Transcript Communication Workshop

EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
EMAIL
ETIQUETTE
In Business Communication
AUTHOR :: PRIYA SARKAR
Making your email communication work for you
Importance of email communication
PR
s
•
Form of documentary evidence
•
Can be used for future reference
•
Can send to several people at the same time with accuracy of the information across all recipients
•
Ideal way to reach those who not in same location / different time zone
•
Option to review your message before sending
•
You can easily include all or part of previous messages, or the message you are responding to, including point by
point responses to questions, etc.
C
Ns
•
No immediate feedback
•
Absence of non-verbal communication (tone, gestures) to convey message effectively
First, things to consider…
What is the
objective of you
email?
Formulate the key objective
of the mail in your mind
What is your
target audience?
Give the relationship
you share with the TA
a thought
Email structure
Subject Line
Salutation
Opening
Main Part
Close / Sign off
1. Subject line
Rate the following Subject Lines…Good or Bad
SL.
Subject Lines
01
Hi
02
Draft: Email to Microsoft
03
Approval Request: PHP Training
04
Status Report
05
Some questions
06
Candidate CV
07
Summary
08
CV_Ruby_Ivanov
09
Reminder: End of Probationary Period, Oct 1, Ivanov
10
Meeting Minutes. DO Product Backlog. Oct 1
Good
Bad
GOOD
BAD
1. Subject line
John Smith - Recommendation for Promotion
Keep the Subject line very short and clear
•
Be absolutely to the point!
•
Should not be a sentence
•
Best not to exceed 4 words
•
The subject line – should indicate
• Establish what issue/context e.g. Project Name /
Budget /
•
Candidate _name_CV_Position,
• If action is required e.g. Request
approval_Marketing plan, Information
requested_Budget, Project Name Review,
2. Salutation
Dear
Sir or Madam
•
Someone you don’t know/never met/spoken with: Dear
Sir or Madam, Ladies and Gentlemen,
•
If you know an addressee and have formal relations
and don’t have to communicate frequently: Dear Ms.
Johnson,
•
If you know a person well enough or have to
communicate frequently with the person - “Dear” may
be skipped. This case is applicable to both external and
internal correspondence. You could use Hello
•
With someone you have an established relationship /
regular communication - you may use Hi Frank, Hello
Bob (Note: “Hi” should be used with the name of
an addressee)
•
If a letter is intended for a number of addressees within
the Company: Hello everyone, Greetings!
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(Avoid ‘All’)
John Smith - Recommendation for Promotion
Dear Katherine Blue
(Note: First names are NOT used. Using Miss or Mrs to address a woman is
not good form anymore: you cannot know whether she’s married or not)
3. An opening that is warm and polite
• Using a warm greeting in business communication can
put the reader into the appropriate mood :
John Smith - Recommendation for Promotion
Dear Katherine Blue
Hope you had a good weekend
“Greetings! Hope you had a good weekend.
During a festive season a simple ‘Seasons
Greetings’ is a warm way to begin your
correspondence”
And gets attention…
Formal
•
I am writing to make a reservation / to apply for the
position of…/ to confirm my booking/ to ask for
further information about ... the conference in
Brussels.
•
Thank you for your e-mail of 29 February regarding
the sale of… / for your briefing on...
•
With reference to our telephone conversation on
Friday, I would like to let you know that…
John Smith - Recommendation for Promotion
Dear Katherine Blue
Hope you had a good weekend
Thank you for your e-mail of 29 February regarding the John Smith - Promotion
Informal
Provide a glimpse of the information you are going to speak about – makes
your communicative task more effective and easier.
•
Just a quick note to invite you to…/ to inform you
that…
•
This is to invite you to join us for a picnic on 20
May...
•
Thanks for your e-mail, it was wonderful/great to
hear from you.
4.The Main Part
•
Once you have set the context of your mail, get to the
objective of your communication
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Keep to a single subject - no more than 15 lines (half
the computer screen)
• Use bullet points / Attach files with details
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When initiating the communication - Explain the
issue/topic
• State pros & cons if required
• Give a recommendation
• Indicate on by when you need a reply
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If your mail is in response to a communication - Explain
your status, advice/recommendation
• If you cannot response with the
information/deliverable immediately indicate by
when you can
John Smith - Recommendation for Promotion
Dear Katherine Blue
Hope you had a good weekend
Thank you for your e-mail of 29 February regarding the John Smith - Promotion
I have worked closely with John Smith for the past several years while he has been
employed as the Marketing Assistant in the Communications Office. I have been
consistently impressed by both John's attitude towards his work and his
performance on the job. His interpersonal and communication skills have allowed
him to develop strong working relationships with both our clients and our staff.
I recommend him for a promotion without reservation.
Please let me know if you need further information.
5. Close & sign off
Ending
• I look forward to hearing from you.
• Hope to hear from you soon.
John Smith - Recommendation for Promotion
Dear Katherine Blue
Hope you had a good weekend
Thank you for your e-mail of 29 February regarding the John Smith - Promotion
I have worked closely with John Smith for the past several years while he has been employed as the Marketing Assistant in the
Communications Office. I have been consistently impressed by both John's attitude towards his work and his performance on the
job. His interpersonal and communication skills have allowed him to develop strong working relationships with both our clients
and our staff.
I recommend him for a promotion without reservation.
Please let me know if you need further information.
Your sincerely,
Ricky Jones
• I’m looking forward to seeing you.
Closing formula
• Yours faithfully, (when you start with Dear Sir/ Madam,)
• Yours sincerely, (when you start with the name e.g.
Dear Ms Collins)
• Sincerely,
• Best regards,
Fonts, formatting & signature template
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Use the Organizational Template and defined fonts for
your email - Check with your HR/Communications
department for details
• Do not use coloured font unless stressing on a
point. Avoid pastel shades or too many colours
• Do not use large fonts
• Avoid unnecessarily writing in bold/underlining–
excessive use of these can be seen as aggressive
•
Check with your HR/IT department for the
Organizational Email signature template and do not
create your own personalized signature
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Do not add festive and colourful backgrounds to
professional /business emails
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Before sending your mail check your content formatting
– consistency in font size/type and format will lend your
communication the professional look you would like to
impress upon the recipient.
•
Unless you share a close & informal rapport with the
recipient – avoid emoticons!
Before you click ‘send’ check these 10 aspects
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Recipients
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Informative Subject Line
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Opening statement
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Email Length
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Call to Action
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Relevant Attachments
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Signature
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Font
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Spell & Grammar
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Clarity in the objective of the email
Things to consider
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If you do not know the recipient of the mail, introduce
yourself in the opening of your mail
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When responding to a query/RFI, reply addressing all
points or else you will receive further mails on
unanswered questions /information gaps. This is
unprofessional and leads to long tedious mail chain.
AVOIDABLE!
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If you are unable to furnish all details, inform of a
time line by when you can
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And if you are able to pre-empt questions, your
recipient will be grateful and appreciative.
•
When replying to a mail, you must include the original –
be careful when selecting ‘new mail’. The thread will
be important for all included to recall the topic.
•
If your attachment is not of the regular commonly used
type, please mention the application required to open
it/Or check with the recipient before sending
For effective email communication in business
Use the high priority option unless
absolutely necessary/justified…
or it will lose its function of
stressing on priority with
over-use
Do not write in
CAPITALS
It is like screaming at someone.
Will be considered rude!
But
I Love exclamation
Points !!!
Simple Email Etiquettes that can go a long way
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Be Polite
• Take time to include a friendly greeting
• Don’t hesitate to say thank you / Please / I
appreciate your help
• Civility makes a difference in how your
message is received
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Address the recipient with appropriate level of formality,
and make sure his/hers/their names are spelled
correctly
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Avoid using multiple instances of !!!!/??? – it an be
perceived as being rude
• Take time to include a friendly greeting
• Don’t hesitate to say thank you / Please / I
appreciate your help
• Civility makes a difference in how your
message is received
Write with a cool & calm head
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Do not implicate yourself in an unprofessional manner Maintain professional dignity at all times!
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Address the recipient with appropriate level of formality, and
make sure his/hers/their names are spelled correctly
•
Avoid using multiple instances of !!!!/??? – it an be perceived
as being rude
• Don’t hesitate to say thank you / Please / I appreciate
your help - Civility makes a difference in how your
message is received
•
If your email is emotionally charged. STOP! Walk away from
your PC/Laptop.
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Read and review the senders email to ensure you have
understood its intent correctly
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Even if you feel rightfully outraged, remember this is a
business communication and you must act as a professional
first. And your response should reflect the same.
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Should the email received be of distasteful nature, inform
your reporting manager – BUT, avoid an altercation with the
sender over mail.
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Don’t write in a manner that you wouldn’t use in a verbal
conversation
TO. CC. BCC.
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To : Add those to whom this is directly relevant
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CC : Add those for whom it is ‘IMPERATIVE’ to be
informed on the topic. This is a FYI mechanism- use
this function appropriately. Avoid a long CC list.
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BCC: This is a function of denoting extreme Privacy.
This is to be used with utmost discretion and only in
situations where necessary.
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If a subject needs to be run through a large group, preinform and create a group id – to be used till the
subject is relevant. This is subject to consensus from all
those who would comprise of this group id.
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And never expose your mailing list to strangers/those
outside your organization
Business Rules of Email Communication
Sometimes what works best is to just pick the phone up and speak to
the person - Even better request for a face to face meeting.
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Response Time
• Each mail should be responded within 24 hours.
• If you are unable to do so, send a quick response
indicating a timeline for a detailed reply
• Consider Time Zone differences when setting
timelines in your mail
• When traveling / or unable to access mail – use the
out of office option and set your mail to an
appropriate auto-reply
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Getting a 2nd opinion on customer mails
• Depending on the nature of the mail, you can use
your discretion and have your mail vetted by your
manager. There is no harm in taking a 2nd opinion The priority is to ensure customer-organization
relationship is in no way compromised.
End of Level 2