electronic hit send and it’s gone hit reply all and your career may be gone deleted emails live on...
TRANSCRIPT
Electronic
• Hit Send and it’s gone• Hit Reply All and your career
may be gone• Deleted emails live on• Messages can be forwarded
without your knowledge or consent
Tip: Electronic
• Colonel David Russell’s rule: Never say anything in an electronic message that you wouldn't want appearing, and attributed to you, in tomorrow morning’s front-page headline in the New York Times.
More Tips: Subject
Double-check the address line before sending.
Insulted by a general email from the boss, an employee sent an angry comment to a colleague (she thought): “Does she think we’re stupid?”
The reply (from her boss): “Yes, I do.”
Body
Write so emails are easy to read Make paragraphs 7-8 lines
Insert a blank line between paragraphs
Use headlines, bullets, and numbers
AVOID ALL CAPS; THAT’S SHOUTING
If a message is longer than 3 screens, send an attachment
Tip: What not to do
• One of the officers convicted of beating Rodney King sent this email:
Oops. I haven’t beaten anyone so bad in a long time.
A transcript of the message was used at his trial.
Anatomy of an email: Body
Before you hit Send, review and delete Negative comments about management Criticisms of staff or performance issues Bonuses or salary issues Product or liability issues Gossip Humor or other ambiguities
Booher
Tip: Email is never private
• Pillsbury assured employees that emails were private.
• Michael Smyth was fired after sending an email calling his bosses “backstabbing bastards.”
• A court held that he had no reasonable expectation of privacy.
To: Female employees From: H. HonchoRe: Dress codeDate: 1 July 2006
Clients will be visiting next week. Halter tops and jeans will not make the right impression. It’s time you started dressing for the office instead of the beach. Leave your flip-flops at home!
TONE
- BAD
To: All staffFrom: H. HonchoRe: Reminder about what to wear to work Date: 1 July 2006
During the summer, our dress code is business casual. We think “business casual” means clothes that feel comfortable and look professional.
Men Women•khaki pants •casual pants
and skirts•leather shoes… •leather or
fabric shoes…
TONE -
GOOD
Tips: Tone
Avoid terseness, which can be misinterpreted
Use face-to-face communication if issue is sensitive
Read your emails aloud, looking for ambiguity
Humor: Often misinterpreted
Participants [in recent studies] were able to accurately communicate humor and sarcasm in barely half -- 56 percent -- of the emails they sent.
Louise Dobson (2006)
Humor: Riskier
Nearly a quarter of employees have suffered problems with colleagues or clients because their use of humour in an email has not been understood or appreciated, according to a survey.
Robert Jacques, “Email Jokes Backfire
for UK Workers” (2004)
Tips: Humor
If in doubt, don’t send it.Chevron was forced to pay $2.2 millionto settle a harassment case based in part on emails with such subjects as “Why beer is better than women.”
Reread for ambiguities. Signal the joke.
One emoticon or <grin> per email is plenty.
Subject: Funded speaking engagement at Optimum UniversityMessage:Dear Dr. Smith,My name is Dan Craig and I am the office manager for the Department of Biology at Optimum University. I am contacting you at the request of Dr. Brown, the chair of the Department of Biology to arrange for a speaking engagement at our university.We bring in some of the best minds in the field of Biology each year to speak to our graduating seniors. This year we hope that you will be able to join us.The session will take place in the afternoon on Friday, May 10. If you are interested please let me know at your earliest convenience. We can further discuss funding, travel arrangements, and other specifics at that time.
Sincerely,Dan
Daniel CraigOffice Manager
Department of BiologyOptimum University3423 Ninth St.Glen Falls, NY 00232
Office: 321-243-5343Fax: [email protected]
Replying Example
Subject: RE: Your February conference presentation
Message:
Hi Dan,
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the presentation. I am happy to provide you with a copy of my presentation. Please see the attached PowerPoint document.
Other people working in this same area are John Smith at Johns Hopkins and Paula Brewer at the University of Minnesota. I suggest starting with Smith’s, “What you can’t see can hurt you” in the journal Nature (April, 2005).
If you have any questions, let me know.
Sincerely,
Taejin
Taejin Park, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorDepartment of BiologySears University
Biology Bldg6666 Eastern Ave.Robuck, AZ. 32232
Phone: 416-555-7543Cell: 416-555-8245Fax: 416-555-2456
Email: [email protected]: http://www.sears.edu/~tjpark
Direct vs. Indirect
Direct
Mr. Smith,
Send me all the information you have on patient 10000453.
Roger Barnes, M.D.Chief ResidentIllinios Public HospitalsSuite 500666 Wish St.Chicago, IL 60062Office: 312-555-5555Fax: [email protected]
Indirect
Dear Mr. Smith,
Could you send me all the information that you have on patient 10000453?
I need his files in order to carry out a consultation with him later this week.
Thank you very much.
Roger
Roger Barnes, M.D.Chief ResidentIllinios Public HospitalsSuite 500666 Wish St.Chicago, IL 60062Office: 312-555-5555Fax: [email protected]
Requesting Information Example
Subject: Your February conference presentation
Message:
Dear Dr. Park
My name is Daniel Morgan and I am an Associate Professor at Cobalt University. I attended your presentation, “Microbiology in the modern hospital” at the International Association of Physicians conference in February and I am very interested in your ideas.
Would it be possible for you to send me a copy of your presentation for me to show to me colleagues here at Cobalt University? Also, could you suggest some other authors writing on this topic?
You can email me at this address ([email protected]) or you may call me at my office (213-555-5566).
Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Dan
Daniel Morgan, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorDepartment of Physical SciencesCobalt University
Administrative Bldg3000 West St.Quincy, CA. 90033
Phone: 213-555-5566Cell: 213-555-5443Fax: 213-555-5556
Email: [email protected]: http://www.cobalt.edu/~dmorgan
Tip: Spelling still counts• Sloppiness is one of “seven deadly e-mail sins”• Bad grammar, misspelling and disconnected
arguments gave 81 percent of the survey sample "negative feelings" towards the senders.
• 41 percent of senior managers said badly worded e-mails implied laziness and even disrespect.
CNN.com
The simple answer is it is “definite” + “ly”.
Although people invent many spellings, there is one definite spelling. Remember “definite” and add “ly” to change the word into an adverb. But don’t remove any letters or edit the spelling. “DEFINITE” + “LY”
A finite list of one correct spelling. “DE” + “FINITE” + “LY”
Confused?
Try using a different verb in place of affect. If the sentence still makes sense, it’s correct.
Another easy trick is to remember that "a" comes before "e" in the alphabet, and, at least in the case of affect the verb and effect the noun, you must affect something first to achieve an effect.
Please remembering that lose is a verb: you lost the prize. Loose is an adjective: her pants were very loose.
Know when to use each word, according to their definition.
Correct: "I always lose my cell phone." -- a lost phone.Incorrect: "I always loose my cell phone." -- a loosened phone(?). When you are close to defeat in a competition, use "lose".
Correct: "I think Bob is about to lose the race." -- a lost race.Incorrect: "I think Bob is about to loose the race." -- a loosened race(?). When an object has free movement and is not restricted by
restraints, use "loose". Correct: "Mary likes her hair loose and not in a ponytail." -- loosened hair.Incorrect: "Mary likes her hair lose and not in a ponytail." -- lost hair(?).
Their cow runs so much faster
than mine!
They’re excellent
ranchers and farmers.
The finish line is way over
there!
There are so many reason to compete
in cow races.
First we went to the
restaurant then we went
to movies.
The food was much better than the last
time we went.
A sequence of actions
indicates time.
Use the word than when drawing a
comparison.
I believe you dropped your
wallet.
I don’t believe you’re capable
of stealing.
I believe the weather station predicted heavy fog this morning
I wonder whether or not I have a
choice.
