Email Communication

1
Email Communication

• Business Procedures

2
E-Mail

• Short for Electronic Mail
• Transfers messages electronically across the
  internet
• Messages can be sent globally in the matter of
  minutes
• Work email is not the same as your personal
  email!

3
Appropriate Uses

• Email is designed for
• Quick, informal written correspondence
• Serves as a means to transfer electronic files as
  attachments
• Example, share a financial record spreadsheet
• Work email should only be related to work
• Companies can go in and read your emails
• Never write anything you wouldnt want your
  supervisor to read!
• Your emails can be subpoenaed in court!

4
Advantages

• Quick
• Inexpensive
• Easy to use for all levels of the organization
• Documents itself
• So you can keep track of and organize your
  written messages
• Facilitates collaboration
• Allows employees to work together better as a team

5
Disadvantages

• Sending email takes the place of face to face
  communication
• Never use email to say something you would not
  say in person. Do not hide behind email.
• If possible, call or walk over to the other
  persons office. This may help you avoid an
  accusatory tone.

6
Email Addresses

• Every email address is unique
• No two are the same
• Meredith_Cores_at_email.com
• Userid_at_domain name
• Meredith_Cores_at_gwinnett.k12.ga.us
• The highest level of the domain begins at the
  right Example US, GA, K12, Gwinnett

7
Addressing Email

• TO Who the message is written to
• CC Anyone else who needs to see the message, but
  it is not directly addressed to them
• BCC Blind Carbon-Copy
• Protects the privacy of those you address the
  message to. Especially useful when sending a
  message to a large group that doesnt know
  everyone.

8
Email Messages

• Be sure to include a relevant subject in the
  subject line
• If the message is urgent, you should be able to
  mark the message with high importance
• Ex. Push the red exclamation mark in outlook
• Use proper spelling (spell check) and grammar
• Just because its email you shouldnt start typing
  in text message talk
• Reply promptly to email messages

9
Signature

• Always sign your emails so the person knows who
  it is from
• Most software lets you set up a signature that
  will appear in every message you send, example
• Andrea Barrett
• Chief Financial Officer
• Maximum Technology Corporation
• 404-555-2394 (phone)
• 404-555-2360 (fax)

10
Proofread before you hit Send

• Check for the 5 Cs
• Is the message clear, concise, complete, correct,
  and courteous?
• Check that you entered the recipients email
  address correctly
• Dont send the message to unnecessary people
• Check the tone of your message
• If youre angry when you write it you might want
  to cool-off first

11
7 Ways to Get a Faster Response to your Email

• Make sure the recipient knows its from you
• Make sure youre full name appears in the
  recipient line
• Keep the formatting simple
• Just because it looks great on your screen
  doesnt mean it appears the same way to the
  recipient. Keep graphics to a minimum.

12
7 Ways, continued

• Dont have a lengthy and distracting signature
• Keep it between two and four lines
• Keep it to one subject per email
• If you want the recipient to respond now rather
  than later, dont give them more than one thing
  to do

13
7 Ways, continued

• Tell them what you need in the first sentence
• Keep it short
• Let the recipient know if your request is urgent
  or time sensitive. If so, let them know the
  deadline.

14
5 Tips for Using Email More Effectively

• Follow basic rules of good business writing
• Use complete sentences, spell check, use proper
  grammar
• ?Put something useful in your subject line
• ?Make your subject line work like a headline for
  your message

15
5 Tips, continued

• Put your most important information on top
• You cannot assume your reader is going to read
  your entire message
• Highlight action items
• Let your reader know immediately if you need them
  to do something.
• Dont routinely reply to all

16

• Communication between humans is approximately
  90 body language, 8 tone of voice, and 2 what
  you say. With email, you remove the first 98. Be
  aware of this when you write emails. Be very
  obvious with your meanings, since subtleties will
  be lost or completely misunderstood. Remember
  this too, when reading others' emails. Their
  grasp of the language, or their haste in
  composing the email, may have given it a "virtual
  tone" that may come off as derogatory or
  aggressive. Reread it and see if you are simply
  misinterpreting the words."

17
Links for more Email Tips

• http//www.learnthenet.com/english/section/email.h
  tml