In a
short span of less than 10 years, e-mail has occupied
a prime position among communication media. More
and more people are adding e-mail addresses in
their visiting cards and letter-heads everyday
than anytime in the past. However, awareness about
generally accepted standards and practices in
e-mail communication is still inadequate.
Like every other communication medium
- e-mail has its own norms and conventions. Failure
to observe these norms and conventions may invite
receiver's ire. Worse, the receiver may even mistake
an inadvertent omission as bad behaviour or deliberate
insult.
We receive on an average 500 e-mails
everyday. This is a unique experience to come
across so many styles, manners, fashions and vocabulary.
It also gives us an opportunity to find the most
common mistakes, gaffe and error of judgment.
CAPITAL
Letters
By far, the most prevalent mistake
in e-mail communication is to use ALL CAPITAL
letters. I guess the practice originated in telex
days where communication used to be in upper-case
only for better readability or limitation in keyboard.
However, the world has gone so far ahead that
such practice is construed as bad manners in e-mail
communication today. Using capital letters in
e-mail means SHOUTING - know what I mean ? So
use capital letters only when you wish to SHOUT
at the recipient !!
No
Subject
Absence of subject reflects a carelessness
or lack of attention. If you wish to inject seriousness
in your communication - make sure your e-mail
has a subject that is not only relevant but specific
(no broad ambiguous words).
Uncontrolled
line length
Some e-mails come in a single line
- all of one page communication - without any
break !! Imagine the discomfort of the reader.
This happens if you and your recipient have different
"wrap" settings, or in cut-paste operation. Keep
your lines short (60 or so characters max), hit
key at every line break.
Unwanted
file attachment
In this age of countless e-mail viruses
being carried through attachments - file attachments
are generally looked upon with suspicion. Your
attachment may be perfectly OK, free from any
virus - but the receiver may not be so confident
or willing to try. Moreover, file attachments
make e-mails bulky and many users put a limit
on maximum size of e-mails to be received. Bulky
e-mails, in such cases, never reaches the recipient.
It is a good practice to seek recipient's permission
before sending file attachment.
Unnecessary
Quote
Quoting sender's mail completely
while responding (unless the mail is in response
to the quote or there is a specific reason) is
positively irritating. Some people even use Sent
mailbox as address book - picking up any past
mail to write to its sender. Every e-mail software
provides address book which is not only fast and
convenient - but extremely simple to use. A little
investment in time and effort will result in a
business address book that can save considerable
time and make your business communication precise.
Stiff, formal
language
Actual "tone" of your e-mail can
make a difference in the responses you receive.
A conversational, informal tone may get a response
much more quickly than using stiff, formal language.
Use short sentences in direct speech as much as
possible.
Difficult
Formatting
Long, unstructured text is difficult
to read - more so on a computer screen. Use paragraphs
to structure your message appropriately. Long
paragraphs and run on sentences are inappropriate
for e-mails. Breaking up your paragraphs simply
makes them easier to read. Scrolling down a long
paragraph can be a pain in the eyes ! Sheer boredom
can make recipient just stop reading ! Keeping
your message short and to the point guarantees
they'll get your message, or at least they're
more likely to attempt to read it! A page full
of text can be daunting!
Use
e-mail to build relationship and trust
E-mail is a powerful communications
tool. Make sure your e-mail communications are
well received and are actually read. The tone
and content of your message should be able to
inspire confidence in the recipient. Few checks
and commitments on your part can go a long way
in establishing your professional reputation and
building positive image of your company.
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