BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ENGB213 Unit 8 Electronic mail

Overview The evolution of e-mail Advantages of e-mail Top 10 complaints about e-mail in practice How to create electronic rapport Sample e-mail messages Netiquette The impact of the Internet on business The impact of e-mail on business

The evolution of e-mail Business today – highly competitive market in which high-speed communication and information transfer is essential. Electronic mail (e-mail) has evolved as an effective, low-cost and instant method of communication with friends and colleagues all over the world. With e-mail, messages are keyed into a computer workstation and then transmitted to the recipient. A single message may be sent simultaneously to many recipients.

Advantages of e-mail High speed send/ receive cycle Direct input and retrieval from keyboard Virtually instant despatch/ retrieval Simultaneous circulation to pre-selected groups Other files can be attached to emails Remember! Once your message is sent, it may be read within seconds. Make sure it is right before you click ‘send’.

Advantages of e-mail Although email is quick and easy to use, don’t forget all the basic rules of good business writing. Avoid using abbreviations which you may use when e-mailing personal friends. The way people use e-mail reveals quite a lot about us. Poor communication skills will be exposed in e-mail messages: your thought processes are revealed for all to see.

Top 10 complaints about e-mail in practice Readers with lots of e-mail every day will not open mail headed ‘urgent’ or ‘hello’. Compose SMART subject line : Specific, Meaningful, Appropriate, Relevant, Thoughtful 1. Vague Subject Line Plain courtesy to include a greeting at the beginning Can be slightly more informal greeting : Hi Sally/ Hello John 2. No greeting As a sign that message is finished Just put your name at the end 3. No sign-off

Top 10 complaints about e-mail in practice Message that goes on and one without any blank lines to show new paragraphs Blank lines between paragraphs help sender and recipient 4. Poor formatting Messages that you have no idea what the writer expects of you Be clear in your writing 5. Vague messages Guide the reader towards the response that is required 6. Tell me what to do

Top 10 complaints about e-mail in practice Without the right tone, misunderstandings could easily happen Good writers choose their words carefully and get the tone just right 7. Unfriendly tone Only send a cc to people who need to know Only when essential 8. CC to the whole world As more people use e-mail, sloppy work is becoming a major annoyance Remember that your e-mail says something about you and your organisation. Good impression matters 9. Bad grammar/ spelling/ punctuation

Top 10 complaints about e-mail in practice Due to urgency to reply e-mails, many people don’t take as much care with their writing Rushed messages are garbled, unclear, unfocused, with poor structure, poor tone and poor spelling 10. Just plain sloppy

How to create electronic rapport

How to create electronic rapport Try to ease reader into your message by giving some basic background info. Be warm and friendly in opening e.g: “It was good to speak to you this morning. I’m glad we were able to clarify this issue” 1. Don’t just dive into your message Add texture to message by using emotive and sensory words Showing empathy in message helps to form better bond with readers e.g: “I appreciate your understanding.” 2. Show some feelings Keep a positive attitude towards reader and maintaining a focus on their needs. Try to be diplomatic, and never be afraid to apologise if something has gone wrong 3. Keep your message positive and focused

How to create electronic rapport Be careful to tailor the tone of message accordingly. Distinguish personal from business e-mails 4. Tailor the tone of your message Pay attention to what is being asked and respond clearly 5. Be precise and clear

Sample e-mail messages

Sample e-mail messages

Sample e-mail messages

Netiquette In e-mail we have netiquette – set of rules for e-mails N – Never leave a response too long E – E-mail addresses must be correct T – Take off the caps lock I – Informality is OK in e-mails Q – Question your subject heading U – Use short sentences and short paragraphs E – Enumerate with numbers or bullets T – Tidy up long sentences T – Take a pride in your finished message E – Ensure everything is right before you hit ‘send’

The impact of the Internet on business Digital traffic more than doubles in volume every year. Hundreds of companies are going online every week. Business are increasingly looking towards the Internet as a means of advertising, selling and distributing their services. E.g: book hotel rooms, hire a car, order clothes online, etc.

The impact of e-mail on business E-mail is the most popular facility available through the Internet. It has made a lot of changes to the way businesses operate: A secretary’s role could be quite frustrating unless a good understanding has been reached with employers. Since many executives read their own mail it is often possible to contact powerful people directly. But remember not everyone is keen to receive info directly from anyone. People might forget proper mail. A lot of time spent dealing with e-mail.