By Lydia Ramsey
You return to your office from an afternoon meeting and decide to check
e-mail. You wonder where your day went after spending hours downloading
messages, reading some, deleting others, crafting replies and filing
those that you want to work on later. Your e-mail box was full when you
arrived at work this morning and tomorrow promises to be no different.
What is this e-mail explosion? Was there a point in time when the entire
world decided to use the Internet as their businesscommunication tool
of choice? Are there rules for managing these messages and being a
professional and polite user of electronic mail? There are, but not
everyone has gotten the word.
Your e-mail is as much a part of your professional image as the clothes
you wear, the postal letters you write (assuming you still do), the
greeting on your voice mail and the handshake you offer. If you want to
impress on every front and build positive businessrelationships, pay
attention to your e-mail and steer clear of these top twelve e-mail
mistakes:
1. OMITTING THE SUBJECT LINE. We are way past the time when we didn't
realize the significance of the subject line. It makes no sense to send
a message that reads "no subject" and seems to be about nothing. Given
the huge volume of e-mail that each person receives, the subject header
is essential if you want your message read any time soon. The subject
line has become the hook.
2. NOT MAKING YOUR SUBJECT LINE MEANINGFUL. Your header should be
pertinent to your message, not just "Hi" or "Hello." The recipient is
going to decide the order in which he reads e-mail based on who sent it
and what it is about. Your e-mail will have lots of competition.
3. FAILING TO CHANGE THE HEADER TO CORRESPOND WITH THE SUBJECT. For
example, if you are writing your web publisher, your first header may be
"Web site content." However, as your site develops and you send more
information, label each message for what it is, "contact info,"
"graphics," or "home page." Don't just hit "reply" every time. Adding
more details to the header will allow the recipient to find a specific
document in his/her message folder without having to search every one
you sent. Start a new message if you change the subject all together.
4. NOT PERSONALIZING YOUR MESSAGE TO THE RECIPIENT. E-mail
is informal but it still needs a greeting. Begin with "Dear
Mr. Broome," "Dear Jim," "Hello Jim," or just "Jim." Failure
to put in the person's name can make you and your e-mail
seem cold.
5. NOT ACCOUNTING FOR TONE. When you communicate with another person
face to face, 93% of the message is non-
verbal. E-mail has no body language. The reader cannot see your face or
hear your tone of voice so chose your words carefully and thoughtfully.
Put yourself in the other person's place and think how your words may
come across in Cyberspace.
6. FORGETTING TO CHECK FOR SPELLING AND GRAMMAR. In the early days of
e-mail, someone created the notion that this form of communication did
not have to be letter perfect. Wrong. It does. It is a representation of
you. If you don't check to be sure e-mail is correct, people will
question the caliber of other work you do. Use proper capitalization and
punctuation, and always check your spelling. Remember that your
spellchecker will catch misspelled words, but not misused ones. It
cannot tell whether you meant to say "from" or "form," "for" or "fro",
"he" or "the."
7. WRITING THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL. E-mail is meant to be brief. Keep
your message short. Use only a few paragraphs and a few sentences per
paragraph. People skim their e-mail so a long missive is wasted. If you
find yourself writing an overly long message, pick up the phone or call
a meeting.
8. FORWARDING E-MAIL WITHOUT PERMISSION. Most everyone is guilty of this
one, but think about it. If the message was sent to you and only you,
why would you take responsibility for passing it on? Too often
confidential information has gone global because of someone's lack of
judgment. Unless you are asked or request permission, do not forward
anything that was sent just to you.
9. THINKING THAT NO ONE ELSE WILL EVER SEE YOUR E-MAIL. Once it has left
your mailbox, you have no idea where your e-mail will end up. Don't use
the Internet to send anything that you couldn't stand to see on a
billboard on your way to work the next day. Use other means to
communicate personal or sensitive information.
10. LEAVING OFF YOUR SIGNATURE. Always close with your name, even though
it is included at the top of the e-mail, and add contact information
such as your phone, fax and street address. The recipient may want to
call to talk further or send you documents that cannot be e-mailed.
Creating a formal signature block with all that data is the most
professional approach.
11. EXPECTING AN INSTANT RESPONSE. Not everyone is sitting in front of
the computer with e-mail turned on. The beauty of Internet communication
is that it is convenient. It is not an interruption. People can check
their messages when it suits them, not you. If your communication is so
important that you need to hear back right away, use the phone.
12. COMPLETING THE "TO" LINE FIRST. The name or address of the person to
whom you are writing is actually the last
piece of information you should enter. Check everything else over
carefully first. Proof for grammar, punctuation, spelling and clarity.
Did you say what needed to be said? How was your "tone of voice"? If you
were the least bit emotional when you wrote the e-mail, did you let it
sit for a period of time? Did you include the attachment you wanted to
send? If you enter the recipient's name first, a mere slip of the finger
can send a message before its' time. You can never take it back.
E-mail makes everything easier and faster including making a powerful
businessimpression and establishing positive professional
relationships. The businessperson who uses the technology effectively
and appropriately will see the results of that effort reflected in the
bottom line.
About the Author:
Lydia Ramsey is a businessetiquette expert, professional speaker,
corporate trainer and author of MANNERS THAT SELL - ADDING THE POLISH
THAT BUILDS PROFITS. She has been quoted or featured in The New York
Times, Investors' Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Inc., Real Simple and
Woman's Day. For more information about her programs, products and
services, visit her web site
http://www.mannersthatsell.com
