E mail communication - session 1

Effective E-Mail Communication Session 1

Agenda

Objectives

Significance

Recipient Expectations

Parts of an E-mail

Header Guidelines

Writing the Body

Example

What Not to Do

Classic Indianisms

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Let’s Get

Started!

By the end of this program, you will be able to:• State the reasons for handling emails effectively• Compose emails as per the standard template

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Objectives

Significance

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Of course, we all believe that we know the answer, yet, here is a recap:

E-mail is a brand ambassador and has a direct impact on the brand image

of the organization.

E-mail communication provides a permanent record and is a useful point

of reference

Words have a personality of their own that you can use to make a great

first impression.

Inaptly written documents can easily be misinterpreted by your reader, so

it is crucial that you follow the basic.

Requires greater accuracy than oral communication as there is no room for

you to reword or re-explain.

Recipient Expectations

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Response in less than 24 hours

Empathy, if there is an ongoing issue

Refined and easy-to-understand language

Accurate info with logic, reasoning or data

Resolution in a single response

Parts of an E-mail

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An email has 2 basic parts

Header information

Body of the message

Header

To

Cc

Bcc

Subject

Attachments

Body

Opening Salutation

Initial Greeting

Response

Additional Information

Closing Salutation

Signature

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Header Guidelines

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To (Primary recipients) – Add only those addressees who are directly

responsible to take action on the e-mail.

Cc (Carbon copy) – Use this option on a strict need-to-know basis. Don’t

overuse it.

Bcc (Blind carbon copy) – Unadvisable in all forms of business

communication.

Attachment – Just be careful with the size..!

Writing the Body

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Even though an email is usually a short document, you can structure it to

improve its effectiveness.

Initial salutation – Some people don't bother with any form of

introduction. However, it is advisable to write a salutation for each new

subject email to give the recipients their due respect and your email a

personalized touch.

Initial greeting – A warm greeting is extremely vital as it expresses your

gratitude for being associated with the recipient(s). At the same time, it

brings in the much sought-after “human factor” in the otherwise

automatized business world.

Writing the Body (Contd.)

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Response – Be extremely careful when starting to draft a response.

Here is a checklist of ask-yourself questions that may help:

> Have you clearly identified the concern?

> Do you have a valid resolution?

> Are your authorized to respond?

> Do you have the resources required to address the concern?

> Is your resolution the best your organization can offer?

In case you find yourself unsure about any of the above questions,

consult your manager and a colleague who could help.


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All set? When replying to an e-mail, begin by paraphrasing or referring to

the sender’s email. Here are some generic guidelines:

> Address the concerns one at a time

> Keep it short and simple

> Use active voice

> Use italics or bold text for key words (not ‘keywords’!)

> Use templates for frequently used responses

> Be specific about turnaround time

> Clearly instruct the call for action

> Provide the resources for action


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Paragraphs and bullet points should also be used to make reading easier, whenever possible to incorporate.

Especially, when you are writing directions or wish to emphasize important

points, number your directions or bullet your main points.

Example:

1. Use the details provided to access the system.

2. Click the green “Start” button to activate membership.

Another example:

• Reduce the production cost.

• Create a new marketing strategy.


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Additional Info – Always share any additional info that may contribute

towards the resolution, or may prevent future concerns. Some options:

> Offering additional or alternate services

> Suggesting a change in strategy

> Upsell any solution that may address the concern

> Data to support your efforts

> Links explaining the resolution provided

Closing Salutation – Particularly important in cases of longstanding issues,

adding a closing salutation is advisable in all business communications.

Most of all, Proofread all e-mails twice before pressing the ‘Send’ button!

Example

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Hi Sandra,

Thank you for providing the required info.

The message has been forwarded to the technical department for review and we can expect a response within 24 hours. If the matter requires more immediate attention, please feel free to contact our L2 service team.

You may also want to check our existing activities, the reports of which are attached with the e-mail.

Thank you for your patience,

Betty JonesSr. Support ExecutiveResultFirst

Initial Greeting

Initial Salutation

Response

Additional Info

Closing Salutation

Signature

What Not to Do!

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Don’t use formatted text

Don’t use fancy words

Don’t form complex sentences

Avoid using special characters, unless necessary

Avoid sending web pages as text

Avoid abbreviations and Emoticons

Don’t overstate, come what may

Never assume

Above all, do NOT write in upper case

Classic Indianisms

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'Passing out' When you complete your studies at an educational institution, you graduate from that institution. You do not "pass out" from that institution. To "pass out" refers to losing consciousness, like after you get too drunk. 'Kindly revert' One common mistake we make is using the word revert to mean reply or respond. Revert means "to return to a former state." “Please revert at the earliest.” – It doesn’t get more wrong than this. 'Years back' If it happened in the past, it happened years ago, not "years back." And speaking of "back," asking someone to use the “backside” entrance sounds horrendously wrong! 'Doing the needful' Try to avoid using the phrase "do the needful." It went out of style decades ago, about the time the British left. Using it today indicates you are a dinosaur, a dinosaur with bad grammar. Especially for the US audience, “do-ing” “the needful” sums up in the last shape most of us would presume.

Classic Indianisms (Contd.)

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Discuss about' “What shall we discuss about today?” “Let’s discuss about politics. We need a fault-ridden topic to mirror our bad grammar.” You don't "discuss about" something; you just discuss things. 'Order for' "Hey, let’s order for a pizza." "Sure, and why not raid a library while we’re about it.” When you order something, you "order" it, you do not "order for" it. 'Do one thing' When someone approaches you with a query, and your reply begins with the phrase "do one thing," you're doing it wrong. "Do one thing" is a phrase that does not make any sense. It is an Indianism. It is only understood in India. It is not proper English. It is irritating. 'Out of station' “Sorry I can’t talk right now, I’m out of station.” “What a coincidence, I’m in a station right now.” What's wrong with "out of town" or "not in town" or simpler - "I'm not available"?


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The big sleep "I’m going to bed now, sleep is coming." "OK, say hi to it for me." Even a fan of anthropomorphism should have my limits. "Sleep is coming" is taking things a bit too far. Prepone“Let’s prepone the meeting from 11 a.m. to 10 a.m.” As the opposite of “post” is “pre”, the opposite of postpone just has to be prepone, right? "Prepone" is probably the most famous Indianism of all time. Only"He kicked the ball like that only."Like there was any doubt about the way he did it. "I’m here only." What’s wrong with just being "here"? "Only" is among the least lonely and most overused word in Indian English. Myself“Myself … Chatur Naathe, I put up in Kill-English-istan”If you want to say your name, just say "my name is …". Unless you’re looking to fail a job interview.


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Updation"We’re awaiting updation by our manager." Right. You’re an android mobile phone. And your manager always winds you up, first thing in the morning.Why not simply - "We’re waiting to be updated by our manager?" Basically and actuallyThis might be an Americanism, and perhaps a Britishism too, but it’s funny when “we” overuse "basically" and "actually" to emphasize what we mean."Basically, we import toothpicks." No relevancy whatsoever! Taking "I will call you back later as I am taking my lunch right now." Taking it where? To the pool for a swim? Just like "take rest." Really. "Take rest." Instead of just "rest." Why? Would be"I would be coming for the meeting in Malad." “Would you also care to purchase a copy of "English Grammar for Dummies" on your way?”It should be "will be", or simply “will come”, not "would be coming."


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Putting "Put on the switch", "Put on this yellow dress." We just love using the word "put.Keep it simple - "Switch on the light" or "wear this yellow dress”. Danced on"We danced on this song at the wedding reception." Hope the song is not dead! You dance “to” a song. Don’t eat my brainOne of those colloquialisms we love to use in times of irritation. "Eat my head" is another variation.While your dietary choices are your own, eating human brain is most certainly unadvisable. The last and latest – Indian-English SMS speak“c if u cud mk it psible fr tmrw itz gna b osm party ... i nw u bzy wd shoots nly bt gv a try na .... cheerrzzz yaa ...hugzzzz…^%(&^%^%# (29 emoticons)”

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Thank

U!

Education

E mail communication - session 1