The Top E-mail Mistakes And How to Avoid Them
by
Dave Willmer, executive director of Office Team
If you’re like most administrative professionals, e-mail is an integral part
of your work day. Because of its immediacy and relative lack of
intrusiveness, it’s the communication method of choice for many workers,
including, chances are, your boss. According to a survey by OfficeTeam,
nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of executives polled prefer e-mail over other
forms of communication.
While hitting "Send" may be an effective way to get your ideas across, doing
so too quickly or without a lot of thought can send the wrong message. Here
are some common e-mail mistakes and tips for avoiding them:
A vague subject line – The subject line not only lets the person
receiving the message know what it’s about but also provides him or her with
a reason to read it. Some people get hundreds of e-mails each day and are
unable to open all of them. The subject line acts as the window into the
message and can also indicate urgency, so be specific.
‘Im writing re: the meeting @ 3’ – Many people take a casual approach
when using e-mail. But what you write is a reflection of your
professionalism, so take the time to craft complete sentences, use proper
grammar and check your spelling. Review your e-mail carefully before sending
it. And remember, your computer’s spell-check function won’t find misused
words.
Going on and on and on – Your goal when crafting a message should be
to keep it succinct. You don’t want to write the e-mail equivalent of a
novel, so get to the point as quickly as possible. At the same time, don’t
be so brief that you appear curt.
Striking the wrong note – Unfortunately, it’s easy for tone to be
lost with the written word, especially in shorter messages. An attempt at
humor, for instance, may be read as something offensive or inappropriate. If
you’re not sure how something will be interpreted, err on the side of
caution and leave it out.
Weighing others down – If your e-mail inbox is continually clogged,
you know how frustrating it can be to receive unwanted large attachments.
According to a survey we developed, executives agreed, ranking the receipt
of large, unsolicited files as the most annoying aspect of communicating via
e-mail. Limit the distribution of massive files to people who absolutely
need them.
Sending to the wrong box – Before you send a message, always
double-check the list of recipients. Many e-mail programs automatically fill
in e-mail address information you’ve previously typed. You may mistakenly
send a message to the wrong person if contacts in your address book have
similar names.
Mixing business and pleasure – If a message is coming from your work
e-mail, it should be business-related. After all, you are using your firm’s
resources, and the company has the right to monitor your communication.
Familiarize yourself with your organization’s e-mail policy, and have your
friends send non-work-related e-mail to your personal account, which you can
check at home.
With e-mail correspondence becoming increasingly important in the workplace,
administrative professionals can only benefit from learning how to craft an
effective message. So keep the above tips in mind the next time you sit down
at the keyboard.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dave Willmer is executive director of OfficeTeam, the nation’s leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled administrative and office support professionals. OfficeTeam has more than 300 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at
www.officeteam.com.
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