Communication tips and tricks: Good mail habits

Have you tried to receive an email you found inappropriate? It may have been too personal, written by a furious person, you might not understand the content, it was too long, it was too short, it was rude, it contained emojis that you found inappropriate, it was sarcastic or ironic.

Most of us have probably tried by getting a email that was not entirely appropriate and which we could well have done without. Unfortunately, we cannot control what other people do, so it is difficult to prevent it. BUT we can decide what we do ourselves and how we write emails. And if we do what we can to maintain an orderly tone and good mail culture, then it tends to get rub onto others.

So, how do we do that? First of all, you can read "33 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Pressing Send" (source: www.wearebro.dk). You will do both yourself and your colleagues a great favor and they are actually quite entertaining to read.

You can also take a look at my presentation from last year's SeniorVIP where I talked about the same topic.

You can see the presentation here.

Last I will give you some great tips you can always use when writing an email: 

1. Include a one or two word topic in the subject line. It helps the reader know what the email is all about. 
2. Always include a greeting (Dear) and a closing (Sincerely). Always!
3. Use business language, always spell check, reread and do not use abbreviations. 
4. Do not use ALL CAPS. ALL CAPS MEANS YOU ARE SCREAMING AT THE OTHER PERSON.
5. Jokes, witty remarks and sarcasm do not translate in email. This can get you into really difficult situations. 
6. Complaining and gossiping have no place in email.
7. Keep the communication short and concise.
8. The use of emojiies should only be used between really good friends.
9. Reread before hitting send.
10. If you can walk around the office and talk to someone, send the email later. Get up and talk to a colleague. Send an email when there is factual information they may need.
11. Never forward a forward a forward

If you need any advice about communication, you are always welcome to contact Camilla Brodam at brodam@agro.au.dk