Using Email On The Job
Using Email On The Job
Using Email On The Job
Topics to be addressed
To email
Considering your audience
Inappropriate uses of email
Email etiquette
Email writing as a process
Specific kinds of transactions in email
writing
General tips
Write to think
To email ?
1. What is the purpose of this
communication?
2. To whom is it being written? Is the
information personal or confidential?
3. Why use email to make this
communication? Could you communicate
this information by telephone, in person,
or through a letter?
4. Is the use of this communication tool an
avoidance mechanism?
Use email
To expedite the communication
For brief and simple responses
can be read and immediately discarded
A Skeptic is a reader
that is cautious and
doubtful.
Skeptical readers will
tend to read a
document carefully,
questioning its validity
and the writers
claims.
Email Etiquette
1. Read the following email.
2. List three things that you feel
this writer does wrong in her
email.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: workshop
IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE YOU SENT YOUR
EMAIL ABOUT THE WORKSHOP THAT IS COMING
UP. I HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY WITH ALL OF THE
EVENTS ON CAMPUS. MATCH DAY WAS VERY
BUSY FOR OUR OFFICE, AND WE ARE PREPARING
FOR SEVERAL MEETINGS THAT ARE COMING UP
SOON. DR. DOLITTLE CAN BE SO HELPLESS AT
TIMES;) I AM SENDING A POWERPOINT
ATTACHMENT. IT SHOULD ANSWER ALL YOUR
QUESTIONS. THE WORKSHOP IS DEALING WITH
WOMEN IN MEDICINE. HAVE A NICE DAY.
Email etiquette - do
Check email promptly
Read each message
carefully before you
send it
Develop an efficient
plan for handling email
Be conscious of what
you might be
forwarding
Do not alter messages
that you are forwarding
or reporting
Exercise caution
against email viruses
Drafting an email
Use the recipients name
If you do not know the person personally,
a generic greeting is appropriate
If you do not know the recipient personally,
identify yourself early in the message
Content
Your Goal: to include enough
information to keep the readers
interest but not so much
information that you waste the
readers time and obscure your
main point.
Organization
What is the best order for the sentences in this problem-solution
email? Place a one beside the first sentence, two beside the
second
Organization
Short communications - inverted pyramid
Longer communications - state purpose
early
Be concise.
Be clear.
Always proofread.
Understand that some emails will never go
away and that some readers will judge you
on the basis of what you have written.
Longer messages
Use an elevator summary at the start of
the email so that the organization will be
easy to follow.
Example: We have had difficulty getting
grades posted in a timely manner. Therefore, I
am suggesting that
Longer messages
Even when using this plan, be sure to state your
main point up front.
Example: You did such a good job of explaining the
merits of our new Tuition Assistance Program that I
have tentatively decided to apply for the program
myself. To keep my options open, then, I must ask
you to select someone else to serve on the
program committee. . .
Longer communications
One idea per paragraph
Table of contents or headings
Hard copy availability
Tone
Be friendly.
Avoid negative words, especially those
that begin with un, non, ex or that end
with less.
Use contractions to add a friendly,
conversational tone. (dont, wont, cant)
Situation + Audience = Tone
Emailing a complaint
Give the context, the history of the problem
Give the history of your efforts to solve the
problem
Tell the reader why he or she is involved
and what he or she needs to do to help
solve the problem
Offer suggestions as to how the problem
might be solved
Flaming
Flaming is a virtual term for venting or
sending inflammatory messages in email.
--Purdue owl
Flaming tends to create conflict
Flaming makes long-term enemies
What you write in an email cannot be
taken back!
Controlling flaming
Ask yourself: Would I say this to the
persons face?
Calm down before responding to an email
that has irritated you.
Read your email twice before sending it.
Assume your email will be misunderstood
and that the intent with which you wrote it
will not be assigned to it.
Responding to a flame
Empathize with the
reader and avoid
engaging in a dispute
Thank the reader for
bringing the matter to
your attention
Explain what
circumstances led to
the problem, as you
understand it
General guidelines
General guidelines
Sources
Lehman and Dufrene. Business
Communication. Boston: Thomson
Learning.
Purdue OWL.
[email protected]
Patrick Bizzaro. Director of the Writing
Program. East Carolina University.