I know, I know, email is something that we use everyday.  However, when using it for professional purposes it can be helpful to review your technique from time to time. Email is a frequent source of miscommunication and hard feelings. Here are a few points to keep in mind as you go about your daily communication with clients, prospects, and coworkers.

Greetings and Salutations:

When emailing a potential client or business contact, we all know well enough not to begin with “My sweet Mr. Roberts” or end with “Love, Matt.” That being said here are a few points to remember:

-When making initial contact, always defer to the formal. It is better to come off a little too professional than too colloquial.

-After receiving a response from a contact, look at how they sign their email. If they sign it “Sincerely, Mindy,” then you have now been given permission to address the contact as Mindy in your next email.

–Please include a signature in your email. It allows whomever you’re writing easy access to your phone number, social media handles, and other important information.

Tone:

According to this Businessweek article, over 90% of communication involves visual (body language) and vocal (volume, pitch, speed). That seems a bit extreme to me, but I agree that something can definitely be lost in translation between my brain, my computer, and my recipient. How can you check yourself?

-Think intent vs. impact, basically what you mean to say versus how the email reads. Could something you wrote be misconstrued?

-Err on the side of positive with the body of your email because chances are that will translate to neutral. A neutral email can easily translate cold.

-Do not use smiley’s or other emoticons unless you know the contact well and have a more congenial relationship. It can come across as juvenile.

-Remember: all caps=yelling.

Review:

Efficiency is great and sometimes you’re crunched for time and want to shoot off several emails. However, we are only human and are prone to mistakes. Here are a few top ones to avoid:

-Hitting “reply all” on an email that doesn’t require it.

-Make sure your subject line is appropriate. Chances are “Hey” isn’t.

-CC’ing unnecessary people. Your entire company doesn’t need to know when you order more paper.

It isn’t rocket science, but by checking your style and tone, you can perfect the art of the email.

 

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Image credit: email icon, Wikipedia
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