Business Email

Compelled to Read It

You’ve got to make the heading sing! Because of the sheer volume of business Email, no one wants to read anything that isn’t relative or brief. Overuse of the words “Urgent!” or “Important!” in the heading is a red flag almost guaranteeing that the piece will be deleted.

Good Writing Rules Still Apply

When you address a business Email, make sure you use the person’s proper title and, above all else, make sure you spell his/her name right! This courtesy is quickly dying in email communications. Pay attention to grammar and spelling. Don’t trust your spell checker entirely. Check the copy carefully before you send it off. Once it’s gone, you cannot recall it, as you could when you realized a mistake was made in a snail mail letter, and you could snatch it from the Out basket.

Write to the point with all Email and keep paragraphs short. No one wants to wade through screens of useless puffery. It’s insulting to someone who values their time. And never write in ALL CAPS LIKE THIS. It’s annoying and smacks of a certain immaturity. Let the person you’re writing to figure out that you’re trying to convey emotion.

Sign off with “Sincerely,” or “Thanks again for your time,” or something similar. Remember to include your basic contact information: company name, your name, title, phone number, voice mail and cell number.

Hold Your Business Email Tongue

Resist the impulse to fire back a reply in the heat of the moment. With snail mail, we have time to cool down before dashing off a scathing reply. Email is instant and a little dangerous. Reread the message. Count to ten. Then take another whack at writing. Should you give into the anger impulse and reply without thinking, that reply can come back to haunt you.

Delete Long Email Message Threads

Click 'reply', instead of “compose“ for responses to a continuing thread. But should the thread get too long, forcing you to wade through a couple screens of addresses and “CC to” headings, just send a new Email reply. You could also erase the body of the letter, but leave in the heading. Use the “Reply to All” button sparingly unless you want everyone to get a copy of your heart-throbbing reply. Most people won’t need it or bother to read it.

Keep It Active And Short

Unless you think your recipient needs extra sleep, use the active voice. Passive voice adds needless length. On the other hand, don’t make your letter so short and terse that your recipient has to figure out your code and what you’re talking about. Remember your letter may be one of several hundred received that day. Too long and it’s trashed. For techniques on how to edit your memo, see Writing and Editing.

Watch Your Tone

Match the tone of what was sent to you: informal, friendly first name or formal. A greeting of some sort like “Hello, Harry!” or “Greetings, Sylvia” is a nice touch and adds an element of warmth to what can often be a cold medium.