You can save time and create more effective e-mails with a few settings available in your e-mail system.
First, if you haven't already done so, set your e-mail package to automatically spell check your message before it goes out.
And, set it to suggest replacements for misspelled words.
Doing so allows you to take advantage of the full capability of this software feature.
But that's not the best part!
Now that you have these features set, you no longer need to correct your spelling in the editing or proofreading stages.
Correcting your spelling while creating, editing or proofreading your e-mail actually slows you down and could distract you.
Here's where the magic comes in.
The magic assumes two things.
First, we have to assume you actually read your e-mails before you send them.
Reading and sometimes editing your e-mails before you send them is both common sense and common courtesy.
As you proofread it for content, tone, and grammar, forget about correcting misspelled words at this point
As you proofread, you may see misspelled words. DON'T correct them while you're proofreading.
The only words you should correct before hitting the "Send" button are obvious mistakes your spell checker would not recognize.
For example, for some strange reason, every time I try to type the word "from" it comes out "form."
To the spell checker, the word is spelled correctly. Unfortunately, that's not the word I want.
Or, watch out for "your" and "you're."
Also, double check "their," they're," and "there."
Your spell check cannot read your mind.
So this is where you need to be careful.
After you have completed your proofreading stage and spotted the obvious spelling errors and the ones the spell check needs your help on, hit "Send."
Because you have already set your system to suggest spellings, any time the spell checker comes to a misspelled word, it will stop and ask you which spelling you want.
Select the spelling you want and hit okay.
Rather than taking the time to correct it in the writing and proofing stages, you let the computer do the work.
Now for a final word of caution.
I did tell you to proofread your e-mail before hitting the "Send" button. You, not your spell checker, are still responsible for your correct spellings.
I call it "The Porogram Principle."
I once thought I spelled the word "program" correctly in my word processor.
Actually, I spelled the word, "porogram."
Because I had placed the cursor after the word "porogram," the spell checker did not catch the mistake.
When I printed the document, I noticed the misspelling.
I then repeated my original mistake of not placing the cursor in the correct position and again, the spell checker accepted "porogram."
Frustrated by this, I decided to "Google" the word "porogram."
To my amazement, I discovered that Google listed 47,200 listings that contained the word, "porogram."
I checked a half dozen of the listings trying to uncover the mysterious definition of the word.
All I discovered was that 47,200 other people had misspelled the word in their documents and those documents made their way out into the world wide web.
So what does all of this mean?
1. Set your e-mail package to automatically spell check your message before it goes out.
2. Set it to suggest replacements for misspelled words
3. Select the correct spelling of the word when prompted by the spell checker rather than typing the correct word.
If you are a speed typist, this tip may not prove to save you time.
If you type as slowly as I do, you should save time.
And possibly, you could become more effective because you are concentrating on your message, rather than your spelling.
Let me know what you think.
Showing posts with label Business Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business Writing. Show all posts
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Effective Business Writing Means Getting Rid of Academic Ghosts
Improving your Business Writing may require an exorcism.
Many people struggle with and, indeed, fear and dread business writing.
Overcoming this may require remembering and ridding ourselves of academic ghosts that have long haunted our writing.
To do that, please join me in a mental time capsule that takes us
back in time - back to the fifth and sixth grades.
Back in the fifth and sixth grades, you probably went through the
school system similar to the way I did. You spent all day with
the same person; it wasn't your mother or father. You spent a big
part of your day with your elementary school teacher.
I admire elementary school teachers. They are my heroes. They
face a lot of challenges. They have to teach you science, math,
social studies, English, and geography. They sometimes concerned
themselves with eraser clapping, milk money, and PTA meetings.
One of these responsibilities is to teach you English. When they
put on their English teachers' hats, their primary responsibility
was to teach you the concept of a sentence.
Back then, in 5th and 6th grade, we were young. We were
impressionable. And, coming from authority figures we heard words
like:
Declarative
Interrogative
Exclamatory
Imperative
Terrifying sounding words, right?
That experience with those four terrifying words left an
everlasting impression on us.
Big People like Big Words.
What other conclusion could we come to? Our knowledge base was
very limited. We didn't know any better. We were young and very
impressionable.
After learning the kinds of sentences, we learned the types of
sentences.
And we learned:
"This is a simple sentence."
"This is a compound sentence; it contains two independent
clauses."
"This is a complex sentence which contains one dependent and one
independent clause."
"This is a compound-complex sentence and because it contains two
independent clauses and a dependent clause, it becomes a long
sentence."
In our young, impressionable minds, what then became the standard
by which we thought we were going to be judged?
Long sentences!
First, we learned that big people like big words. Now, we learn
that big people like big sentences.
Those elementary school teachers took a very logical approach.
They started very simply and ended with more difficult material.
This approach showed us the various ways we speak and the various
types of sentences we could use in writing. Unfortunately, in our
young, impressionable minds, we retained only the message:
Big People Like Big Words; Big People Like Big Sentences.
Then, you entered the seventh grade. Maybe by this time, you met
a specialist - a dedicated English teacher. That dedicated
English teacher assumed that the fifth and sixth grade teachers
taught you all these neat things about sentences. Now you have to
put these sentences together into something called a "paragraph."
Think about your first encounter with paragraph writing.
I know the only two things you ever really remember about
paragraph writing. I know those two things because I ask
participants in my workshops, "What do you remember about writing
that first paragraph?" I get eight to ten different answers.
Number one and number two are always the same.
Think back to that first paragraph you had to write. Tell me what
you remember about that first paragraph. (Remember, I asked you
to play make believe.)
Go ahead, say it out loud. Or, if you're reading this in your
office or on a plane, and you don't want people to throw a net
over your head, say it to yourself. Tell me the first thing you
remember about writing that first paragraph.
Agony! Okay, what else? Say it; I know it's on the tip of your
tongue.
Yes, that's right.
Indent.
That's number one on the hit parade - Indent.
Of all of the things that people could remember about
writing, what sticks in their brains?
Indent!
Now, many letters we receive come to us left justified, which
means many people have dropped the concept of indenting.
The second thing people tell me they remember about writing their
first paragraph is that that first paragraph had to be 100 words.
Either 100 words or a certain number of sentences.
Remember how we used to write? We looked at that blank sheet and
uttered the writer's prayer,
"Please God, let words appear"
We wrote that first sentence and then we counted the words.
"12 - yes! We're on our way."
Then we looked for the second sentence and wrote that down. Then
what did we do? We counted the words. We associated writing with
a number.
Then, we entered the 10th grade, 11th grade, or 12th grade.
What kind of writing are we doing now?
Remember those dreaded assignments - term papers, themes,
compositions, book reports?
We are no longer talking 100 words. Now we're talking ten pages!
Remember how suddenly the margins got bigger? We learned how to
play the game.
Remember how our penmanship improved? We used to write small. Ten
pages, wow! All of a sudden, our writing became larger. That's
how we got to 10 pages.
Also, back then, when we had to write that 10 page term paper, we
introduced ourselves to two items - a dictionary and a thesaurus.
Back then, we started doing bizarre things - like utilizing
"utilize" rather than using "use." We wrote the paper and it was
only eight pages long.
That will never do. So we reread the paper and found this little
word "use." That word was too small. So, we looked in the
dictionary and found the word "utilize" - the stuff
dreams are made of.
Early in our education, we learned some valuable lessons.
First, big words fill pages. What was our objective? We had to
fill pages.
Second, we learned a system for good grades. The more big
words we used, the better our grade. The better the grades, the
more big words we used. Writing became a game. We knew how to
play the game. That stuck with us.
In the fifth and sixth grade, we heard words like "declarative"
and "interrogative." When we wrote our term papers, we used words
like "utilize" and "endeavor."
Then some of us entered college.
Do you remember the horror of filling two blue books during the
final exam.
Did those blue books tell what you knew about the subject?
No!
Did they tell how you could apply that information in real life?
No!
All that experience showed was how well we could shovel academic
babble.
Throughout your formal education, you had a number associated
with writing, 100 words, 10 pages, two blue books.
Now you get into a business environment to find out that none of
that stuff works. It's a completely different focus.
Because we focused on getting to 100 words, 10 pages and two blue
books, the length of our sentences increased, our words got
bigger, and we used more prepositional phrases.
Because we wrote like that in school, we naturally transferred
that approach to business writing.
In business, our audience does not have time to read two-pages
when one-page will do. Our audience is not impressed by the
length of our sentences or the extent of our vocabulary.
In the past, because we focused on getting to 100 words, 10 pages
and two blue books, we increased the length of our sentences,
searched for bigger words and used more prepositional phrases.
To get better results with our business writing, we need to
reverse that process. We need to become clear, concise, correct,
complete and conversational.
Many people struggle with and, indeed, fear and dread business writing.
Overcoming this may require remembering and ridding ourselves of academic ghosts that have long haunted our writing.
To do that, please join me in a mental time capsule that takes us
back in time - back to the fifth and sixth grades.
Back in the fifth and sixth grades, you probably went through the
school system similar to the way I did. You spent all day with
the same person; it wasn't your mother or father. You spent a big
part of your day with your elementary school teacher.
I admire elementary school teachers. They are my heroes. They
face a lot of challenges. They have to teach you science, math,
social studies, English, and geography. They sometimes concerned
themselves with eraser clapping, milk money, and PTA meetings.
One of these responsibilities is to teach you English. When they
put on their English teachers' hats, their primary responsibility
was to teach you the concept of a sentence.
Back then, in 5th and 6th grade, we were young. We were
impressionable. And, coming from authority figures we heard words
like:
Declarative
Interrogative
Exclamatory
Imperative
Terrifying sounding words, right?
That experience with those four terrifying words left an
everlasting impression on us.
Big People like Big Words.
What other conclusion could we come to? Our knowledge base was
very limited. We didn't know any better. We were young and very
impressionable.
After learning the kinds of sentences, we learned the types of
sentences.
And we learned:
"This is a simple sentence."
"This is a compound sentence; it contains two independent
clauses."
"This is a complex sentence which contains one dependent and one
independent clause."
"This is a compound-complex sentence and because it contains two
independent clauses and a dependent clause, it becomes a long
sentence."
In our young, impressionable minds, what then became the standard
by which we thought we were going to be judged?
Long sentences!
First, we learned that big people like big words. Now, we learn
that big people like big sentences.
Those elementary school teachers took a very logical approach.
They started very simply and ended with more difficult material.
This approach showed us the various ways we speak and the various
types of sentences we could use in writing. Unfortunately, in our
young, impressionable minds, we retained only the message:
Big People Like Big Words; Big People Like Big Sentences.
Then, you entered the seventh grade. Maybe by this time, you met
a specialist - a dedicated English teacher. That dedicated
English teacher assumed that the fifth and sixth grade teachers
taught you all these neat things about sentences. Now you have to
put these sentences together into something called a "paragraph."
Think about your first encounter with paragraph writing.
I know the only two things you ever really remember about
paragraph writing. I know those two things because I ask
participants in my workshops, "What do you remember about writing
that first paragraph?" I get eight to ten different answers.
Number one and number two are always the same.
Think back to that first paragraph you had to write. Tell me what
you remember about that first paragraph. (Remember, I asked you
to play make believe.)
Go ahead, say it out loud. Or, if you're reading this in your
office or on a plane, and you don't want people to throw a net
over your head, say it to yourself. Tell me the first thing you
remember about writing that first paragraph.
Agony! Okay, what else? Say it; I know it's on the tip of your
tongue.
Yes, that's right.
Indent.
That's number one on the hit parade - Indent.
Of all of the things that people could remember about
writing, what sticks in their brains?
Indent!
Now, many letters we receive come to us left justified, which
means many people have dropped the concept of indenting.
The second thing people tell me they remember about writing their
first paragraph is that that first paragraph had to be 100 words.
Either 100 words or a certain number of sentences.
Remember how we used to write? We looked at that blank sheet and
uttered the writer's prayer,
"Please God, let words appear"
We wrote that first sentence and then we counted the words.
"12 - yes! We're on our way."
Then we looked for the second sentence and wrote that down. Then
what did we do? We counted the words. We associated writing with
a number.
Then, we entered the 10th grade, 11th grade, or 12th grade.
What kind of writing are we doing now?
Remember those dreaded assignments - term papers, themes,
compositions, book reports?
We are no longer talking 100 words. Now we're talking ten pages!
Remember how suddenly the margins got bigger? We learned how to
play the game.
Remember how our penmanship improved? We used to write small. Ten
pages, wow! All of a sudden, our writing became larger. That's
how we got to 10 pages.
Also, back then, when we had to write that 10 page term paper, we
introduced ourselves to two items - a dictionary and a thesaurus.
Back then, we started doing bizarre things - like utilizing
"utilize" rather than using "use." We wrote the paper and it was
only eight pages long.
That will never do. So we reread the paper and found this little
word "use." That word was too small. So, we looked in the
dictionary and found the word "utilize" - the stuff
dreams are made of.
Early in our education, we learned some valuable lessons.
First, big words fill pages. What was our objective? We had to
fill pages.
Second, we learned a system for good grades. The more big
words we used, the better our grade. The better the grades, the
more big words we used. Writing became a game. We knew how to
play the game. That stuck with us.
In the fifth and sixth grade, we heard words like "declarative"
and "interrogative." When we wrote our term papers, we used words
like "utilize" and "endeavor."
Then some of us entered college.
Do you remember the horror of filling two blue books during the
final exam.
Did those blue books tell what you knew about the subject?
No!
Did they tell how you could apply that information in real life?
No!
All that experience showed was how well we could shovel academic
babble.
Throughout your formal education, you had a number associated
with writing, 100 words, 10 pages, two blue books.
Now you get into a business environment to find out that none of
that stuff works. It's a completely different focus.
Because we focused on getting to 100 words, 10 pages and two blue
books, the length of our sentences increased, our words got
bigger, and we used more prepositional phrases.
Because we wrote like that in school, we naturally transferred
that approach to business writing.
In business, our audience does not have time to read two-pages
when one-page will do. Our audience is not impressed by the
length of our sentences or the extent of our vocabulary.
In the past, because we focused on getting to 100 words, 10 pages
and two blue books, we increased the length of our sentences,
searched for bigger words and used more prepositional phrases.
To get better results with our business writing, we need to
reverse that process. We need to become clear, concise, correct,
complete and conversational.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Why Business Writing Can Become Challenging
Many people struggle with business writing.
And, because of that, they waste a lot of time, become frustrated, and do not get the results they want or expect.
Let me share with you a couple of reasons why so many business professionals struggle with their business writing.
Let's talk about "how" we communicate.
We communicate in only two ways - verbally and nonverbally.
The word "verbal" means written and spoken. Many people think the word "verbal" only means spoken.
That's not true. The word "verbal" means written and spoken.
The verbal part includes the words you use and the tone you project with your words. If people do not understand those words, that communication will go nowhere. If your readers understand those words, then the tone you use - how you say it - might become more important than the words.
The nonverbal signals we send with our body language reveals much more than the actual words we use. When we slam doors with frowns on our faces and let out exasperated sighs of disgust, we are letting people know we are not happy. We don't say a word, but people get the message.
Another example of nonverbal signals is eye contact.
Have you ever walked into someone's office and said "Hey Joe. I've got a great idea."
Joe responds in a low, monotone pestered sounding voice, "Yeah, go ahead, tell me about it."
And, Joe never looks at you. He continues looking down at the pile of papers he was working on.
Or, he gets up from the desk by placing both hands flat on the desk to push himself up. Once he's up, he folds his arms behind his back (I guess that's so he doesn't hit you).
Then he starts pacing. While he paces, he checks the floor, checks the ceiling tiles, looks out the window to see if anyone stole his car, and finally checks his watch to make sure he brought it with him.
All this while, he never looks at you. Does that mean he's not listening? No!
He hears every word you say. How does that make you feel?
Right! About one inch tall.
Volumes of evidence show how nonverbals affect communication. For now, let's focus on how the nonverbal affect your writing.
When you write a letter, memo, report, or proposal, do you have the benefit of these nonverbal signals? No. We've wiped out more than half your ability to communicate.
Now do you understand why writing becomes so difficult?
We have grown so accustomed to communicating by using the nonverbal of our body language. We become frustrated when we cannot communicate as effectively on paper.
This is also why you would prefer to talk to someone, rather than write him or her a memo or letter.
In speech, you have the benefit of reading that person's nonverbals or having them read yours.
In writing, we must rely on words and tone. That's it, words and tone.
You do have some nonverbal. If you wrote an important letter to a customer in pencil, wrinkled it while putting it in the envelope, spilled coffee on it while you were writing it, misspelled the person's name, and sent it four weeks late, I think that's nonverbal.
For the most part, when you write, you do not have the benefit of nonverbal signals. That's why writing is so tough.
And, because of that, they waste a lot of time, become frustrated, and do not get the results they want or expect.
Let me share with you a couple of reasons why so many business professionals struggle with their business writing.
Let's talk about "how" we communicate.
We communicate in only two ways - verbally and nonverbally.
The word "verbal" means written and spoken. Many people think the word "verbal" only means spoken.
That's not true. The word "verbal" means written and spoken.
The verbal part includes the words you use and the tone you project with your words. If people do not understand those words, that communication will go nowhere. If your readers understand those words, then the tone you use - how you say it - might become more important than the words.
The nonverbal signals we send with our body language reveals much more than the actual words we use. When we slam doors with frowns on our faces and let out exasperated sighs of disgust, we are letting people know we are not happy. We don't say a word, but people get the message.
Another example of nonverbal signals is eye contact.
Have you ever walked into someone's office and said "Hey Joe. I've got a great idea."
Joe responds in a low, monotone pestered sounding voice, "Yeah, go ahead, tell me about it."
And, Joe never looks at you. He continues looking down at the pile of papers he was working on.
Or, he gets up from the desk by placing both hands flat on the desk to push himself up. Once he's up, he folds his arms behind his back (I guess that's so he doesn't hit you).
Then he starts pacing. While he paces, he checks the floor, checks the ceiling tiles, looks out the window to see if anyone stole his car, and finally checks his watch to make sure he brought it with him.
All this while, he never looks at you. Does that mean he's not listening? No!
He hears every word you say. How does that make you feel?
Right! About one inch tall.
Volumes of evidence show how nonverbals affect communication. For now, let's focus on how the nonverbal affect your writing.
When you write a letter, memo, report, or proposal, do you have the benefit of these nonverbal signals? No. We've wiped out more than half your ability to communicate.
Now do you understand why writing becomes so difficult?
We have grown so accustomed to communicating by using the nonverbal of our body language. We become frustrated when we cannot communicate as effectively on paper.
This is also why you would prefer to talk to someone, rather than write him or her a memo or letter.
In speech, you have the benefit of reading that person's nonverbals or having them read yours.
In writing, we must rely on words and tone. That's it, words and tone.
You do have some nonverbal. If you wrote an important letter to a customer in pencil, wrinkled it while putting it in the envelope, spilled coffee on it while you were writing it, misspelled the person's name, and sent it four weeks late, I think that's nonverbal.
For the most part, when you write, you do not have the benefit of nonverbal signals. That's why writing is so tough.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Grammar Checkers Improve Business Writing
Someone once said, "There's no such thing as good writing, just good re-writing."
I prefer to say, "There's no such thing as good writing, just good editing."
In the hectic business world, finding time for editing and re-writing your business writing becomes a challenge. However, investing the time to run your business writing through grammar checkers pays huge dividends.
Many of the latest versions of word processors already come equipped with grammar checkers. Investing some time learning how to use this valuable tool will definitely help save you time, improve the quality of your writing, and eliminate the embarrassment of misspelled words, incorrect grammar or confusing writing styles.
Grammar Checkers are far from perfect. Sometimes they can be confusing and frustrating. But, so can kids and parents. You don't dismiss your kids or you don't ignore your parents because you sometimes don't understand or agree with them.
Let me share a few of the benefits of investing a little time learning your Grammar Checker and then using it.
1. Grammar Checkers can catch errors in grammar and writing style that you never knew or considered. That could mean the difference between readers not understanding your meaning and you getting results.
2. Grammar Checkers provide you with Readablity Statistics that show you how clear your business writing is and where to look to improve it.
Most Grammar checkers will provide you with the following two categories of information.
AVERAGES
Sentences per paragraph
Words per sentence
Characters per word
READABILITY
Passive Sentences
Flesch Reading Ease
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
Rather than explaining these categories in detail, let me offer guidelines for you to strive for.
AVERAGES
Sentences per paragraph -
Never write more than five sentences per paragraph-ever!
Words per sentence -
Average 18 words per sentence for paper documents and 15 words per sentence for emails
Characters per word
The general rule here is use shorter, more familiar words rather than longer academic or consultant words.
Use "use," not "utilize."
Use "pattern," "model," or "example," not "paradigm."
Use "problem," "challenge," "issue," or "puzzle, not "conundrum."
READABILITY
Passive Sentences
This should never exceed 20%
Flesch Reading Ease
This should be at last 80%
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
This should range between 6.0 and 10.0.
If your Reading Ease is lower than 80% and your Grade Level is higher than 10.0, that means your paragraphs are too long, your sentences have too many words, and your words have too many characters and syllables.
That last sentence shows how easily you can blow away your Reading Ease and Grade Level. The sentence had a Reading Ease of 6.3 and Grade Level of 13.1.
Why?
The sentence contained 38 words. It contained four words with more than two syllables.
To make this sentence easier to read, you can change it to read:
If your Reading Ease is lower than 80% and your Grade Level is higher than 10.0, you should check the following:
Are your paragraphs are too long?
Do your sentences have too many words?
Do your words have too many characters and syllables?
Now, the Reading Ease is 80.1 and the Grade Level is 3.8.
Notice how the use of bullets drives the Grade Level down significantly.
So, use shorter sentences, shorter paragraphs, and smaller words and you will reap big benefits. Use your Grammar Checker to measure your business wWriting and you will receive measurable rewards.
I prefer to say, "There's no such thing as good writing, just good editing."
In the hectic business world, finding time for editing and re-writing your business writing becomes a challenge. However, investing the time to run your business writing through grammar checkers pays huge dividends.
Many of the latest versions of word processors already come equipped with grammar checkers. Investing some time learning how to use this valuable tool will definitely help save you time, improve the quality of your writing, and eliminate the embarrassment of misspelled words, incorrect grammar or confusing writing styles.
Grammar Checkers are far from perfect. Sometimes they can be confusing and frustrating. But, so can kids and parents. You don't dismiss your kids or you don't ignore your parents because you sometimes don't understand or agree with them.
Let me share a few of the benefits of investing a little time learning your Grammar Checker and then using it.
1. Grammar Checkers can catch errors in grammar and writing style that you never knew or considered. That could mean the difference between readers not understanding your meaning and you getting results.
2. Grammar Checkers provide you with Readablity Statistics that show you how clear your business writing is and where to look to improve it.
Most Grammar checkers will provide you with the following two categories of information.
AVERAGES
Sentences per paragraph
Words per sentence
Characters per word
READABILITY
Passive Sentences
Flesch Reading Ease
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
Rather than explaining these categories in detail, let me offer guidelines for you to strive for.
AVERAGES
Sentences per paragraph -
Never write more than five sentences per paragraph-ever!
Words per sentence -
Average 18 words per sentence for paper documents and 15 words per sentence for emails
Characters per word
The general rule here is use shorter, more familiar words rather than longer academic or consultant words.
Use "use," not "utilize."
Use "pattern," "model," or "example," not "paradigm."
Use "problem," "challenge," "issue," or "puzzle, not "conundrum."
READABILITY
Passive Sentences
This should never exceed 20%
Flesch Reading Ease
This should be at last 80%
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
This should range between 6.0 and 10.0.
If your Reading Ease is lower than 80% and your Grade Level is higher than 10.0, that means your paragraphs are too long, your sentences have too many words, and your words have too many characters and syllables.
That last sentence shows how easily you can blow away your Reading Ease and Grade Level. The sentence had a Reading Ease of 6.3 and Grade Level of 13.1.
Why?
The sentence contained 38 words. It contained four words with more than two syllables.
To make this sentence easier to read, you can change it to read:
If your Reading Ease is lower than 80% and your Grade Level is higher than 10.0, you should check the following:
Are your paragraphs are too long?
Do your sentences have too many words?
Do your words have too many characters and syllables?
Now, the Reading Ease is 80.1 and the Grade Level is 3.8.
Notice how the use of bullets drives the Grade Level down significantly.
So, use shorter sentences, shorter paragraphs, and smaller words and you will reap big benefits. Use your Grammar Checker to measure your business wWriting and you will receive measurable rewards.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
The Next E-mail You Send Could Cost You Dearly!
Carelessness, emotional excess, and haste can result in e-mail disaster.
One town official learned this lesson the hard way. Check out this series of events.
On June 30, my wife e-mailed this municipal official with a request to have the town perform a specific service that was under his area of responsibility.
She received a prompt e-mail response that someone from his department would look into the situation.
On August 9, after not hearing from anyone in the town about the situation, my wife sent a second request for someone to review the situation. Again, she promptly received a promise from the official to check into the matter.
On August 25, after speaking with the official, she sent him a reminder e-mail as he had requested.
Again, on the same day, she received a response indicating the official understood the situation and would direct someone from his department to take care of it.
On September 20, concerned that the service had not yet been performed by the town, my wife sent another reminder e-mail to the official. With winter coming, the situation could get worse.
On that same day, my wife received the following response.
“Rudy, shoot me! Please put this pain in the ass on the schedule. Thanks”
Because this article focuses on e-mail etiquette and the proper use of e-mail, I will not go into the series of classical managerial blunders this official committed as a result of the above message.
My wife received the last e-mail because the city official hit “Reply,” which meant my wife got the message, not the municipal employee for whom the e-mail was intended.
LESSONS LEARNED
Before hitting the "Send" button, check your emotional temperature. If you're angry, frustrated, upset, or ready to explode, walk away from your computer.
After you create an e-mail that displays any emotion, save it, and look at it 24 hours later.
The chances are that 24 hours later you will probably revise your message.
Your image, your job, and maybe your career are riding on your communication skills.
The next e-mail you send could cost you dearly!
One town official learned this lesson the hard way. Check out this series of events.
On June 30, my wife e-mailed this municipal official with a request to have the town perform a specific service that was under his area of responsibility.
She received a prompt e-mail response that someone from his department would look into the situation.
On August 9, after not hearing from anyone in the town about the situation, my wife sent a second request for someone to review the situation. Again, she promptly received a promise from the official to check into the matter.
On August 25, after speaking with the official, she sent him a reminder e-mail as he had requested.
Again, on the same day, she received a response indicating the official understood the situation and would direct someone from his department to take care of it.
On September 20, concerned that the service had not yet been performed by the town, my wife sent another reminder e-mail to the official. With winter coming, the situation could get worse.
On that same day, my wife received the following response.
“Rudy, shoot me! Please put this pain in the ass on the schedule. Thanks”
Because this article focuses on e-mail etiquette and the proper use of e-mail, I will not go into the series of classical managerial blunders this official committed as a result of the above message.
My wife received the last e-mail because the city official hit “Reply,” which meant my wife got the message, not the municipal employee for whom the e-mail was intended.
LESSONS LEARNED
Before hitting the "Send" button, check your emotional temperature. If you're angry, frustrated, upset, or ready to explode, walk away from your computer.
After you create an e-mail that displays any emotion, save it, and look at it 24 hours later.
The chances are that 24 hours later you will probably revise your message.
Your image, your job, and maybe your career are riding on your communication skills.
The next e-mail you send could cost you dearly!
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