Have you got an email, and it made you furious?
I mean, it made you think WTF? (What the fragrance 😂 )
Interestingly, you do not know what got you upset, but it set you off like a wildfire. 🔥
In today's world of SMS, emails, WhatsApp, Linked In, or Facebook messenger, it is super important to remember that we are still humans. There is a living and breathing person at the receiving end of that message.
When we forget who will receive our communication, we risk offending someone including but not limited to friends, family, coworkers, customers, or potential customers.
Over the years, I have made all these mistakes and cost me dearly. So, I hope you can learn from my mistakes not to affect you as they did to me.
Let us start with Email Etiquette. Why should you care?
Your ability to communicate will dictate how others will perceive you and relate to you. Â I am not talking about becoming a professional writer. Other's first impression of you will be what they see in front of them.
That first impression will affect how you relate to family members, business associates, customers and, in the end, can affect how much income you make. So take the time to think before you write. Your future self will thank you.
Tip #1 – Vaccinate your computer.
If your computer is infected with a virus or malware, it will start sending junk to other people. This is the number one way of cutting a relationship with a business associate.
Keep your computer up to date and patched. Apply your antivirus updates. And for all the MAC fans, apply updates and antivirus too. Mac can get infected too.
Sending someone a virus or a link to a fake site is the best way to get someone mad with you.
Tip #2 – Be Civilized
As a kid, my mom always taught me to say please and thank you.
What a nice thing to do!
Then why did I forget to use it in my emails? I do not know.
But you want to be friendly in your communications.
Courtesy with nice words can go a long way.
When your email asks for information or for someone to do a task, it will go a long way if you add some nice words like “please” or “thank you.”
It is rare to see it, so when you get someone taking two extra seconds to add those words, it makes a HUGE difference.
TIP #3 – DON’T SHOULT
My dad is 92 years old, and every time he sends me an email is in all caps. And my first response is WOW, what did I do? And then I realize he can't see the screen too well.
If you are reading this article and you are in this tip, it looks like you can read well. So, when writing your emails, please do not USE ALL CAPS IT IS LIKE SHOUTING AT THE OTHER PERSON. 😀
A message or email in all caps is difficult to read.
People know this, but there may be different reasons why they keep doing it. But the receiving end will keep getting annoyed when they receive your communication in all caps.
Tip #4 – Use Spell Cheek
Yes, I know I wrote spell check wrong. Almost every email program or phone has some form of spell check built into it.
As English is not my first language, I even look for tools to help me with this.
The best one I found is Grammarly. I can use it to check my emails, documents, and SMS messages. In every device I own.
Remember your first impression is that message or email you send, so spend some time reviewing it.
Tip #5 – Minimize the Fluff
These days we are swamped, so do not spend hours crafting an email or message with 1000 words when you can use 120 characters.
I do not want to read five paragraphs in an email. So get to the point, don't skip being nice and include please and thank you here and there.
On the other side do not send five words and expect people to understand what you are trying to say. Instead, use enough words that people will get your idea.
Remember is an email, not a book or novel.
Tip #6 – Be mindful of your audience.
I love to have fun, which does not mean that everyone in my email list or company wants to.
So, when sharing or writing, remember you have other people that may not think like you.
For example, a joke, comment, image, or gif may look friendly and funny to you, but it may be not very kind to another person.
So, before you hit send, check if someone may get offended by the content of your email or message.
Tip #7 – Minimize the communication channels per conversation.
We may have different ways to communicate email, SMS, WhatsApp, Slack, and countless other ways.
But one thing that is starting to happen is that we create one conversation in one place and think that because we know where everyone else will.
So stick to one platform; this will help you be more productive. And will reduce the number of notifications, sounds, and places where to look for the information later.
Learning to be good with your communications will help you be more effective and productive.
Keep these tips in mind.
Until next time.
Carlos