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BEYOND E-MAIL ETIQUETTE:The Smart Way to Use E-Mail

In Today’s WorkplacePresented By:

DR. LESTER HOFFMAN

APPLIED TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE410-531-6034

WWW.ATICOURSES.COMemail [email protected]

Copyright, 2002-2004, Dr. Lester Hoffman 1

http://www.aticourses.com/

“The effective use of technology never happens just by accident.”– Dr. Lester Hoffman

“The blizzard of workplace electronic mail now exceeds [a trillion] a year. This rising storm of communication creates an exponentially

increasing possibility of miscommunication and “malcommunication” by and among employees.”

– Littler, Mendelson law firm


WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES E-mail etiquette and beyond – 25 rules for courtesy, clarity, and coherence to

make your message stand out

Be alert to the many pitfalls of using e-mail and voice-mail in the electronic workplace, and know techniques for avoiding them

Know when it’s best to use e-mail and when to use another communication channel, such as face-to-face meeting, telephone, fax, paper memo, etc. -- and just why each may be best in different situations

Know why writing subject lines that are brief, to-the-point, and not clichés helps get your emails read

Be able to use more than 25 strategies for managing the e-mail overload in your in-box, and how to reduce the overload

Understand who to send an e-mail to (and who not to), and how not to over-use “cc:”

Know what sort of messages to never, ever, EVER send via e-mail

Understand the basic structure of a successful e-mail, to help your reader understand the message quickly and easily, and act on your request

Know why it’s imperative to proofread every e-mail before hitting “SEND”

Be able to follow guidelines for using e-mail to communicate successfully in a team environment

Understand the importance of tone and diplomacy in e-mails

How to apply the principles of Customer Service to your e-mails and voice mails

Know how to increase productivity by preventing both voicemail tag AND e-mail tag

Be able to use 15 practical tips for taking less time to respond to your e-mails

About the Instructor

Dr. Lester Hoffman, has taught workshops on enhancing written communications and how to use e-mail productively for over 2 dozen government agencies and private sector clients, including: NOAA, The Pentagon, US Census Bureau, US Navy, Dept of Veterans Affairs, National Cancer Institute, NIH, US Public Health Service, USDA, Xerox, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan/Chase, Lockheed-Martin, Prudential Securities, Avon Cosmetics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, FedEx, and Aetna Industries.

Dr. Hoffman received his Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he studied, taught, and did research in Cognitive Psychology, Adult Learning Theory, and Instructional Systems Design. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Help! I’m Drowning in E-Mail: 101 Tricks, Tips, and Techniques for Handling E-


Mail Overload (to be published, October, 2004), and the best-selling book, Moving beyond Bias: Bias-Free Communication Strategies in Today’s Workplace.


HOW YOU CAN AVOID CONTRIBUTING TO E-MAIL OVERLOAD: GENERAL REMINDERS

• Manage your own mailing lists effectively and efficiently – by creating new lists based on specific interests you guarantee less e-clutter and more interested recipients

--Revise and prune your lists periodically

• Use cc: efficiently – and effectively; also, be careful about bcc:

• Manage your incoming e-mail efficiently – don't send replies back in a robot-like manner – don't respond to a message that does not truly require a response

• Avoid playing e-mail tag by writing clear subject lines and making your requests/needs understood so the reader doesn't have to e-mail back asking you to clarify what should have been clear to begin with!

• Avoid unnecessary forwarding to others of messages received by you

• Use e-mail only for business-related messages (with rare exceptions)

• When there's no need for your recipients to respond to your message unless they have an issue with what you said, tell them that explicitly (you can be sure they’ll be grateful for having one less e-mail to write)


SELECTING A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL

1. Is the communication synchronous or asynchronous :

Synchronous: Communication occurs in “real time”; there is a give-and-take between the parties involved, an immediacy of response; allows participants to modify or tailor their messages based on the response they receive, whether verbal or non-verbal

Asynchronous: Communication is essentially one-way; a response may be expected or given, but it's delayed and does not take place in the immediacy of the moment, in “real time”

2. How is meaning conveyed (verbally, non-verbally) :

Verbal: Meaning is conveyed through words exclusively

Non-verbal—visual: Meaning is conveyed through “body language,” gestures, facial expressions, etc.

Non-verbal—auditory: Meaning is conveyed through voice intonation and inflection, pauses, etc.



This chart classifies some different communication channels based on the above categories.

Synchronous?

Asynchronous?

Verbal Non-Verbal-- Body

Language

Non-Verbal Voice

Qualities

Paper Letteror Memo

No Yes Yes N N

E-Mail No Yes Yes No No

Instant Messaging

[Nearly] No Yes No No

Fax No No Yes No No

Face-to-Face Yes No Yes Yes Yes

Telephone Yes No Yes No Yes

Voice Mail No Yes Yes No Yes

Pager/Beeper No Yes No No No

????



There Are Many Ways To Communicate TodayWRITTEN

Paper letter or memo (formal/informal; handwritten note; standard format); can be sent via:

Interoffice mail Fax Postal delivery Overnight or same-day delivery service/courier Hand delivery (“sneaker network”)

Electronic messaging:

E-mail (via company Intranet or public Internet, such as AOL, Hotmail, etc.) Instant messaging Electronic bulletin board -- company Intranet On-line discussion and conferencing via groupware (such as Lotus Notes)

SPOKEN

Oral:

Face-to-face conversation Speech, presentation, or briefing (to one person or to a group) Meeting or conference Video conference E-meeting [with video] Webcasting (1-way or 2-way)

Oral only :

Telephone -- private conversation or conference call E-meeting [without video] Voice mail

MESSAGING ONLY Paging

Note: Many hybrids exist, e.g., e-mail pagers.


SELECTING A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL In some situations, it can be difficult to choose whether you are best off using e-mail, voice mail, fax, a standard form memo, a letterhead memo, a face-to-face meeting, real-time phone call, etc. Don’t just choose e-mail automatically, without thinking about what’s the best communication medium with this specific person in this specific situation. Your choice will be easier if you ask yourself these key questions:• What is the situation? what are “the politics”? the “personalities”?• What’s the subject of the e-mail? what’s the level of “sensitivity”? is it “touchy”

or “political”?• What’s the relationship between yourself and the recipient?• What are the recipient’s communication preferences? what are their travel patterns? (e• What your manager's preferences are• How likely using e-mail or voice mail is to lead to "e-mail tag" or phone tag• The level of sensitivity – how "political" or "touchy" the subject is• Whether a paper trail is needed – or whether you wish there to NOT be a paper

trail• The complexity of the information• Whether the back-up documentation for your message does or doesn't exist in

electronic form• The urgency that they get the message NOW• Whether real-time "give-and-take" is needed • What the risk of misunderstanding is – and what the cost would be• How important it is that the message's tone NOT be misunderstood• Whether there are graphics or other "visual matter" that needs to be seen in its

actual form (may require faxing, but faxing can also blur some delicate visuals)• Whether the recipient has the software needed to open an attachment you want

to send


TO E-MAIL OR NOT TO E-MAIL? Things to Think About Before Selecting a

Communication Channel

• What is your purpose in sending the message? What objective do you want to accomplish? What response are you looking for from the recipient?

• What type of subject or content will be in the message?

-- Is it confidential/sensitive/relating to trade secrets/highly political? Or is it neutral/ factual/purely informational?

-- Is it “good news” or “bad news?”-- Is the message complex or simple?-- Does it require a formality in style/tone or is an informal approach

acceptable/more appropriate?-- Does the subject require a short or a long message?-- Will there be attachments to the message itself?

• The audience -- to whom are you sending the message?

-- Is it going to one person only, being cc:’d to one or more other people, being sent to a distribution list? (will there be any blind cc:’s? is that okay?)

-- What is your relationship to recipient? are they your supervisor? subordinate? peer?

-- How well do you know the person? How much have you communicated in the past? What channel of communication have you used?

-- Where is the recipient located? within physical proximity? same or different time zone? (this may be a critical issue)

-- How mobile is the recipient? can they access e-mail when in transit? (do they?)

-- What are your recipient’s information needs? does he/she prefer details or overview?

-- How much background information (if any) does this recipient need?


TO E-MAIL OR NOT TO E-MAIL? (cont’d)Things to Think About Before Selecting a

Communication Channel

• The audience -- to whom are you sending the message?

-- What are their communication habits or preferences? (do they regularly check for phone messages, but not e-mail)? what’s the “communication culture” of the group?

-- Is the message going to a mixed audience (people with diverse information needs)?

-- Is there a need for confirmation the message has been received? will they be able to provide such conformation? will you be able to receive it? why important?

-- What is the recipient’s native language? Is English their first or second language?

• What are the time factors?

-- How urgent is message? when must it be received by? when is a response needed?

-- For time-sensitive messages, what are recipient’s habits/preferences re communication channels (e.g., does the person check voice mail, but not e-mail, regularly?)

• Does the message require a “paper trail”? (or do you wish to avoid one?)

-- Do you, as the sender, need to retain an electronic version of the message?

-- Does the recipient need to retain a record?-- Do you wish to avoid the existence of an electronic “paper trail” on

the organization’s network?


FACE-TO-FACE VS. E-MAIL

When we talk to someone Face-to-Face (F2F), the words we use carry only a portion of the burden of communication – facial expressions, gestures, inflections, play a critical role in transmitting our message.

However, in an e-mail, the words alone carry the entire burden.

A friendly jibe in conversation may become an insult in e-mail because the reader cannot see the grin or the wink – or catch the slight change in tone of voice that accompanied the remark.

/


TO E-MAIL OR NOT TO E-MAIL? When E-Mail May NOT Be the Best Choice…

And Face-to-Face May Be Best

• In situations where give and take with the other person is essential, e.g., when negotiating

• When conducting interviews, debriefing, focus groups, etc.

• When trying to solve a complex problem that requires input from the other party(ies) and their hearing your response to or comments on their input

• When there is a high risk of misunderstanding of your content -- and the cost of misunderstanding may be high

• When the message includes information that is highly confidential, for eyes only

• For any message that would cause embarrassment or problems if it were read by someone other than the person(s) for whom it was intended

• When delivering criticism

• When delivering praise that requires a more formal setting to recognize the achievement

• When giving performance feedback or a performance appraisal

• When there is a high risk that the tone of your message may be misunderstood

• When you need to convey nuances of feelings to sell your point or get your message across

• For time-sensitive messages where you are not sure that the person will be able to retrieve the e-mail message in a timely manner

• When the recipient has a definite preference not to use e-mail for any but the most routine matters

• For any communication where a face-to-face context is needed for the cultural comfort of the other person(s)


BEFORE YOU SEND AN E-MAIL...

1. Spell Check It!2. Proofread/Edit It! - Make Necessary Changes3. Check to Make Sure That Your E-Mail Meets All These Standards:

Clear In Purpose - "On Target" Throughout Centered On the Reader - Know Your Audience! Courteous/Concerned - Professional In Tone – No Anger, No

Sarcasm – Be Wary of Humor with Those You Don’t Know Well Clearly Written - Simple, Direct, Plain Language Complete - All the Info. Needed - Right Level of Depth – Right Ideas

Emphasized Concise - No Wordiness or Repetition of Thoughts Cohesive - Organized in a Logical Sequence - Flows From Start to

Finish – No Rambling – No Tangents Correct - In Grammar, Punctuation, Word Choice, Spelling - Accurate

Details Chunked Appropriately - Short Sentences/Paragraphs – Relevant

Structure – Bullet Lists When Needed Composed Attractively - Appealing Layout - White Space - Is It

Scannable? Culturally Aware – Bias-Free Language – Conscious of the Cultural

Expectations of the Reader

Note: Print out & do final proofing in hard copy of any e-mail that is long, complex, or very crucial – just as you would with a memo in hard copy!


NO MORE NASTYGRAMS!

51% of workers in a recent survey said the tone of their e-mails is often misperceived in a negative way!

It is hard to convey subtleties in e-mail, and people say things in e-mails that they’d never say in writing or voicemail, let alone in person!

What do they say? Angry things, dumb things, careless things thoughtless things.

And the consequences have been disastrous: lost customers, damaged work relationships, ruined reputations, destruction of one’s professional image, lost jobs, even lawsuits!

All for the sake of venting or back-stabbing or other negative emotions!

BEFORE PRESSING “SEND,” ask yourself, would it be worth it?


ANGER AND HUMOR IN E-MAILS

• Be careful with humor in e-mails – and with anger and other emotions!

• Don't try to be funny unless you are really certain that all your readers will get the joke – that includes people who may not be on your intended list but might see a copy anyway – including the one person who will be offended by it!

• Avoid irony or sarcasm. Somebody will take it straight and get upset. People can brood for days over an innocently intended sentence or two.

• As for anger, when you get angry in person you leave nothing behind other than the memory of your anger. When you put it in writing, you leave a permanent record. You may be sorry about that – after you cool down!

• Remember that there are subtleties about anger and other upsets that get expressed when one speaks to a person face-to-face – and most people cannot convey these in an e-mail! [perhaps no one can – the medium seems inhospitable to subtlety]

• Angry e-mails can sometimes have their place. A good rule is to write it when you're angry, but don't send it until the next day, when you have cooled off enough to reflect on the consequences.

• Synchronous communication (telephone, face-to-face) at least allows the person you're upset at to respond right then and there – and possibly de-fuse your upset – before it "runs away with you" and develops a life of its own – which is where it really gets dangerous!


OTHER ASPECTS OF E-MAIL ETIQUETTE

• Never type in all caps – except for an occasional use of it for a word or two for critical emphasis

• But also: Never type without caps – that is, never ignore initial caps to start a sentence, a name, and the like – all lower case looks unprofessional and illiterate

• Always use proper punctuation – no run on sentences, rambling free association, etc.

• Avoid embarrassing typo’s – use the spell checker ALL THE TIME! - make it the default setting

• Use white space and other principles of “chunking” to make it easier for readers to skim – short sentences, short paragraphs, bullet lists

• Provide the reader with a brief preview of the contents of all messages longer than a single screen – the visible screen area MUST grab the reader enough to keep him/her reading the rest of the message; many readers routinely click “Next Message” at the bottom of a screen

• Always consider whether a long message might be broken into a brief, 1-screen long summary or preview, plus an accompanying Attachment

• Be very careful to distinguish your perceptions/judgments from the facts you're writing about

• Use priority markings judiciously – don't cry wolf by marking every message "Urgent!" or “Important”


REPLYING TO E-MAILS

1. Give a timely response - or at least an acknowledgement - within a matter of hours but absolutely within 24 hours (some say: by early the next business day)

2. Many people expect an e-mail as a reply to an e-mail ... but is that always the best way to facilitate communication or get then intended result?

3. If out of office, may want to have an "out of office" return message with a reach #, alternative contact person, or the like – AND when you expect to be back

4. How much of the original message should you include when you reply?

5. What if the message is part of a longer correspondence? When should you include the entire “thread” and when should you not? Some organizations have cultural protocols on matters like this…learn what they are!

6. Will recipient know immediately which segment you're replying to? How?

7. If it's not self-evident, say what the issue is explicitly!

-- or, excerpt or highlight the key segment you're responding to (color)

OR

-- explain which parts of the correspondence they should review

8. Think about what you'd do if this was a paper correspondence -- and try to get the same result!

9. Avoid replies that give the reader "no context," like:

-- “It's a deal, Frank!"

OR

-- "I want to think about your idea some more, John, okay?"

....BUT Frank and John had each sent multiple e-mails to the writer, about many deals and many ideas!


FORWARDING E-MAILS

1. Do you know to whom your recipient will forward it? Watch out!

2. Make certain that nothing anywhere in the message/correspondence will offend any likely forwardee

3. But this raises a question: how well can you predict to whom your recipient will forward your messages?

4. Should you suggest to your recipient restrictions about who you're willing/unwilling to have your message forwarded to?

-- Don't make assumptions re who they would "never in a million years" forward it to!

-- If it's a "hot" enough issue, should you use e-mail in the first place?-- Whose promises can you trust?

5. Would the originator/forwarder of messages sent to you approve/care about whom you forward his or her messages to? Should you ask? Is there time?

6. Keeping the number of forwardees to a minimum reduces e-clutter


USE CC: EFFECTIVELY & EFFICIENTLY

1. Make sure everyone who has a genuine business/organizational need to see it now, does get cc:'d

2. This doesn't imply that everyone who might someday need to see it should be cc:’d now; most people do not appreciate getting cc:’d for no reason – their in-boxes are already overflowing!

3. Criteria for inclusion should be more than just "Cover Your ___"

4. Don't include people just because of their rank/role/title, unless they've specifically asked, or unless you know it’s an area of real concern to them – some managers/executives get 50 or more unnecessary cc:'s a day!

5. Be VERY careful in using "blind cc" – some organizations strongly discourage its use

Note: By reducing your own cc: lists, you will reduce the number of people who feel a need to cc: you just because you've cc:'d them!

This reduces e-clutter level in the organization as a whole!


USING & MANAGING YOUR E-MAIL LISTS

1. You must manage your own mailing lists -- or else you add to e-clutter

2. You can start by creating specialized "sub-lists" based upon needs/interests; these lists may be broken down by::

-- project or committee-- need to know-- specific area of interest or concern

3. These lists may tend to be transient and therefore you need to take responsibility for reviewing and revising them – a worthwhile use of your time!

-- Each new project/problem area may be reason to create a new list, or a sub-list of a current list

4. When you decide to manage your lists, you are doing yourself a big favor, since you’re not only being a more focused e-communicator, you’re ensuring there’ll be fewer e-mails in your in-box


RESPONDING TO E-MAILS IN LESS TIME 1. Quickly review subject lines of all your e-mails before writing replies:

A. Do they fall into "natural categories" based on topic/problem? If so, prepare your responses to them as a group, and write them as a group

B. Categorize and then prioritize them into folders based on factors like:

Topic Sender Degree of urgency Customer issues Your management vs other people

C. Respond to them in a rational sequence that is based on this analysis; depending on your job or responsibilities, this might mean:

Answer the urgent or near-urgent ones first Respond first to messages from your immediate management Messages from anyone who’s about to be unavailable (travel) Customer issues

D. Plan all of the responses to any cluster as a group in order to save time, maintain consistency, eliminate duplication, avoid political squabbles:

2. Develop a "library" of “standard” or "boilerplate" e-mail sentences, paragraphs, and whole letters that you can quickly access and easily customize for situations that resemble previous ones.

3. You should think about saving any customization of a boilerplate response that you may sooner or later need (either as is, or to create a variant of).

4. Ask yourself: Are there any e-mails that would be more easily or more effectively dealt with via a quick voice mail? Or by walking to the next cubicle and putting a note on someone’s desk? Or by leaving a binder there? And so on….

5. Which e-mails do you not need to respond to at all simply because you're seeing the person at a meeting in 2 hours, or at lunch in 25 minutes?

6. Which e-mails do not require a response today – or at least not right now?

7. Which e-mails do not require a response at all? Why not? Note: Remember that certain e-mails may need to be responded to via e-mail because of the need for a paper trail to document your response; in such cases it may be necessary to archive the e-mail and your response.


ATTACHMENTS: TO SEND OR NOT TO SEND?

1. There are times when attachments must be sent – e.g., the recipient has asked you for a file and you are obligated to provide it

BUT: In many situations, think twice about including an attachment, because:

-- Quite a few people almost never look at what’s in attachments-- If the attached file is in a format they cannot open, or uses software they

don’t have, they will not be able to access it at all-- If the attachment is long and takes a while for them to download, they may

get annoyed or abort the download – or, their system may not let them continue answering e-mails while the download is in progress

2. One approach is to include a few key points from the attachment in the e-mail itself, and ask the person if they need to receive the entire file

3. Some people simply paste the entire text of the attachment into their e-mail message – BUT:

-- In some e-mail systems, some text formatting may get destroyed when it is pasted, or – if the recipient uses a different e-mail system – when the recipient opens the e-mail-- If the attached text is longer than a paragraph, you may be ensuring your

message doesn’t get read – no matter how critical the ideas are

4. If you decide to include an attachment, state the following fairly early in your e-mail message:

-- What the attachment is – exactly what information it contains-- Why you have sent it-- What the benefit is to the recipient of taking the trouble to open and read

the attachment – “what’s in it for them” – WIIFT

4. Watch out for attachments that may contain viruses, worms, etc. – learn your organization’s policies and understand what you may and may not do. Many network administrators have very conservative policies about attachments (and with good reason).

5. In general, do NOT open an attachment from a source you do not know OR from whom the particular attachment was not expected.


WRITING EFFECTIVE SUBJECT LINES

In General:

1. Compelling wording of the Subject Line (SL) gets your reader's attention, even if he/she's inundated

2. Should be not just concise, but "headline effective":

-- not everyone looks past the first 20 - 30 characters-- not just the subject (e.g., "Project Mariner")-- but what specifically about the subject (e.g., "New deadline for

Project Mariner" Planning Document – note the attention-grabbing phrase “new deadline”)

3. Usually the first thing reader sees

4. Write an SL even if it’s not required to by your e-mail system

5. Learn how many characters the system allows in long/short view -- when do the last characters get "truncated"? Don't exceed this limit!

6. How you word it will depend on whether this is to a regular correspondent on this issue

7. Think about the needs/interests/concerns of guess who? The reader!



Choice of Words - Some Don'ts:

1. Using words from the reader's own subject line or message text may or may not work

2. Many people use the first few words of their message itself to create the SL – this is hardly the best choice!

3. Don't start with over-used, cliché words like "Urgent,” “Important,” etc. -- instead, refer to specifics of what the reader is interested in:

-- the specific project involved-- what specific information or action is needed-- the specific needs/interests that the reader has-- what are their "hot button" words?

4. Don’t “cry wolf” because you think it is certain to make your message stand out … overuse of “Urgent” and similar words will make readers ignore your truly urgent messages!

5. Don't use bland, generic "common phrases" that you know people routinely use in subject lines, like "Meeting Notice" or "Project Decision" – they’ll get no attention

6. Don't use wordings that could apply to a dozen other e-mails on this subject

7. Don't use wording -- just to get the reader's attention -- that doesn't accurately reflect the message content



Choice of Words - Some Do's:

• You need to tie in your SL with at least one of the following:

-- your purpose/objective in writing the e-mail in the first place -- the action you want the recipient(s) to take-- the reaction/response you would like to have occur

• Often starting with a specific time factor can helps grab reader attention:

-- number of days/hours left to accomplish a business objective-- a reminder about a pre-set deadline-- changes to time factors, such as when a client needs some information

• It is often best to write the SL only after composing the message itself - using key words from the purpose statement or opening text -- because a SL written beforehand may not accurately reflect what you actually say in the final text!

• ALWAYS REVIEW YOUR SUBJECT LINE AFTER YOU HAVE EDITED YOUR MESSAGE TEXT -- AND REVISE IT SO IT REFLECTS THE TEXT!

• There are issues in writing SLs for e-mails going to a large audience OR multiple audiences:

-- Watch out for problems with multiple/diverse audiences -- the larger the audience, the easier it is to write "bland" SLs that are generic or passive

-- Be careful NOT to use jargon, acronyms, etc., that only one sub-part of your audience will be familiar but that could confuse or bamboozle the rest of the recipients – or even turn them off from reading an important message!


GUIDELINES FOR INTERNATIONAL ANDCROSS-CULTURAL E-MAIL

Be fully aware of cultural differences in norms, expectations, and perceptions – people from different cultures really do things differently and see things differently. Look at your writing from their viewpoint.

Note: Where necessary, research the culture by asking someone familiar with it, if you're communicating on a critical subject – there is massive room for misunderstanding.

Use specific names of geographic places rather than vague ones, especially for locations that are not well known:

No: The meeting will take place in AugustaYes: The meeting will take place in Augusta, GA

Use metric measurements for countries on that system (e.g., km rather than miles).

Be precise with date formats - other countries will read 7/8/99 as August 7, while we read it as July 8; also, many countries use "military time" - 1430 instead of 2:30 PM.

Refrain at all times from any form of sarcasm, humor, anger, annoyance, or other emotion.

Avoid blunt language – prefer indirect, restrained understatement where possible.

Be sure to be very literal and very precise – the reader may only be able to read basic, literal English.

Avoid all Americanisms – slang, sports references, and so on.

Use generic terminology, not US brand names or trademarked items:

No: The Xerox machine was gopped up because a LifeSaver gummed up the works.Yes: The photocopy machine didn’t work because a piece of candy fell inside it.

When you receive a cross-cultural e-mail in a "formal" style, respond in an equally formal manner – it is expected and will be seen as polite.

In general, be a bit more stiff rather than more casual.


GUIDELINES FOR STAYING OUTOF E-MAIL "JAIL"

Large, well-respected organizations, like Nissan, Epson, and Citicorp, have paid huge fines because their employees were not adequately aware of the do’s and don’ts of e-mail use! Others, like Kodak, lost huge amounts of confidential, proprietary information.

There are certain things you simply MUST NEVER, EVER, EVER do in e-mails, no matter how “sure” you are that "no one else will ever see it" – because somebody, usually the wrong somebody, will see it!

These things can get you and/or your organization in the deepest trouble – legal trouble, career trouble, even termination trouble!

YOU TRULY NEVER, EVER, EVER KNOW who will print out/save to their hard drive that one e-mail that you should never, ever, ever have written, let alone sent -- and you never, ever, ever know how they or someone else will interpret it!

Nor can you predict whether a plaintiff’s lawyer will get hold of a dangerous e-mail that you wrote … a month, a year, or 3 years from now!

You can use phone or face-to-face communication as freely as you want, in general, because what you say will not show up in hard copy a month later on just the wrong person's desk – or in court!

Don't ever write an e-mail that is -- or might ever be perceived as being:

Racist, sexist, bigoted, or in any other way discriminatory about any group or type of person

Defamatory, accusatory, libelous, or derogatory

Promoting, suggesting, or encouraging any type of criminal – or even potentially illegal, behavior or activities – even borderline

Going against, or encouraging others to go against, agency, unit, or federal policies, regulations, etc.

In any way against the best interests of your unit, agency, or the US gov't

In any way "suggestive," sexual, or even "romantic" in nature [save this for your loved one using your private e-mail account]


A good rule of thumb: Don't put into an e-mail message anything that you would not want to have published for all to see in your company newsletter or on the 6 o’clock news!


THE 10 C'S OF EFFECTIVE E-MAIL WRITING

1. Clear In Purpose - "On Target" Throughout

2. Centered On the Reader - Know Your Audience!

3. Courteous/Concerned - Professional Tone

4. Clearly Written - Simple, Direct, Plain Language

5. Complete - All the Information Needed - Right Level of Depth - Right Ideas Emphasized

6. Concise - No Repetition or Wordiness

7. Cohesive - Organized Logically - Flows From Start to Finish - Transitions

8. Correct - In Grammar, Punctuation, Word Choice, Spelling - Accurate Information

9. Chunked Appropriately - Short Sentences/Paragraphs - Relevant Structure

10. C omposed Attractively - Appealing Layout - White Space - Can It Be Scanned?


CONVEY A PROFESSIONAL TONE IN YOUR E-MAILS

Definition: What is tone?

1. The attitude you have when you write

2. The attitude conveyed by your written message toward:

– The subject the message is about– The reader(s) of the message

3. The mood of the writing:

– Your actual tone– The tone that your readers will feel/experience when they read it – put

yourself in their shoes


WHAT TONE DO YOU CREATE?

Remember: Tone expresses the business relationship you have (or wish to have) with the recipient. You need to choose the appropriate tone -- THE TONE that will best help you fulfill your purpose for writing.

Negative Tones You Can Create Positive Tones You Can Create


2 · web viewhas taught workshops on enhancing written communications and how to use e-mail...

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