Effective Emails- 5 Dos & Don’ts

Do keep your email content simple and concise so that others can address all questions with ease. The process of communication has since been made more convenient with the perks modern technology has to offer. Nowadays, it is not unusual to see companies and even owners of small businesses rely on email for online marketing and business transaction purposes. Reliable, effective and convenient, the practice of sending emails reduce the amount of time required to make a personal trip as well as further affirm agreements by acting as proof.

However, seeing as people often come with different thought structures, communication via email can sometimes cause confusion and misunderstanding as the receiver is unable to determine the tone the sender is using in the email.

For example: Upon receiving emails, Person A replies with a ‘Noted with thanks’ to indicate that they have received relevant information, while Person B does not adhere to such a practice. This can cause confusion between both parties as they are unfamiliar with each other’s methods. Person A may expect an indication and worry that their message have not been sent successfully when they do not receive a response in return.

So how does one prepare an effective well-worded email without causing misunderstandings?
Here are some Dos and Don’ts that may help in achieving that aim:

Do try to indicate who the email is to whenever possible, to cut down on the amount of time needed to forward your email to the relevant individual.

Do consider using a personal tone when writing your emails, by way of using first person pronouns. Keep it so that it would appear that you are engaging the other person in conversation instead.

Do take time to consider matters from the perspective of your client or colleague. Perhaps they may not be familiar with technical jargon, so do try to explain using layman terms, where it can be easily grasped.

Do include a call-to-action in the email, indicating the responses preferred from your clients if they are interested in the services or products of the company.

Don’t send your email without checking if the links are broken or leading to the correct places.

Don’t assume that your colleagues have the same approach as you do. If this is an email to your work partners and you wish to ensure that they have received it, include a polite ‘please acknowledge when received’ or something similar so that they will know to do so.

Don’t send the email without testing it first. Send a copy to yourself or make a draft of it so that you can check to ensure there are no typos, or misworded phrases.

Don’t focus on the negative in your emails. Negative word choices only result in a negative pessimistic tone, which can impact the reader’s impression on you and your company.

Don’t neglect the email features provided for you. There are certain functions already included to help you with writing and sending effective emails, like the CC and BCC function. If you wish to send the same email to everyone, consider making use of these to help you out.

There you have it! Start placing these tips into practice now and see the results it brings.