I use email. Alot. In my line of work nearly 70% of all my client communication is done through my Inbox. Because of this I make it a point that all of my emails, even the quick ones to say “thanks” are formatted properly, with a signature, and are written with care taken to grammar, and spelling. As someone who has made their living on being able to work with customers of all types (tech types to VP’s), I can honestly say that my email writing skills have played a role in my success in IT.
I can’t tell you how many emails I have seen come across that just made me say “huh?”. Here are some VERY experienced IT pro’s who can’t tell the difference between “there” and “their”. I’m not kidding, some of these engineers, doctors, and executives that I work with really look stupid in their emails. If an alien were to come and judge them by their emails they would definitely NOT take them on their mothership with them. So how do you avoid this, here are some really simple tips:
- Sentence fragments. Close them up! Use complete sentences, even if responding to a question from a previous email.
- Bda sepllign. Nearly every email application has a spell checker. Use Firefox’s built-in one for web-based email. It’s embarassing and makes you look stupid, so just be careful.
- Bad grammar. Take the time to read your email out loud, or at least in your head. If it sounds funky, it probably is (funky, that is).
- Address the person correctly. Take a look at this article.
- Make sure you have a signature with your current and correct contact information. It could be as simple as your name and your email address. If you want people to depend on you, you better be reachable.
These are just some tips for you. I am sure that there are countless other similar posts on the web, so look around and see what others have to say.
