Communication now has the potential and sometimes does move, at the speed of light thanks to technology – and please let me confirm how fast that actually is! A traveller moving at the speed of light would circumnavigate the equator approximately 7.5 times in one second.
So, the message actually goes quickly – but behind that, we still need humans to write the message. As I write that, I’m realising that we do have auto-response in social media, across our emails etc. But for the purposes of today, I’m referring to email communication.
As with all my blogs, something happened during the week to inspire and question ‘Communication.’ I had a rather frustrated email from a colleague who promotes the arts and culture sector who said that so many of his emails go unanswered and that they were having a really exasperating time getting much-needed answers to questions about details of events.
Why is email communication deteriorating? I believe that it is because of the speed and advancement in technology. It’s so easy now to capture people’s email addresses – something that used to be as sacred and private as receiving a letter. It’s no longer like that, and many people dread opening their mailbox each day to see numerous emails and simply as a coping mechanism, they skim through and often don’t reply. I too am guilty – so many press releases, invitations, and an overload of information and from people whom I have never met or given my email address to. Emails seem to have almost overtaken face-to-face communication.
We now receive emails on how to block the emails!
There are a certain style and format required in business emails. There is nothing worse than receiving a long-winded explanation which needs scrolling and scrolling. These are my suggestions:
- Be Concise: write clearly with proper grammar and spelling as it reflects on your abilities.
- Subject Line: Accurately represent the content and use bold and italics to make important information stand out.
- Your Tone: Remember that your vocal intonation cannot be heard and so could be misinterpreted. Be careful in how you say things.
- Wait: Important emails should be read and re-read. Don’t send when you’re angry, sad or frustrated.
- What are you offering: An email is often part of an implicit negotiation, so let people know what you will offer too. Your chances of receiving a positive reply are much higher.
Be careful to write an email which you would want to receive.
Till next time,
Saskia
