Armya Inc
Well-known member
Bad email habits you need to break
Do a search online and you’ll find endless resources on presentation skills. There are even books and seminars dedicated to perfecting the art of the presentation.
And yet, when it comes to the most basic workplace function – email – there has been considerably less written about it. Email is how we communicate at work. Good or bad, that’s here to stay. And yet I am constantly amazed at how many people are just not very good at it.
Want to stay on top of that pile of emails? Want to have your colleagues look forward to your emails, rather than dread them?
Here are some of the worst email habits you should try and avoid.
Not reading it twice.
It’s the golden rule – just don’t be sloppy. You wouldn’t believe the number of emails I get that have clearly not been read twice. Words will be forgotten, emails can be read repeatedly. It takes mere seconds to make sure what you’ve said actually makes sense. Don’t be lazy, just do it. Proofread.
Deleting the email thread.
I know people have the best of intentions with this one. You want to keep things clean and concise, and I applaud you for that. But generally people receive a lot of emails in the run of day. Keeping the thread attached to the bottom of your email allows people to quickly reference what you’re talking about. It’s not that we can’t find the previous email for reference…but why make things more difficult?
Using unnecessary words.
I know that writing a clear, concise paragraph isn’t everybody’s forte. But consider it an investment in your career to learn how to condense what you`re trying to say. Not sure what I mean? Here’s an example:
Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, or if you need further clarification on any issues, and I’ll be happy to send over the appropriate materials at a time of my earliest convenience, or to set up a meeting for us to discuss an appropriate course of action for your concerns.
What did you gain from reading that paragraph? Nothing. Always make sure there is an actual purpose for every paragraph you include. And if you’ve written more than 6 paragraphs, consider consolidating your information into another form as an attachment, or going back and reviewing what you’ve said. Nobody wants to read a novella in email form.
CC’ing unnecessary people.
We`ve talked about this before. Choose wisely, and be ruthless with who you include. Once you become known as that person who adds in everybody to an email thread people will start dreading your name in their inbox. And you don’t want to be that person, do you?
Not prioritizing answers.
I’m a believer that everybody has their own way of prioritizing and responding to emails. You can do whatever you want – but you do need a system. Otherwise it will all get lost in the shuffle. Maybe you need to separate external client emails from internal ones, and respond to customer needs first. It really depends on your field, as well as your personal working style.
Personally, I respond to small questions right away (or else I might forget), and assume that larger requests have no expectation of an immediate response. I also dedicate some time on Friday afternoons to go through my inbox, sort and file accordingly, and make sure nothing fell through the cracks for the week.
Not every email is of equal importance, and you should respond to them all accordingly.
Sending an email and immediately following up with a phone call.
Why on earth do people do this? The digital age has us so spoiled that we expect an instant response from someone. There’s nothing worse than someone asking, “Did you get my email?”…when they sent it 5 minutes ago.
Christina Bruce
Do a search online and you’ll find endless resources on presentation skills. There are even books and seminars dedicated to perfecting the art of the presentation.
And yet, when it comes to the most basic workplace function – email – there has been considerably less written about it. Email is how we communicate at work. Good or bad, that’s here to stay. And yet I am constantly amazed at how many people are just not very good at it.
Want to stay on top of that pile of emails? Want to have your colleagues look forward to your emails, rather than dread them?
Here are some of the worst email habits you should try and avoid.
Not reading it twice.
It’s the golden rule – just don’t be sloppy. You wouldn’t believe the number of emails I get that have clearly not been read twice. Words will be forgotten, emails can be read repeatedly. It takes mere seconds to make sure what you’ve said actually makes sense. Don’t be lazy, just do it. Proofread.
Deleting the email thread.
I know people have the best of intentions with this one. You want to keep things clean and concise, and I applaud you for that. But generally people receive a lot of emails in the run of day. Keeping the thread attached to the bottom of your email allows people to quickly reference what you’re talking about. It’s not that we can’t find the previous email for reference…but why make things more difficult?
Using unnecessary words.
I know that writing a clear, concise paragraph isn’t everybody’s forte. But consider it an investment in your career to learn how to condense what you`re trying to say. Not sure what I mean? Here’s an example:
Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, or if you need further clarification on any issues, and I’ll be happy to send over the appropriate materials at a time of my earliest convenience, or to set up a meeting for us to discuss an appropriate course of action for your concerns.
What did you gain from reading that paragraph? Nothing. Always make sure there is an actual purpose for every paragraph you include. And if you’ve written more than 6 paragraphs, consider consolidating your information into another form as an attachment, or going back and reviewing what you’ve said. Nobody wants to read a novella in email form.
CC’ing unnecessary people.
We`ve talked about this before. Choose wisely, and be ruthless with who you include. Once you become known as that person who adds in everybody to an email thread people will start dreading your name in their inbox. And you don’t want to be that person, do you?
Not prioritizing answers.
I’m a believer that everybody has their own way of prioritizing and responding to emails. You can do whatever you want – but you do need a system. Otherwise it will all get lost in the shuffle. Maybe you need to separate external client emails from internal ones, and respond to customer needs first. It really depends on your field, as well as your personal working style.
Personally, I respond to small questions right away (or else I might forget), and assume that larger requests have no expectation of an immediate response. I also dedicate some time on Friday afternoons to go through my inbox, sort and file accordingly, and make sure nothing fell through the cracks for the week.
Not every email is of equal importance, and you should respond to them all accordingly.
Sending an email and immediately following up with a phone call.
Why on earth do people do this? The digital age has us so spoiled that we expect an instant response from someone. There’s nothing worse than someone asking, “Did you get my email?”…when they sent it 5 minutes ago.
Christina Bruce
