Using Email Effectively, Part I

Electronic mail.  It has completely changed how we communicate. 

When is the last time you received a hand-written letter?  Or found an actual memorandum in your office mail slot?  Your telephone isn’t as busy at work as it used to be, is it. But the big question is, can you admit that you’ve sent an e-mail to somebody that only sits two desks away from you… while they were SITTING there?

It’s amazing how much the rules of communication have changed in the last fifteen years.  Still more amazing to me is the fact that most of us have never received formal training on how to use email effectively.  We haven’t had much training in business writing either.  I’ve researched this subject for two reasons: 

1. I tried to purchase a course on how to write effective emails for my office but I couldn’t find one.  There are business writing courses and regular writing courses, but nothing targeted just to email. 
2. After working on this blog for awhile, I realized I was badly in need of a refresher course in punctuation myself.

Below are some tips to help make your email communications more effective.

• Tailor your writing style to your audience.  Are they casual or formal people?  Are they detail-oriented, or do they just want the highlights?  Take these things into consideration before you start typing, and write an email that fits their style.  If you aren’t sure of their style, here are some general facts about most office workers:  we receive over one hundred emails a day, and most of us read at the ninth-grade level.  This means you should use simple words to get your point across, and use less of them when possible.   This goes for emails to executives as well.  The temptation here is to write long, wordy emails that you think make you look smart.  Don’t bother- stick with simple language and sentences.  Pay attention to your spelling and punctuation instead.  They will be more impressed that you can get to the point quickly than they will be if you insert fancy words like “dimorphic” and “mnemonic” into your writing.  Go ahead, look them up- I had to.
• Avoid run-on sentences.  You’ve seen them- sentences that are a full paragraph long. If you aren’t sure if you tend to write with run-on’s, ask an objective co-worker.  You can also count the number of words between your periods.  If you tend to have more than twenty words in your sentences, you may be guilty of run-ons.  My advice here is to read your sentences to yourself before you hit that “send” button.  Make sure you have puctuation in the spots where your voice naturally pauses.  Short pauses can be designated with commas, but long pauses usually require periods.  If you are trying to use commas and your sentences become confusing when you read them , try breaking them up in to two or more complete thoughts with periods at the end. 
• Don’t rely on your spelling/ grammar checkers!  They simply don’t catch everything.  Sure, hit the “ABC” button before you hit the “Send” button- but you should also proofread your emails.  Make sure you are using the right forms of words.  “To”, “two” and “too” all have different meanings- be sure to know them.  I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen the wrong forms of these simple words in emails.  Keep a pocket dictionary at your desk, and use it.  If you are not 100% sure that you are using or spelling a word correctly, look it up.  It only takes a moment and over time it will help you to become a better writer.

Remember that your emails are part of your business persona.  Taking the time to write them effectively can significantly improve your co-workers’ impressions of you.