Top Tips for Effective Emailing!

Host Bee on Sunday, March 29th, 2009

Tip of the Week – Effective Emailing!

These days, there are very few events or activities that are not organized by email. It’s the quickest and most effective way to get a job done, whether you’re coordinating a Little League schedule, a family reunion or major project at the office! In fact, when chairing a volunteer committee recently, I felt like “requiring” email addresses for each member, since I knew that without this easy form of communication, my progress would be much less efficient!

But an email alone isn’t the whole answer! The emails that we send have to be appropriate, responsive and well worded. I doubt that anyone reading this hasn’t sent an email that you’ve instantly regretted or received one that left you shaking your head. Here are a few tips for emailing without embarrassment!

Reread What You’ve Typed – Before sending, reread what you’ve typed! Consider the recipient (and imagine that your mother is reading over your shoulder!) Keep in mind that your tone of voice and facial gestures will not be part of the message!
Double Check the “To” Line – Before sending, double check the “To” line, especially if you are distributing the email to a large group! I recently invited a business contact to chaperone my daughter’s high school dance!
When Emotional, Sleep On It – When angry or upset, sleep on it before sending a caustic reply, because once the message is sent, there’s no turning back!
Use the Subject Box – In the subject box, rather than leaving it blank or just typing “hi,” use a descriptive phrase that will allow the recipient to assign your message its proper importance (high or low!)
Focus Your Message – Try not to overwhelm recipients with numerous topics or questions in one email. It’s better to send separate emails that will then lend themselves to “on point” replies.
Use a Proper Salutation and Closing – It’s important to use a salutation and closing, especially in a business email. Your closing should include your full name, as well as company name, your title and contact information. If you end up going back and forth with a lot of short messages, it’s okay to eliminate that formality on the follow up emails.
Consciously Decide to Reply to One or All – When replying to an email that was addressed to multiple parties, make a conscious decision as to whether you’d like to reply to one or “reply to all” of the recipients.
Apologize if Neccessary – And finally, if you do send an email and later feel horribly embarrassed, pick up the phone and simply apologize! The odds are that your recipient has been in the same boat before!