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Professional Emailing - Top Ten Tips

Written by: Ric Phillips

Article Overview: Entrepreneurs need excellent communication skills, and cannot take any part of it for granted. Sometimes we get a bit lazy or thoughtless with emails, but that is a danger. Emails reflect our attitude and the attitude of our company, so we must take care to ensure professional communication strategies are used, even in emails. Here is a top ten list of quick tips to help you send the right message with your emails.

Professional Emailing - Top Ten Tips

1 – Remember that people only have your words, phrases and punctuation to try to understand and ‘feel’ your meaning, so choose them carefully. Be concise and not too emotional. Stick to the point of the correspondence.

2 – Do not use CAPITALS as it looks like you are SHOUTING.

3 – Do not write emails that are too long, as email predominantly is used for quick communication, especially in North America.

4 – Use the Subject line wisely, so people can understand exactly what the email is regarding. In sales (and spam mail), asking an intriguing question in the subject line is a common technique.

5 – When finished, review your email and ask yourself if the tone of your email sounds personal or professional, and does this match your intention, and the intended recipients’ expectations?

6 – ‘Emoticons’ cannot be used in professional communications, unfortunately.

7 – Remember the permanency of your emails. Before you click ‘send’ ask yourself “Am I comfortable with this email being seen by the CEO of this company, if it ever were?” Edit what does not sound clear or professional. Emails are forever.

8 – Remember to always use face to face or even telephone communications instead of emails, whenever possible, to increase the chance of being clearly understood. Remember that only 7% of our communication is done on a verbal level.

9 – Remember to reply promptly, even when you are busy. Try not to put off replying to people for too long, as some people are sensitive and feel they are being ignored and will feel resentment, or start bombarding your inbox or voicemail. I understand a busy person gets a ton of emails a day and you must prioritize. However if you are taking the time to read or skim an email, you can take an extra 30 seconds to respond at that moment, even just to say “thanks” or “ok” or “will be in touch soon” or “great, thanks”. Etc.

10 – Have a goal when checking email. Some people open up their inboxes and then start to read some, respond to others, review old ones, etc. Then they look up at the clock and realize they have been ‘checking’ email for an hour. Too much productivity is lost. Try to have a priority list, a goal, a time limit etc. set up before you open your inbox.

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Article Tags: communication skills, communication strategies, emailing, professional communication, top ten
Referred by: http://www.eslincanada.com



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