10 Tips for Effective Communication

Via E Mails

Use Proper Structure & Layout

Since reading from a screen is more difficult

than reading from paper, the structure and lay

out is very important for e-mail messages. Use

short paragraphs and blank lines between each

paragraph. When making points, number them

or mark each point as separate.

Use A Meaningful Subject

Try to use a subject that is meaningful to the

recipient as well as yourself. For instance, when

you send an email to a company requesting

information about a product, it is better to

mention the actual name of the product. E.g.;

Product ‘ABC’ description

Answer All Questions, And Pre-Empt Further Questions

An email reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions – If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further e-mails regarding the unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and your receiver’s time but also cause considerable frustration.

Moreover, if you are able to pre-empt relevant questions, your receiver will be grateful and impressed with your efficiency.

Do Not Write In CAPITALS

If you write in capitals it seems as if you are

shouting. This can be highly annoying and

might trigger an unwanted response. Therefore,

try not to send any email text in capitals.

Don't Leave Out The Message Thread

When you reply to an email, you must include

the original mail in your reply, in other words

click 'Reply', instead of 'New Mail'. Leaving the

thread might take a fraction longer in download

time, but it will save the recipient much more

time and frustration in looking for the related

emails in their inbox.

Take Care With Abbreviations And Emoticons

In business emails, try not to use abbreviations

such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh out loud).

The recipient might not be aware of the meanings

of the abbreviations and in business emails these

are generally not appropriate.

The same goes for emoticons, such as the

smiley :-). If you are not sure whether your recipient

knows what it means, it is better not to use it.

Complaints/Escalations

D – Describe

A – Acknowledge

S – Specify Alternative

R – Request action/reaffirm

E.g.: I would like to bring to your notice that there has been

frequent delay in the delivery of the consignment from the

production department. We understand that the department

has shortage of resources. However we suggest the requisition

form is sent one day earlier to ensure adequate time for the

production team for packaging. This would avoid delays in

future. We are hopeful that appropriate corrective action would

be taken.

Saying No:

A – Apologise

E – Explain

A – Alternative

E.g.: I regret to let you know that we are not in a

position to work on additional data at this point in

time. This is because the entire team is currently

working on an emergency assignment. However I

can suggest a freelancer who can complete the

task in 3 days.

Apologise:

M – Message

D – Details

A – Action

E – Ending

E.g.: Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in

sending the report. Our Data bank had crashed yesterday.

The service engineer who maintains the data bank was

unable to rectify the issue on time due to the prolonged

power shut down. We have installed additional back up to

avoid such mishaps in future. We once again are sorry for

the delay and assure that such shortfalls do not occur again.

Delivering Bad News:

M – Message

E – Empathize

A – Assure

T – Take action

E.g.: It is with regret that we inform you that the transport

vehicle that carriers your consignment met with an accident

on GST road last night. Unfortunately the consignment caught

fire and was charred completely. We understand the impact

this delay is going to have on your deliverables to your client

and the possible monetary loss. We assure our complete

support in reducing the delay from our end. In fact we have

already allocated an additional resource to work on your case.