How to Improve Email Communication
Email is a fast, easy way to communicate with other people, whether they are in the next office or around the world. Messages sent by electronic mail have almost replaced the traditional mail service, also called "snail mail" because of its slower delivery time. Although email is convenient, it also presents limitations that can lead to misunderstandings. The speed and ease with which a message can be composed may cause users to take unhelpful shortcuts. Communicating clearly can help avoid some of the misunderstandings that email may cause.
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Instructions
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Plan what you want to say before you start writing your email message. Creating an outline of what you plan to say can help you stick to your intended topic and may help you avoid unnecessary or irrelevant information.
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Keep it short. The business communication website Mind Tools recommends discussing only one key point in each email, especially if you need a response quickly. If you must convey multiple topics in each email, number each point to separate it from the other topics.
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Write a good subject line. The title or subject line of your email should clearly describe the content of the message, both to alert the reader about the topic and more importantly, to allow the email to be referenced quickly later. Instead of just saying "party," for example, it would be more specific to title it "Jim's Retirement Party, April 8th."
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Read your message out loud before you send it. Pay attention to the tone. When messages are written abruptly, they may have an unintentionally brusque tone. Reading the message aloud also will alert you to any phrases not written as clearly as they should be.
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Tips & Warnings
Specify what type of response you are seeking. If you want acknowledgment that the email was read and the recipient agreed with the content, you should say so.
Include a disclaimer if any circumstance may be affecting your mood and therefore, your words. For example, a simple line such as, "Please forgive any jumbled thoughts; this was written late at night ..." may prevent negative reactions.
Remember that email still can be retrieved after it is deleted from an inbox, so you should write with the mindset that the message may be around forever.
Use extreme caution when trying to convey humor in an email, especially if it is a joke about someone else.
Be careful about discussing extremely confidential matters in email.
Do not be overly informal unless the email is written to a friend or business associate with whom you have corresponded on a personal level.
References
Resources
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