u r what u rite
Over at Mapping Company Success Friday I wrote No reading = poor writing with a sample email that would be a lot funnier if my bank manager hadn’t told me that she received a similar one from an applicant.
I didn’t know it at the time, but the same day Diversity, Inc. posted R Yr Biznes E-mails Hrting Yr Career? citing an email that said, “I am chking 2 see if we have someone available to assist u with this r u on deadline if so what might that be?”
Believe it or not, it was sent by a professional accountant in response to an interview request and it sure doesn’t inspire me with confidence.
Emails are like clothes, they make a statement about you, how you see the world, and your attitude towards other people.
If common sense was still common things would be great, but since it isn’t they offer four email rules to keep you from disaster.
No.1 - Keep It Short But Clear
No. 2 - Adhere to the Culture
No. 3 - Avoid Religious References
No. 4 - Always PROOFREAD (and use spellcheck)
Simple, painless and almost foolproof.
What about business emails drives you nuts?
Your comments—priceless
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POSTED IN: Communication, Leadership Turn odd bits, Personal Development
4 opinions for u r what u rite
Kathy
Feb 4, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I like to know from the subject what the e-mail’s content is.
I like to know at a glance if an action is expected of me - before I read the entire mail.
If there is a deadline for the action, that should be easy for me to find.
If there is an address or a location and a date and time, those too should be easy for me to find.
I care about those things more than I care about abbreviations and shorthand. I know many people are reading and writing some to much of their mail from their phone. I can live with that.
I wonder if what you are really objecting to is a level of informality that you consider inappropriate?
At the beginning of a project or a working relationship, communication should be more formal that it would be in the middle or just before a deadline. But that holds true for phone and in-person as well as e-mail.
Miki Saxon
Feb 4, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Kathy, It’s not the informality, it’s the unprofessional presentation. The email referred to wasn’t between two colleagues, it was in response to an interview request. Internally, it’s a function of the company’s culture, but externally emails such as this reflect poorly on the writers professionalism.
I compare it to dress. Just because it’s OK to were jeans to work doesn’t mean you should wear them when meeting with a client—even if the client has them on.
Mike King
Feb 4, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Whatever you are trying to really say, SAY IT FIRST. Don’t send out a bunch of explanation, or background or data at the start and then lead to the point of the message, instead, put the Bottom Line Up Front!!
Miki Saxon
Feb 4, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Great advice, Mike. And it goes for voicemail and phone calls, too!
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