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E-mail is most effective in delivering simple messages. Complex data should probably be sent in hardcopy documents.
Despide its dangers and limitations, e-mail is increasingly the way to send business messages.
E-mail addresses are often complex, usually illogical, and always unforgiving. Omit one character or misread the letter l for number 1,
and your messages bounces. solution: Use your electronic address book for people you write frequently. And double-check every address that you key in manually.
Also be sure that you don't reply to a group of receivers when you intend to answer only one.
With an abundance of spam (junk mail) clogging most inboxes, make sure your subject line is
relevant and helpful. Generic tags like Hello and Great deal may cause your message to be deleted
before it is opened.
Don't burden readers with unnecessary information. Remember that monitors are small and typefaces are often difficult
to read. Organize your ideas tightly. Messages over three screens would have to be very compelling to keep a reader's interest.
Because e-mail seems like a telephone call or a person-to-person conversation, writers sometimes send sensitive, confidential, inflammatory
or potentially embarrassing messages. Beware! E-mail creates a permanent record that often does not go away even when deleted. And
every message is a corporate that can be used against you or your employer. Don't write
anythig that you wouldn't want your boss, your family, or a judge to read.
E-mail is inappropriate for breaking bad news or for resolving arguments. For example,
it's improper to fire a person by e-mail. It's also not a good channel for dealing with conflict with supervisors,
subordinates, or others. If there's any possibility of hurt feelings, pick up the
telephone or pay the person a visit.
Always allow some time to cool off before shooting off a response to an upsetting
message. You often come up with different and better alternatives after thinking about what was said.
If possible, iron out differences in person.
Corporate America is rapidly embracing communication by e-mail (sometimes call messaging as in "Why don't you message me?"). In fact, the growth of e-mail has far outpaced that of telephones when they first appeared (Mary Ellen Guffey).
Smart E-mail Practices
E-mail
Get the address right
Avoid misleading subject lines
Be concise
Don't send anything you wouldn't want published
Don't use e-mail to avoid contact
Never respond when you're angry
E-mail
Get the address right
Avoid misleading subject lines
Be concise
Don't send anything you wouldn't want published
Don't use e-mail to avoid contact
Never respond when you're angry
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