Workplace Challenges
Write business e-mails that workUnclear e-mails bad for businessThe increasing prevalence of e-mail as a business communication tool means that proficient writing skills are more important than ever. |
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 [ 2007-10-10 ] |
(Comstock)
Yet, at least one in three employees in Canadian businesses struggle with written communication, according to the ABC Canada Literacy Foundation.
For individuals, this translates into personal stress that affects their effectiveness and job satisfaction. For companies, this means time and money wasted on confusion caused by poorly written business communications, resulting in lost productivity. The 2004 report by the U.S.-based National Commission on Writing, found that U.S. businesses spent $3.1 billion extra annually because of the weak writing skills of their employees.
"EXPLANATION"
"If I send you an e-mail and you can't understand it, you may have to e-mail me back or call me for an explanation," says Dr. Sandra Folk, a Toronto-based business writing consultant and University of Toronto lecturer who instructs how to communicate effectively. "Unclear e-mails can be a real problem and are bad for business."
Folk is also the creator of the Language Lab (www.san drafolk.com/language lab.asp), a service that teaches business writing skills through a combination of face-to-face workshops and online learning. Catering to medium-sized businesses from all sectors, she has worked with clients such as global commercial real estate services firm CB Richard Ellis and the United Food and Commercial Workers of Canada. She says the Language Lab typically produces writing improvement rates as high as 80%.
Part of the problem with e-mail communication, she says, is that we e-mail both in our professional and personal lives, lending the medium an informal feel.
"With e-mail, people feel they can just dash off messages and it doesn't matter, but it does," she says. "Your work e-mails represent you and your company, and you want your message to be clear and succinct, and represent you in the best possible way."
So how do you craft the perfect business e-mail?
All business e-mails need a subject line identifying the contained message, Folk says.
When sending an e-mail, she says, be selective about your CC and BCC recipients -- they should only be sent to the individuals for whom they are intended.
Construct the text as if you were developing any other business document, such as a report or memo, she says.
Don't mix messages, she says -- ensure your e-mail covers one topic per project.
"If you send an e-mail that covers two unrelated important items, people might misconstrue what you're talking about," Folk says. "Always think of your audience. Sending separate messages helps with clarity and lets people more easily file e-mails in appropriate folders."
Send formal business letters not in the body of the e-mail, but an attachment, Folk says. It's more professional and it enables you to pay better attention to your grammar and spelling.
REREAD OR REVIEW
Before pressing "Send," reread your message once or twice, and edit if necessary to ensure clarity and accuracy. If you work in an office with co-workers, she says, consider asking someone to review particularly important e-mail documents.
"If I'm talking to you, I can say something, and then add something else to clarify or change what I have to say," Folk says. "With e-mail, however, once it's gone -- it's gone, and you can never get it back. So, you need to be confident that your message is well-written."
Because e-mail is so easy to send -- and resend -- she says, be 100% sure that your message's meaning is clear, concise and correct.
"Always think that you never know who will see it, how it can be used, and whether somebody might misinterpret it," Folk says. "If an e-mail is poorly written, it can damage business and career prospects."
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