As we are approaching the "new normal" with less face-to-face meetings and conversations, internal e-mail communication has become very important.
There are some basic e-mail universal rules across the globe giving us many guidelines on how we should communicate via e-mail at work internally.
I truly believe in the power of kindness, respect and continuous personal development, therefore exploring how we should communicate internally is a great start.
Let's start with what we generally don't like about internal e-mail communication, and examine two participants feedback below.
Participant 1 says:
“It’s very annoying when you get an e-mail from someone, but the message is rude or over-familiar at the same time. So, for example, I sometimes get messages which start “Hi” or no greeting at all and then jump straight into the request. For example, when I told our HR administrator I didn’t want to employ of their candidates, their e-mail simply said :
"Hi. Why don’t you want to employ Peter Roberts? "
They should have used my full title - Ms Lee put a signature at the end and being more polite.
Participant 2 says:
"It is very common to get e-mails which are written in a very off-putting style.
If I receive a message which is all in upper case or with many exclamation marks, I never read it - all those capital letters make it look as if the person is shouting at you!
And I also think that often people don’t think about the impact on what they are writing on the recipient. Because it's too quick to write, people forget to write words like, please. And, I say, the result is an e-mail which doesn’t make me want to respond positively."
Based on my research, there are five main things we often complain about:
1. The sender is over-familiar and doesn't greet me well with my name, it is disrespectful
2. The sender is rude and makes requests without saying "please" and "thank you"
3. The sender jump straight into request, without greeting or opening line
4. The sender writes an e-mail with all upper letters or many exclamation marks, that makes you feel like someone is shouting at you
5. The sender doesn't think about the recipient and considers the implications of his/her words
So, how do we modify our e-mail writing skills at work between colleagues, your boss or subordinates? We need to start and respect the basics.
Keeping to the Simple e-mail structure is the key! We need to KISS (Keep it Simple and Smart) in our internal e-mail communications.
E-mails are also known as an extension of written letters, some so very beautiful and well-written. Where have we lost the art of beautifully written communication?
The structure of an e-mail originates from the structure of letters written in the past. Now, let's explore the example below.
E-MAIL STRUCTURE
SUBJECT Sales Report completed
GREETING Dear Amy
OPENING Hope you are well today.
CONTENT Quick note to confirm, we have now completed the Sales Report you requested.
Could you review and provide your feedback, please?
CLOSING Awaiting your reply
SIGNATURE Kind Regards,
John
SUBJECT
The subject of an e-mail should be:
* Short and informative * Meaningful with brief outline what the content include
Examples:
July 2020 Sales Report
Website design project update
THE GREETING
The greeting of an e-mail should be:
* Always professional * Always include name
EXAMPLES OF A GOOD GREETING
To whom it may concern ✔︎
Dear Robert Peterson ✔︎
Dear Miss Rose ✔︎
Hello Andy ✔︎
Good Morning Robert ✔︎
EXAMPLES OF A BAD GREETING
Hi Birtch (using surname) ✖︎
Hello/Hi (not adding a name) ✖︎
No greeting ✖︎
Chris ✖︎
Hey Amanda ✖︎
Hello handsome ✖︎
Remember, try to avoid "Hi all" greeting where possible, especially when replying. Consider if there is any confidential or personal information you are communicating.
OPENING
The Opening of an e-mail should be:
* Polite and positive
Examples:
Hope you are well today.
How are you on this sunny morning?
I reply to your e-mail…
Thank you for your e-mail…
Following our phone conversation…
Remember, never correct a sender for mistakes openly, and never start an e-mail with pointing our their errors. If there is a small grammar or spelling mistake and it doesn't change the meaning of the message - just ignore it.
If there is a modification that you think the sender would benefit from in the future - ensure you contact them separately. A quick call after e-mail would be perfect for action. It is considered very rude to correct someone openly. Do it discreetly and politely.
CONTENT
Some tips for great content:
* Think what you want to say and achieve * Say reason for writing * Always use “Please” and “Thank you” * Write short and simple words * Don’t use jargon * Add all needed references * Use bullet points * Don’t make offensive jokes * Check your grammar * Write once, check twice * Avoid text speak or emoji * Know when to stop
EXAMPLES:
REASON FOR WRITING
I am writing to… I am pleased to… Could you please… Please e-mail me at… Unfortunately… I am sorry to inform you… I apologize for this… A quick note to confirm
APOLOGISES
I would like to offer you a sincere apology for the mistake...
ATTACHMENTS
I attach… I enclose… Please find enclosed….
CLARIFICATION
The document you have sent is not what we expected.
REQUEST
Please update the order E-123456 on Packing List 65432 from Quantity 1 to Quantity 2.
SUGGESTION
I suggest consulting with the Despatch Manager on this matter.
INFORMING
A quick note to advise...
Always use relevant reference. You may list your references in bullet points for a clear presentation. Check the references are correct and remember, if you don't need it, others may!
CLOSING AND SIGNATURE
The closing of an e-mail should be:
* Closed with style * Say what you expecting
EXAMPLES
Please contact me again if you need more information. Let me know if you need anything else. I look forward to hearing from you. Hear from you soon. Speak soon. Take care. Hope it helps.
Remember, always add a signature with your name to your e-mail.
Here are 7 Bad Emails You Need to Avoid Sending:
The Urgent Email – Email is the new snail mail. People are not sitting at their desks awaiting your messages. If something is truly urgent, email is not the medium you should be using. Call, text, tweet, or anything more immediate.
The Reply All – Everyone does not need to see your “Thank You” to the original sender. When thanking someone, “Reply” directly to that individual. Otherwise, 57 people suddenly end up with 57 “Thank You” emails cluttering their inboxes. (True Story: I have seen a Fortune 20 company have to shut down their email due to a company-wide “Reply All” message run amok.)
The Email to Too Many People – Avoid sending emails to more than 2–3 people. Copying the whole gang only creates confusion and clutters inboxes. Only send emails to the individuals that directly need the information. Avoid using CC, and never use BCC (ever!).
The Email to No One – I recently received an email addressed to 8 people. The message said, “Can someone please make sure this gets done?” Yet, the email did not say which person should take the action. In essence, it was addressed to no one and everyone at the same time. As you can guess, everyone assumed that someone else was going to do the task, and it didn’t get done at all.
The Spam Email – People can find enough random stuff to surf on the Internet, they don’t need your topics, as well. Passing along random articles, gossip, and websites only clutter up others’ inboxes.
The Conversation Email – If your email message cannot be conveyed in less than half a page, then it probably shouldn’t be an email. It is probably better handled as a direct conversation. As well, if your email is going to require more than 2–3 back-and-forth responses, it is better to talk to the person than play e-mail ping-pong.
The Bad News Email – Never deliver criticism via email. Never. Ever. Never. Bad news should always be delivered in person, not in a bad email. Even constructive criticism can easily be taken out of context or be misunderstood.
Here are “7 Things That Email Is Good For…”
Non-Urgent Communication – Email is great for non-urgent communication. Things that don’t require an immediate response that others can deal with on their schedule.
Follow-up – Email can be a powerful documentation trail. Unlike text messages or phone calls, email provides a very concrete audit trail of past communication. It is hard to deny past actions and messages when there is a clear history.
Praise – We all know that it can be dangerous to send a negative email. They often get misinterpreted for tone or meaning. However, emailing praise is very powerful. Almost everyone enjoys opening an email to find an encouraging or motivational note.
Timeshifting – Email is one of the best mediums for the "timeshifting" of communication. It allows people on different schedules, or even time zones, to communicate at their leisure.
Filtering – Phone calls and text messages are difficult to screen. However, this is an area where email excels. You can set up filters to prevent unwanted email from even reaching you.
One-to-Many Communications – I am not referring to spam here. (That is always bad.) But rather, email is a great way to communicate non-urgent items to large amounts of people on your team. You wouldn’t send a text to 30 people, would you?
Sending Documents/Pictures – With the advance of scanners and other technology, there is very little reason to send physical documents. Email is very powerful for sending documents, pictures, and more.
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