On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Proper E-mail Use Critical to Career Success

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Proper E-mail Use Critical to Career Success Bill Lampton, Ph.D., president of Championship Communication, has served as a source for me many times when it comes to understanding how we can better communicate with one another at work. Recently, I asked him to discuss his newest efforts to teach us all how to be better e-mail communicators.It's obvious that e-mail is here to stay, yet you say few companies really educate workers about how and why to use it. Is that the only reason that e-mail has gotten so out of control?No, there are other reasons. We cant leave the training up to companies alone. Just as parents need to define appropriate etiquette for dining and dating, they should tell their children that their e-mail habits create immediate impressions, too. Then parents can educate them specifically about what to avoid and what to do. Likewise, schools including colleges and universities should incorporate e-mail training into their courses.Communication consultants carry a responsibility in this arena as well. For exam ple, when I direct my all-day seminar on Business Writing That Works, I devote the last hour to e-mail guidelines. Usually this segment becomes the liveliest and most beneficial part of the day.Fortunately, newspaper columnists including you write about e-mail protocol regularly. Youll reach people missed by structured training sessions.You give us rules for using e-mail such as making sure you use proper grammar and spelling, never writing an e-mail when you're angry and don't try to be funny. But does it really matter if our e-mails don't follow these rules? Why?Yes, because failing to follow these standards will prevent us from: making a favorable impression becoming top of mind for raises and promotions selling to top-caliber customers reducing workplace confusion avoiding preventable conflicts maintaining morale during special challenges, like downsizing, when clarityand conveying the right mood are essential enjoying the level of credibility we aspire to responding satisfact orily to disgruntled customersOK, now tell us what is your most personal pet peeve with e-mails.My decision on that is easy. Every day, I become impatient with e-mail overkill. Just as blabbermouths annoy me with their spoken waterfall of words, e-mailerswho dont know when to stop get on my nerves.For example, lets say someone e-mails you, Anita, commending you for an article you wrote. Courteously, you reply. However, you didnt mean to initiate daily correspondence. Next thing you know, youre bombarded with a barrage of jokes (most of which you have seen before), personal histories, and questions about your family, hobbies, and more. Genuine professionals need to remember that less is more ine-mailing. Consider: We have access to someones mailing address, yet we dont send three, four, or five letters daily. We should use the same good judgment when we turn to the computer.I have observed that the same people who used to flood our in-baskets with reams of paper memoranda now blitz o ur screens with repetitive e-mails. They tempt me to respond, I understood you the first time.Are there instances where e-mail should never be used? Definitely: When the topic is confidential (salary, grievances, reprimands) When only a face-to-face conversation can resolve tensions When you want to assure that you convey both content and intent accurately When its time for you to become more visible as a caring supervisor When the intended recipient works in the adjoining cubicle(An exception: When both of you need a written record of thecommunication.)Finally, what's the best way to sign off on an e-mail?Sign off with a word or phrase that conveys friendliness withoutsounding flippant.Avoid, except with very close friends or family: Cheers CYA (Internet slang for See you) and similar e-mail shorthand Humor You da best, you da most Cordially or I remain yours sincerely and other obsolete terms Warmly, Your greatest admirer and other expressions that could becomemisinterpreted as r omantic or at least flirty Any signoff that includes an exclamation pointSelect a close thats business-like yet not gushy Best My best All the best Best regards Sincerelydel.icio.us