At Global Resources, our business consultants use their unmatched experience to help small and medium – size businesses thrive in today’s business arena. In fact, we often help business leaders create new processes and procedures to ensure their continued growth.
Our consultants realize that the rules and etiquette for emails have changed over the last several years. Since emailing is imperative in business, we have listed some tips that may help you communicate with colleagues and customers:
1. Take the time to write a subject line that gains attention and priority. Your email lands on long lists, and your most important recipients don’t have time to click more deeply into your meaning. Be creatively concise on the headline and, if appropriate, time frame.
2. Be brief. If you need to write more than a few paragraphs, you’ve missed a conversation that needs to happen. Keep your emails short and sweet. If you can’t, then start an IM, pick up the phone, or go face to face.
3. Don’t confuse an email chain with a conversation. A string of emails and replies shouldn’t be considered a substitute for a conversation, brainstorming session, or a decision-making process. It’s a series of “tells” with varying lag times that often lead to unnecessary churn. Voice-to-voice, face-to-face, and IM are much better forums for important interactions.
4. Follow the New York Times rule. You’ve heard this one before — now believe it: Email is barely communication. It’s certainly not a forum for risky disclosure. As your General Counsel should say: Don’t put anything in email today you wouldn’t want to read in the New York Times tomorrow. All emails are or can be read by others.
5. Check your grammar, spelling and avoid text-speak in emails. Check your spelling. Read it out loud. Look for words spelled correctly but in the wrong place, such as “here” versus “hear”.” Using text-speak like “btw” and “LOL,” even when sending from your smartphone, degrades your email. Double-check these before sending.
To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business consultants at Global Resources LLC, call us at 855-338-0266.
