Email Communications—Tips for Being Clear and Concise!

Let’s face it. The majority of communications these days take place not in person or by phone, but via electronic communication, such as email. In fact, a lot of business is now conducted via text as well. While it’s convenient and a great way to have a record of what takes place, if your electronic communications aren’t clear, it’s easy to be misunderstood, leading to a negative versus positive impact on the receiver and the situation

The article below, written by Jane Dominguez at The Write Business Advantage, provides tips that really hit the mark as far as how to write successful emails. I wanted to share it again as a reminder to think through your electronic communications carefully before you hit that Send button!

The Email Doctor’s^TM Easy Tips for Email Success
By: Jane Dominguez, The Write Business Advantage

1. When writing an email subject line, remember the two main purposes: attract attention and persuade people to read the body of your message.
2. Short and concise business messages are critical as more recipients view them on devices with small screens.
3. The better formatted your material is, the more you are perceived as knowledgeable and competent.
4. Text message style writing in business emails announces that you are not professional and diminishes your credibility.
5. Duplicate punctuation signals a lack of professionalism!!!
6. Check the tone of your email before you send it. Would you say in person what you wrote in the message?
7. Before you write the next email, ask yourself, who is your audience, what do they need and want?
8. Use familiar words. Most readers will not bother to look up the meaning of unknown words, and it disrupts the reading of your message.
9. Boiling down information into easy to grasp bullet points or an outline format will greatly increase the chances that the information will be read and understood.
10. Every email you send can be forwarded to anyone. Write as if everyone will read it.
11. Know when to pick up the phone. A good rule is to call when 3 emails have been exchanged with no resolution.
12. When requesting information, you will get a better response if you tell the reader why you need it.
13. Avoid sarcasm; it can easily be misunderstood in business messages.
14. Keep the subject line current; change it as the email topic evolves.
15. Business readers quickly scan emails. Highlight one main point in the subject line and the first two sentences of your email.
16. Computer spell checkers do their/they’re/there part but can’t tell/tail/tale you if the word makes cents/sense in the sentence.

Reprinted with permission, Jane Dominguez, CPA (520) 668-0327 jane@writebusinessadvantage.com

Copyright 2009