

Many ISPs, e.g., COMCAST, provide them free.12. Never share account info, even with family.

13. Use strong passwords. Encrypt them on a password protected thumb drive.

14. Encrypt wireless connections.15. Use encryption and digital signatures for important

Email.


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MANAGING EMAIL Organize Email into folders.

Use company file plan for in-house Email.

Keep a copy of all sent Email. Review and clean out folders periodically.

Good for rainy day or slow day at work.

Comply with company retention schedule.

Dont print Email unless you need to refer to itremotely.

Declare Email bankruptcy Inbox clogged with overdue responses.

Send Email to all correspondents apologizing for not replyingand asking them to resend important Email.

Delete all old messages in Inbox.

Then check your inboxes daily.


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MANAGING EMAIL (CONTD.)

Use separate Email channels for separate

communities: Professional

Business

In-house

Family and friends Hobbies and interests

Listservs


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MANAGING EMAIL (CONTD.)

Using web-based Email is the most flexible.

Hotmail, Gmail, AOL, Yahoo

But, cant access old mail unless connected.

Leave Email on server until you can download it to local

storage.

Use out of office agent when away.


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DOS

Write an informative subject line.

Be courteous. Put the key point of your message up front.

Be brief.

Make it easy for the reader to reply yes or no or

give a short answer. End well with an appropriate next step.

Wait and check before pressing 'send' Proof-read.

Make yourself look good online because youremail can be forwarded to anyone or everyoneelse in the company or anywhere.

Respond promptly.


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Don't leave the Subject Line blank

Don't use all capital letters Don't use emoticons or abbreviations

Don't send without checking for mistakes

Dont assume that people have time to read yourentire message

Dont think that an e-mail is good for everything

Dont write an e-mail when you are rushed

Effective E-mail Writing

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