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How many emails do you write each day?
How
much time do you spend ploughing through your
inbox?
Nowadays,
email is an important communication tool both for personal
and business use. We constantly communicate by email
with colleagues, superiors, suppliers,
customers, etc. and due to the fact that it's
so easy to forward an email to an endless
list of people, you never know in whose hands your
email might end up in. So, if you think about
it, it wouldn't shock you if I say that your
email is a powerful personal PR tool and that
how you write your email will influence the image people
have about you.
Now,
are you paying enough attention to the quality
of your email? Here are a few tips to take into account:
1.
Informative Subject Line.
Be concise but informative, this helps your
recipient to understand the content and they
can prioritize. Never send it blank.
2.
Use the spell check. Mistakes look
bad, they give an awful impression. You must
also re-read the text and make sure you don't make
any other grammatical mistakes, this just causes confusion
and your email more difficult to understand.
3.
Pay attention to your tone. People too
often reply rapidly to emails and this means
they transmit their emotions with much more ease
than with traditional letters. Take your time
and calm down before replying. DON'T WRITE
IN CAPS, THERE'S NO NEED TO SHOUT!
4.
Be conservative. In day-to-day business
it's best to be concise, brief and to the point, while
also being polite.
5.
Use the "reply" button.
How many times have you received an email that just
said OK! OK to what??? People are busy - and
if like me also forget with ease - so help to jog
their memories by including their message.
6.
Urgent tag.
If you're one of those who always send their email
with the urgent label, I would just like to let you
know that NO-ONE TAKES ANY NOTICE (sorry for
shouting).
7.
Organise the information. If you are asking
various questions - or even answering them - be schematic
and help your reader follow you. When answering questions
it's also best to summarise each question before your
answer.
8.
Be careful what you forward.
Someone else's email could be offensive depending
on who receives it, edit it if necessary.
9.
I believe it's best to leave
the graphics and emoticons for friends
and family.
10.
Sign off professionally. Work on a signature
that looks smart and professional, it's good
for your image.
Here
are just a few tips that I hope will help you to reflect
on the importance of email writing. Although emails
are normally shorter, they should be written with the
same care and caution than traditional letters,
it's your professional image that's at stake.
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