Business Email Writing Tips

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Offline shibli

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Business Email Writing Tips
« on: August 09, 2010, 05:48:54 PM »
Business Email Writing Tips

"1. Stop, think then write (or don't!): Are you emailing to say you’d telephone when the fax goes through? Is a phone call more appropriate? Choosing the right communication medium will increase your chance of being listened to.

2. Prevent premature sending: To avoid sending a badly spelled, half written pile of rubbish, wait until you have written the email before you key in the recipient’s names. Hitting send too early is a painful, toe-curling experience.

3. Be professional You lose control of your email as soon as you hit 'Send' so stick to professional language. Out go all “ist” comments – racist, sexist, ageist, genderist (okay so I made that last one up but you get my drift). Even your own brand of oh-so-funny humour can cause offence in the wrong hands.

4. If in doubt, spell it out! How well you know your audience will dictate whether you use short hand, jargon, abbreviations and emoticons. If in doubt, spell it out! Always err on the side of being too polite and respectful, particularly when writing emails to business colleagues where translation may be required. Use the spell-check and re-read your email before it goes out. To, two and too will all be spelled correctly but which is the correct in context? And to all you text savvy hipsters out there – I h8 ur txt style emails. Leave it to the kids.

5. Be precise, concise and clear • Keep it brief • Use the subject header • Get to the point, quickly • Use “urgent” flags sparingly • Use bullets (did you see how I cunningly demonstrated by example?)

6. Tailor emails to your audience. Always open emails with a hello and use the name that they signed off with, even if it’s crazyhorse38! If you must send the same email to loads of people, put their address in the bcc box and use just one email address in the To box . This keeps the person’s email address private and makes it look like you’ve taken the time to write a personal email. Getting technical, there are mail merge functions that do all the hard work for you. Warning to novice emailers – test before you go emailing the world!

7. Most people can’t read minds: Writing an email to a career site requesting “all the stuff you have on getting a job” could at best land you with a load of bandwidth hungry information or at worst be ignored. The more specific you are, the more likely you are to get a response.
If responding to multiple questions embedded in a large email, copy the questions into your email and write your answers next to them.

8. Keep your cool: Your emotional state can slip into an email without notice, with curt sentences, skipped pleasantries and blunt asks. I purposefully let these emails gather dust until the person writes again in a more appropriate tone or picks up the phone. You wouldn’t tolerate someone coming to your desk and having a tantrum would you? TAKE OFF THE CAPS LOCK KEY. It’s rude to shout.

9. Need to know basis. A common business email warfare tactic is to cc in senior managers in the vain thought that this adds weight to the communication. Fight your fights in private so that when you really need someone else to step in, they know you mean it.

10. Be clean and tidy! Attachments clog up networks and spread viruses. Could the salient points be pasted into the email? If you value your PC, only open attachments if you trust the source. Use spam filters and delete chain emails or other scams and make the web world a better place. Writing business emails well can make you stand out in the corporate landscape. Writing them badly can do the same, but for very different reasons.

These 10 email writing tips will help you get it right. Oh, and finally always sign off professionally. "

Best Regards Lyndsay By Lyndsay Swinton
Those who worship the natural elements enter darkness (Air, Water, Fire, etc.). Those who worship sambhuti sink deeper in darkness. [Yajurveda 40:9]; Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.

Offline shibli

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Re: Business Email Writing Tips
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2010, 05:50:24 PM »
Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips
Some professionals get scores of e-mails a day. Follow these tips in order to give your recipients the information they need in order to act on your message sooner rather than later. (Dennis G. Jerz and Jessica Bauer)

   1. Write a meaningful subject line.
   2. Focus on a single action.
   3. Avoid attachments.
   4. Identify yourself clearly.
   5. Be kind -- don't flame.
   6. Proofread.
   7. Don't assume privacy.
   8. Recognize formal and informal situations.
   9. Respond Promptly.
  10. Show Respect and Restraint.
Those who worship the natural elements enter darkness (Air, Water, Fire, etc.). Those who worship sambhuti sink deeper in darkness. [Yajurveda 40:9]; Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.

Offline shibli

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Re: Business Email Writing Tips
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2010, 05:53:16 PM »
How much should I write in an email?

Email is meant for quick, simple communication. As a general guide that means roughly 4 or 5 paragraphs at most. Due to the limitations of formatting and layout, anything much longer than that is probably best sent as a separate attachment such as a Word file. Most people have a limited attention span with email - if they are receiving a lot of mail you want to get the main message explained in the shortest possible space.

Do spelling and grammar matter in email?

We think it does. Poor spelling and grammar show a lack of attention to detail and sends the wrong message about yourself and how you do business. Most email programs today have built-in spell checkers so there is no excuse! You wouldn't send a letter that was poorly punctuated and uses no capital letters - why not make sure your email messages look professional too?

What do cc: and bcc: mean?

There is a certain etiquette with email, especially in the use of the carbon copy (cc:) and blind carbon copy (bcc:) fields. It is courteous to add addresses to the 'cc:' field if those people need to know about the subject but are not required to act on the contents.

The 'bcc:' field is useful where discretion is required. People in this field are concealed from other recipients in the 'To', 'cc:' and 'bcc:' fields. They can themselves see others in the 'To' and 'cc:' fields but not the 'bcc:' fields.

By Riches Communications Ltd.
Those who worship the natural elements enter darkness (Air, Water, Fire, etc.). Those who worship sambhuti sink deeper in darkness. [Yajurveda 40:9]; Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.

Offline papelrezwan

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Re: Business Email Writing Tips
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2010, 08:03:09 PM »
Thank you sir. I have learned many thing from this post.
Md. Rezwanur Rahman
MBA, BBA,
Student Counselor,
Daffodil International University
Executive Member, DIUAA
Cell: 01713493051, 01717352538
E-mail: rezwan@daffodilvarsity.edu.bd