TOP 20 Do’s & Don’ts of Email Communication

Top 10 Do’s for Effective Emails:
1. Do be concise and to the point
2. Do answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions
3. Do use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation
4. Do use templates for frequently used responses
5. Do use proper structure & layout
6. Do add disclaimers to your emails
7. Do read the email before you send it
8. Do use the bcc or mail merge feature for mailings
9. Do take care with rich text and HTML messages; Use open type
10. Do use descriptive and concise subject lines

Top 10 Don’ts for Effective Emails:
1. Do not include unnecessary attachments
2. Do not overuse the high priority option
3. Do not write in CAPITALS; IT IS THE SAME AS SHOUTING
4. Do not overuse abbreviations and emoticons =(
5. Do not leave out the message thread
6. Do not Reply to All if unnecessary
7. Do not recall a message
8. Do not Cc without permission
9. Do not discuss confidential information
10. Do not use complicated or long sentences

 

Tips for Effective Email Communication

Ineffective e-mails increase the chances of miscommunication in the office. Here are some tips to help you navigate through email blunders.

Do not try to communicate your emotions via e-mail:

If you just received an upsetting email, resist the urge to respond with a piece of your mind! Instead, close your email box and take a breather. Work on a different project for a while. When you are ready, draft your response in Word document. Edit out any passive aggression or emotions – they will only be received as immature. Make your email communication as concise and factual as possible.

Consider the tone of your email:

You may have meant well, but your reader is taking it all wrong…

Remember that an e-mail has no body gestures, facial features, or vocalizations to add context and meaning. As for emoticons — they are a poor substitute for effective communication in a business setting. Reading your e-mail messages out loud in various tones of voice before sending them will help reduce misunderstood e-mails

Don’t hide behind emails:

Common admit it … Have you ever used e-mails to avoid having a difficult conversation? Negative or emotionally charged conversations such as apologies or evaluations are often made more awkward through emails. When being personable counts, suck it up and pick up the phone.

 

Marketing Minerva’s Book List

Here are some great books that are well worth the time…

1. Up the Loyalty Ladder
2. The End of Marketing as We Know It
3. Inside the Magic Kingdom
4. Emotional IQ
5. The Inventor’s Dilemma
6. Multiple Streams of Income
7. The E Myth Mastery
8. The E Myth Revisited
9. How to Become CEO
10. How to Become a Marketing Superstar
11. How to Become a Rainmaker
12. The Millionaire Mind
13. Team Talk
14. The 4-Hour Workweek
15. What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School
16. Flow
17. Creativity
18. A New Brand World
19. The Dip
20. Cracking Creativity

 

Posturing for Success

Perhaps not now, but we are certainly on our way to commanding success in our respective industries.

As a twenty-something female professional, I find myself voraciously seeking the next opportunity to push beyond my boundaries and prove myself to be an unabashed success. I will take no prisoners of societal or self imposed limitations and make no apologies for my failures. I will however, make a commitment that the rest of 2008 will bear witness to a young woman’s unrelenting drive to become a stronger, smarter, seductive success.

I hope that through this weblog that you will join me in this journey.

Marketing Minerva