How To Write Mail-subroto Ghosh

How to write Mail By Subroto Ghosh

Why Email Etiquette is important  Professionalism  Efficiency  Protection from liability

FOCUS ON 8 C’S  Clarity  Conciseness  Correctness  Completeness  Consideration  Courtesy  Construction  Common Tips

Clarity - Enhances Readability horten Sentences by creating one idea per sentence

horten Sentences by turning nouns

CLARITY The Fog Factor This factor tells you whether your writing is ‘communicating’ or is it ‘foggy’ i.e. confusing. How to calculate Fog Factor Take a typical sample of about 100 to 200 words of your writing. Count the number of sentences. Count all the long words with 3 or more syllables, excluding proper nouns. Then apply the fog factor: • Divide the number of long words by the number of sentences. • Clear writing has a factor of less than 3.

Conciseness – Get to the Point • The KISS rule • Avoid repetition • Remove redundancies

A Leave Application

Dear Sir, My mother-in-law has expired and I m responsible for it. Please grant me ten days leave. Regards,

Correctness • The Magic of Spells • Write Right • Without Punctuation, its difficult to read • Plz Don’t Abbrvt • Do not write in CAPITALS • Font Size & Font Colour

• Verb Usage

Completeness • Answer all questions asked • Check for the Five W’s - Who, What, When, Why, Where • Use Facts & figures

Consideration • Use the YOU attitude • Don’t use that TONE with me • Be Gender - Neutral

Courtesy • Mind your P’s & Q’s • Do not be over Courteous and Lame • Omit expressions that irritate, or belittle • Apologize only when necessary • Like an arrow shot from a bow

Poor Usage Examples

No subject line

Construction • Use a Descriptive & Catchy Subject Line • Greet Right • Keep a Pyramid Structure • Always Use your Signature

Construction The Hot Potato Closing The hot potato or action item closing technique is a means of ending a letter with a clear understanding of what the next step is. While concluding your email; • Mention clearly of your availability • Give the reader a clear Dead Line

A Candidate’s Application

Dear Sir, This has reference to your advertisement calling for a typist and an accountant – Male or Female… As I m both for the past several years and I can handle both; I m applying for the post. Thanks & Regards, DingDong Patel

Common Tips Be very specific with the use of bold, italic or underline font style Paragraph and line spacing should be legitimate and visually appealing Read the email thrice before you send it Reply with original message only Use proper structure & layout. If multiple questions are asked in a mail, reply just beneath the right question and try to distinguish with font color Don’t just forward a message, mention the course of action

Common Tips • Request delivery and Read Receipts • Use Follow Up Flags. • Use CC: field sparingly • Use the Bcc: field while you do not want all addressee to know who all are being mailed the same matter • When in Bcc, do not reply. They are sensitive mails • Zip all Attachments. Large files use shared server or websites

Common Tips • Don't reply to an email message when angry, as you may regret it later. Once the message has been sent, you will not be able to recover it • Avoid religious, libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist, communal or obscene remarks • Do not use email to discuss confidential information • Do not use Jargons unless you know its meaning • If an email discussion doesn’t end in 1-2

Poor Usage Examples

Discussion that could have been done on the phone

Towards A Helpful Positive Image

Positive language will more likely elicit cooperation rather than argument or confrontation Negative: “We regret to inform you that we cannot process your application, since you have neglected to provide sufficient information. Please complete ALL sections of the attached form and return it to us. Positive: “Congratulations on your decision to start a new business. To process your application we need some additional information. If you return the attached form, with highlighted areas, filled in, we will be able to

Remember • DON’T ALWAYS USE OUTLOOK – Just because email is easier, pick up the phone or meet in person. Don’t hide behind your computer monitor! • Constructive confrontation or disagreements do NOT get resolved in email