email writing ready, set, guess the problem! before writing the email make a plan! think about the...
TRANSCRIPT
EMAIL WRITING
Ready, Set, Guess the problem!
BEFORE WRITING THE EMAIL
Make a plan!
Think about the purpose of the email
Think about the person who will read the email and how you want him or her to react
Make an outline or list of the main points and details you want to include in the email
Double check any facts, dates, times, or other specific details that will be included in the email
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DOING BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE
Who are you writing to and what is your relationship with the person?
If the person you are writing to is in a higher position than you, your email should use more formal language than if the person is someone in the same level position than you.
If you have never met the person receiving your email before, you should use formal language in the first email to him or her.
Once you have sent the first email and received a reply, you can choose to continue using formal language or choose to use less formal language in future emails.
WHAT IS THE SITUATION?Think about the reason you are sending the email and decide if formal or informal language is better.
If you are requesting a service or asking a favor, you should use formal language.
If you are making a complaint, you should use strong words to express your dissatisfaction or problem but you must be polite.
If you are introducing yourself, you should use formal language but you can use words or phrases that let your personality show through as well.
If you are writing a customer relation letter, you should use formal language.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH?
Think about the reason for writing the email and what you want the person who receives the email to do with it.
If you want the receiver to do something for you, make it clear. Tell the receiver exactly what action you want done.
Tell the receiver if no action needs to be taken.
If you want the receiver to respond by a certain date, write the response date.
If you are negotiating or rearranging a meeting, write your demands or available times clearly.
Some things to remember when writing business emails
GET RIGHT TO THE POINT
Don’t use unnecessary words and phrases that distract from the main idea of the email or may
confuse the reader
The person reading your email does not have a lot of time to read your email so you must make it as direct as possible.
Make the reason for writing the email clear at the beginning and only add details that are directly related to the topic of the email.
USE SIMPLE SENTENCES
Avoiding difficult or complex sentence structures will help you avoid grammatical mistakes.
Simple sentences will make the email easier for your reader to understand, especially if the person reading the email is not a native English speaker.
PAY ATTENTION TO WORD CHOICE
Remember that writing is a form of indirect communication. Unlike having a conversation with someone, you do not have a chance to clarify yourself by restating your ideas or use nonverbal cues to make your meaning clear. You have to make sure your reader understands what you want to say and gets the right “message” the first time.
Use words that are specifically related to the topic but define any words or phrases that you think the reader might not be familiar with, especially words that are specific to a certain type of job, field of study or product.
Think about how the email might be perceived by the reader. Are there any words or phrases that may make the tone seem angry, flippant or disrespectful?
Avoid trying to make a joke or say something funny in an email. Sometimes what you think is funny might be misunderstood by the reader and create a bad relationship.
THE SUBJECT OF THE EMAIL
Always write the subject of the email on the subject line
Remember that business people often receive hundreds of emails every day. If you don’t write the subject in the subject line the person receiving the email might think it is SPAM or junk email and delete the message. If the subject isn’t clear they might delete the email as well, so make sure the subject is direct-don’t use too many words.
THE FOUR PARTS OF A BUSINESS EMAIL
The Opening Tells the reader why you are writing
The Focus Tells the details about the topic
The Action Tells what you want to happen and gives a time frame
The Closing Thank the reader and mention future communication
BASIC EMAIL FORMAT
The receiver’s email address
Carbon copy
Blind carbon copy
Email subject
Type your email message in the text box, then click send and it will be sent to the receivers you have indicated in the to, Cc, and Bcc areas.
EMAIL ETIQUETTE
WHY IS EMAIL ETIQUETTE IMPORTANT?
We all interact with the printed word as though it has a personality and that personality makes positive and negative impressions upon us.
Without immediate feedback your document can easily be misinterpreted by your reader, so it is crucial that you follow the basic rules of etiquette to construct an appropriate tone.
THE ELEMENTS OF EMAIL ETIQUETTE
General formatWriting long
messagesAttachmentsThe curse of
surprises
FlamingDelivering
informationDelivering bad
newsElectronic Mailing
Lists
GENERAL FORMAT: THE BASICS
Write a salutation for each new subject email.
Try to keep the email brief (one screen length).
Return emails within the same time you would a phone call.
Check for punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors
Use caps only when appropriate.
Format your email for plain text rather than HTML.
Use a font that has a professional or neutral look.
GENERAL FORMAT: CHARACTER SPACING
Try to keep your line length at 80 characters or less. If your message is likely to be forwarded, keep it to 60
characters or less. Set your email preferences to automatically wrap
outgoing plain text messages.
GENERAL FORMAT: LISTS AND BULLETS
When you are writing directions or want to emphasise important points, number your directions or bullet your main points.
For example,1) Place the paper in
drawer A.2) Click the green
“start” button.Another example, • Improve customer
satisfaction.• Empower
employees.
GENERAL FORMAT: TONE
• Write in a positive tone
“When you complete the report.” instead of “If you complete the report.”
• Avoid negative words that begin with “un, non, “ex” or that end with “less” (useless, non-existent, ex-employee, undecided).
• Use contractions to add a friendly tone.
(don’t, won’t, can’t).
ATTACHMENTS
When you are sending an attachment tell your respondent what the name of the file is, what program it is saved in, and the version of the program.
“This file is in MSWord 2000 under the name “LabFile.”
WHEN YOUR MESSAGE IS LONG
Create an “elevator” summary. Provide a table of contents on the first screen of your
email. If you require a response from the reader then be
sure to request that response in the first paragraph of your email.
Create headings for each major section.
ELEVATOR SUMMARY AND TABLE OF CONTENTS
An elevator summary should have all the main components of the email.
“Our profit margin for the last quarter went down 5%. As a result I am proposing budget adjustment for the following areas…”
Table of contents
“This email contains
A. Budget projections for the last quarter
B. Actual performance for the last quarter
C. Adjustment proposal
D. Projected profitability”
DELIVERING INFORMATION ABOUT MEETINGS, ORIENTATIONS, PROCESSES
Include an elevator summary and table of contents with headings.
Provide as much information as possible.
Offer the reader an opportunity to receive the information via mail if the email is too confusing.
DELIVERING BAD NEWS
Deliver the news up front.
Avoid blaming statements.
Avoid hedging words or words that sound ambiguous.
Maintain a positive resolve.
DELIVERING BAD NEWS
Deliver the news up front:
“We are unable to order new computers this quarter due to budget cuts.”
Avoid blaming:“I think it will be hard to
recover from this, but what can I do to help?”
Avoid using “weasel words” or hedging:
“Our pricing structure is outdated.”
More examples of hedging are:
Intents and purposesPossibly, most likelyPerhaps, maybe
WRITING A COMPLAINT
• You should briefly state the history of the problem to provide context for your reader.
• Explain the attempts you made previously to resolve the problem.
• Show why it is critical for the problem to be resolved by your reader.
• Offer suggestions on ways you think it can be resolved or how you are willing to help in the matter.
WRITING A COMPLAINT
Briefly state the history:“The current way we
choose officers for our organisation is not democratic. As a result, we have a popularity contest that does not always get us the best candidates.”
Show attempts made by you thus far to resolve the issue:
“I have offered two alternatives for officer selection that still involves the votes of the members but both have been rejected by the executive board.”
WRITING A COMPLAINT
Show why it is important for your reader to get involved:
“This is a problem for two reasons. First, I am concerned that the executive board no longer protects the interests of the organisation and that their actions are not in keeping with the constitution of the organisation.
Second, there have been a number of complaints from the members who feel that their concerns and preferences are not being addressed by the executive board, which decreases morale and productivity.”
WRITING A COMPLAINT
Ask for help and offer a resolution:
“Please let me know what other options I may have overlooked. I am willing to meet with the department head and the executive board to seek out a solution that is fair to the members and is good for the business of the organisation. ”
DO NOT TAKE YOUR READER BY SURPRISE OR PRESS THEM TO THE WALL
• Do not wait until the end of the day to introduce a problem or concern via memo or email.
• Avoid writing a litany of concerns that you have been harboring for a long period of time.
FLAMING IN EMAILS
• Flaming is a virtual term for venting or sending inflammatory messages in email.
• Avoid flaming because it tends to create a great deal of conflict that spirals out of control.
• Flame fights are the equivalent of food fights and tend to affect observers in a very negative way.
• What you say cannot be taken back; it is in black and white.
KEEP FLAMING UNDER CONTROL
• Before you send an email message, ask yourself, “would I say this to this person’s face?”
• Calm down before responding to a message that offends you. Once you send the message it is gone.
Read your message twice before you send it and assume that you may be misinterpreted when proofreading.
RESPONDING TO A FLAME
Empathise with the sender’s frustration and tell them they are right if that is true
If you feel you are right, thank them for bringing the matter to your attention
Explain what led to the problem in question
Avoid getting bogged down by details and minor arguments
If you are aware that the situation is in the process of being resolved let the reader know at the top of the response
Apologise if necessary
WHEN EMAIL WON’T WORK There are times when
you need to take your discussion out of the virtual world and make a phone call.
If things become very heated, a lot of misunderstanding occurs, or when you are delivering very delicate news then the best way is still face-to face.
ABBREVIATIONSOnly use common abbreviations or abbreviations you
are sure the reader will understand!
Examples• i.e. (id est) … • e.g. (exempli gratia) …• NB (nota bene) …• PS (postscript) …• BTW (by the way)• asap (as soon as possible)
OTHER ABBREVIATED FORMS
Do not treat email as text messaging!
Cul8r = ?
Qty = ?
Rec’d = ?
Pls = ?
Wd = ?
Hv = ?
Otoh = ?
Bw = ?
BE CAREFUL ……
Don't send private messages with the company account
Use BCC if necessary Be professional. Ensure your work emails don't contain
'u', ‘cul8r', ‘ru', and/or several million other texting/chatroom acronyms
Check tone Don't use email when you are angry Get clarification Quoting – Cut and paste the most relevant sentence
from the message to which you are responding
Use meaningful subject lines Be brief Summarise Don’t cheat with templates Use 'Reply All' only when necessary Remember the telephone! If it's urgent, say so On vacation? Generate an “out of office” reply. Proofread!!!
EMAIL TIPS Greetings and closings
Reply all
“Are you happy for ANYONE to read your email?” test
Email lists
Organisation – formatting
Not revising
Attachments
Immediacy vs. convenience
To, Cc, Bcc