Prompt Proofing Blog Post - Writing Business Emails, Part 1

    VANCOUVER, BC, May 20, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- How many emails arrive in your inbox on a daily basis? If you're running a business I would guess the number might be into 3 digits. How do you deal with these? How do you detect and eliminate spam and focus on the messages you really need? Well, what do you know, the recipients of your emails use the same filters!

Email is now the dominant means of business communication; some people might like a phone call, but for the most part email is the preferred form of communication. Unlike a phone call, you have a written record of what has been said so there is no confusion over spelling of people's names, or dates or times. For this writer, emails are always preferable to phone calls because they give me time to reflect, it's all too easy to be put 'on the spot' on the phone and give inaccurate information or commit to something you didn't really want to commit to. However, when we are faced with writing possibly hundreds of emails a day it is actually just as easy to be over hasty and then your mistake is actually a permanent record. Below are a few golden rules for business emailing:

1. Rule number 1 - Proofread

Proofread your email carefully before clicking 'send'. How many times have you spotted an error or a typo in your email just after pressing 'send'? The potential for embarrassment or worse means it is well worth the few seconds it takes to do a quick read through of your email before you send it. Check the address box - horror stories of emails mistakenly sent to the wrong recipient are legendary.

2. Rule number 2 - Be concise

No one has time to read a lengthy email describing your point in great detail - save these for emailing your Grandma. Come to the point fast and get the essential details down in as few words as possible. Ideally, emails are for quick communications; if you do need to write a longer message then separate your different points into paragraphs - leave a line between paragraphs, it is an accepted fact that readers tire quickly if given long blocks of unbroken text to read. White space between paragraphs helps your reader see when you've moved on to a new point. Any email with more than 3 or 4 paragraphs probably needs to be sent as an attachment.

3. Rule number 3 - Use the 'subject' line

Use the 'subject' line wisely. Many people will not even open their emails unless they can see from the subject box that it is pertinent. At all costs avoid a chain of emails starting "Re: re: re: re: Your meeting on the 19th". This happens all too often - so that emails appear to refer to something which is now weeks out of date, simply because no one could be bothered to give their email a new subject. Your subject should leave no doubt in the recipient's mind what the content is about.

4. Rule number 4 - Use 'read receipts' and 'urgent' sparingly

Do you absolutely need to know when the recipient has read your message? Why? Sending 'read receipts' is irritating and generally you do not want to irritate business contacts or potential clients. Likewise, reserve the red flagging for truly urgent messages - what you think is urgent is not always what your recipient thinks is urgent.

5. Rule number 5 - Take care with 'cc'

You should only 'cc' people who need to know the information you are sending, or need to be kept 'in the loop' but do not need to take direct action. A word of caution on mass emailing: sending out emails to a whole string of people whose names and addresses appear in the 'cc' box is not usually advisable. You are basically giving out the email addresses of every single recipient to every other recipient - be sure that all recipients are going to be happy with this before you do it!

Remember the rules above and your emails will always be well received and, in all likelihood, quickly and courteously responded to.

Check back next Friday for another Prompt Proofing blog post!

About the Author

Pat Wootton is originally from England and is a former high school English teacher. Having spent many years in the Caribbean, where she raised her family, she now lives in Vancouver, BC. In addition, she has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) for several years after earning a diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of British Columbia. She now owns and runs Prompt Proofing, a copy editing and writing service that caters to both individuals and businesses.

About Prompt Proofing

Prompt Proofing is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and was officially launched in 2010 by a team of editing and writing professionals who have over 40 years of experience in the education, news media, public relations and recruitment fields. Prompt Proofing prides itself on affordable services delivered with fast turnaround times, without sacrificing quality or accuracy.

Offering content writing, editing and proofreading services, Prompt Proofing takes care of your individual or business content needs. Visit our website for more information at http://www.PromptProofing.com.

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