�

�

�

�

ASTD
MPI

Top Ten Tips for E-Writing�

by Dianna Booher

excerpted from E-Writing: 21st-Century Tools for Effective Communication

Strive For a Style Somewhere Between Stuffed-Shirt Writing and T-Shirt Writing: Just as the business casual dress code has some people stumped, so has the business causal writing style. Some writers confuse the screen for a t-shirt slogan.

Avoid Knee-Jerk Responses:� E-mail's greatest benefit can also be its greatest drawback:� speed.� We open. We read. We reply. Then we think-or don't, as the case may be.

If You Don't Have Something To Say, Don't Say It: On the street, when someone you know speaks to you, etiquette requires that you return the greeting. Not so with e-mail.�

Check It, But Don't Be Chained To It: Instead of being constantly distracted, let the e-mails pile up and check them only once or twice a day.

Use The "So What?" Prompt To Turn Information into Communication: Imagine your reader asking, "So what?"� Then add the answer:� Draw conclusions. State the action you want.

Avoid Stream-Of-Consciousness Rambling: Just as the penny is the basis for our monetary system, the sentence is our basic unit of thought. If your e-mail wasn't all that interesting to read the first time, imagine forcing people to slog through it a second time to catch your meaning.

Tune into the Tone of Directives:� Brief is good.� Blunt is not.�

Guard Against A Trigger-Happy 'Send' Finger: As a safety measure, don't enter the recipient's e-mail address until you have the e-mail ready to go-with all attachments. Then if your trigger finger goes off, your e-mail is still safely in your hands.

Make Sure "Anytime, Anywhere" Doesn't Mean "No Time, Nowhere": Many organizations advertise that they're available anytime anywhere.� But the reality is that that expectation disappoints all too often.� Email goes unanswered for days and weeks.

Know When To Phone Instead of Writing E-Mail or Letters:� People are typically less guarded when speaking than writing. Choose according to your purpose.�

Be Wary of Humor or Sarcasm:� Comedy writers earn big bucks.� Either make sure your humor works or don't try it.�

Understand Your Liability for Personal E-Mails on Company Systems:� Inexpensive software packages can scan up to 50,000 e-mails an hour for objectionable words (unfair, performance review, copyright, breast, resume, angry) and forward those messages to a designated person. Consider that your e-mail may be retrieved for any number of things that keep people awake at night.�

Author/speaker Dianna Booher is CEO of Booher Consultants, a Dallas-based communications training firm.� Her programs include communication (writing, oral presentations, interpersonal, customer service communications, gender, listening, meetings, conflict) and life balance/productivity.� She has published 40 books, including E-Writing: 21st-Century Tools for Effective Communication (Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books), Communicate with Confidence! (McGraw-Hill), and 67 Presentation Secrets to Wow Any Audience (HRD Press).� Several have been major Book Club selections.� For information about her speaking and training programs call 352-438-0261 email [email protected] or visit www.ExpertSpeaker.com/Speakers/booher.htm�
������������������������������������������� ExpertMagazine.com

Send this article to others
Reader feedback
top of page

All articles & website � Expert Magazine

�

�

�

�