Tips for communicating with email
Ruth Whittington
Approx.
2 min read
First Published:
Jun 2006
Updated:
Key Learnings contained in this article:
Email is a wonderful invention, but can also be the bane of your life if you become a slave to it. Striking a happy balance is difficult, but here are a few practices that might help.
When sending email:
- Send it only to those who will benefit from your message. Don’t overload recipients with unnecessary information.
- Write as if you are speaking.
- Be polite when criticising.
- Never argue aggressively or use abusive language.
- Let people know whether you’re expressing opinions or stating facts.
- Don’t use email as a substitute for face-to-face communication.
- Get to the point quickly. When possible, keep your message to one screen-length of copy.
If you are receiving email:
- Set aside two or three periods a day only for answering new email, unless a project is urgent.
- Respond to and forward messages as soon as possible. Caution: If a message upsets you, take time to gather your thoughts – and then respond logically.
- Don’t press the send button until you have walked away and left it.
- Check old messages regularly and delete all unneeded mail.
- Don’t stop working each time you receive a new message.
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