Written Communication Rachel evans, maricopa county sheriff’s office director, business information systems & digital communications
Topics Email etiquette Business reports Sharing data
Always include contact information in your signature block. It will prevent announces for the recipient and make sure time isn’t lost as someone tries to track down your phone number when you’ve asked them to call you. You can create both default and reply signatures in Outlook. Additionally, remember to update your signature block on your phone. For iPhones, the default says “sent from my iPhone.” Personally, I don’t care where the message is sent from, but I do want to know how to easily contact you if I need to. Email Etiquette signature block | subject line | content |tips and tricks
Adding brief keywords at the beginning of a subject line can help inform your recipients about what to expect before they even read the message. Is the message just informational? Add “FYI :” to the front of the subject. Do you have a request for information or input? Add “Request :” to the front of your message. Or, if you need the recipient to provide a review and feedback, let them know in the subject line by adding “for review” Email Etiquette signature block | subject line | content | tips and tricks
Make sure body of email is relevant to the subject line Make sure body of email is relevant to the subject line. For instance, this is an example from my office, but if the subject is Coffee with a Cop, make sure the body of your message has to do with that subject. In this case, the subject is one thing but the body of the message is completely unrelated, it discusses dates regarding an upcoming Community Academy. It will be impossible to track this email down again because the subject is completely unrelated to the body. Click: Give deadlines Get to the point quickly. There is an art to being concise, it actually takes more time and thought to be concise than to be wordy. If loads of back data is not needed, don’t include it. If it is necessary, make sure any action items are included at the top of the email. Proofread and proofread again Always run spell check Email Etiquette signature block | subject line | content | tips and tricks
Always re-read your message before sending it, no matter who your audience is. Be especially diligent if you are sending an email to leadership. Re-read your message multiple times, including reading it out loud. Turn on spellcheck - In Outlook settings you can force a spellcheck before the message is sent. This has saved me even when I did re-read the message. Use Grammarly. There is a premium version that comes with a cost, but the free version provides excellent feedback into common grammar errors. Email Etiquette signature block | subject line | content | tips and tricks
Business Reports Documenting your work in a professional report goes a long way. Your efforts will be noticed and appreciated. Include a background statement and brief summary or your proposal before getting into the details.
Similar benefits come when you can share data in a digestible and eye-catching way. If you don’t have the skill to create your own infographics, and you don’t have someone in your office who can. Sharing Data tips and tricks
canva.com piktochart.com Take note of these two great resources. Canva allows you to make amazingly simple graphic designs. Whether this is for Facebook, Twitter, events, or certificates. Numerous templates are available for free. Piktochart allows you to take your visual communication to the next level. Easy to use online tool to help you make informative and beautiful infographics and more.
Thank you Rachel Evans 602.876.1888 rachelevans@mcso.maricopa.gov