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Ten Tips for Avoiding E-mail Mistakes

If you are like many busy business people, you may send hundreds of e-mail messages each workweek. You are usually rushed to communicate promptly, so you might not take care to ensure your outgoing messages are properly worded. This could lead to miscommunication that jeopardizes your business relationships.

How can you avoid potential problems? Here are ten helpful hints:

1. Fill in the subject line. After the recipient sees who the sender is, his or her eyes will automatically go to this line. This is important if you want your message to receive prompt attention. Take time to describe the content of your message in a meaningful way.

2. Modify the subject line if the focus of the correspondence has changed. Do not automatically hit “reply” with each response. Start a new e-mail if the subject has changed completely.

3. Although e-mail is often informal, you should still include a greeting in a business context. Even if you simply put in the person’s name, it is better than leaving it blank. Otherwise, you might appear to be cold or disrespectful.

4. Consider the tone of your e-mail. Unlike face-to-face meetings, e-mail has no body language. You cannot see the other person, so you must choose your words carefully. Put yourself in their shoes and anticipate what the reaction will be. Do not assume that the recipient would know you are kidding around or being facetious.

5. The current trend is to send e-mail messages without proper punctuation and grammar. Again, while this may be acceptable for e-mail to friends, it is discouraged in a business setting. Remember that your e-mail is a representation of both you and your company. Use the spell-checker to catch errors, and read over your message for any misuse of words.

6. Be concise. Write only a few paragraphs with just a few sentences in each paragraph. Remember that the reader is probably skimming the e-mail to pick out the salient points. If you find yourself writing a longer message, pick up the phone and call.

7. Do not assume that your e-mail will not be passed along. Once you send it, you have no control over where it will end up. If the message would embarrass you or your company, do not send it. Instead, use other methods to convey personal or sensitive information.

8. End the message with your name, even though it is included at the top of the e-mail. Add contact information such as your address, telephone and fax numbers. The recipient may want to talk at length or send documents that cannot be e-mailed. Best approach: Create a formal signature block with the critical data.

9. Fill in the e-mail address of the recipient. This should be the last thing you do, not the first. Scan your message for tone of voice, meaning, etc. Were you being overly emotional when you wrote it? Does it accurately communicate your thoughts? Could it be misinterpreted? This is your last chance to right the wrongs. If you enter the recipient’s name first, an inadvertent slip can send the message before you intended.

10. Finally, wait for a response. Not everyone constantly monitors their e-mail in-boxes. People do it at their own convenience. If the response is so important that you must hear back right away, call the recipient.

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