Communication is a vital business skill no matter what your business is. Whether you’re reaching out to a potential customer or communicating internally with co-workers, effective communication skills can mean the difference between success and failure for whatever it is you want to accomplish.
In today’s modern business world, one of the biggest problems with communication is that there’s too much of it, thanks to email. The average person receives 88 emails per day, but only sends 34. That means we’re being inundated with messages every day — and for most people clearing out their inboxes, this is a herculean task.
The following infographic discusses 10 different ways you can sharpen your email skills and was created by Xverify.
How To Sharpen Your Email Skills created by Xverify.
1. Make sure your email is written to match the intended audience. Don’t use generic templates or your message could be ignored.
2. Use active voice to grab attention.
3. Begin the email with the idea you’re trying to communicate. Don’t expect recipients to wade through a paragraph of preamble.
4. Choose an attention-getting subject line. Subject lines such as “Please read” give recipients no incentive to open the email.
5. Keep it simple and to the point. Even an email on an interesting topic can be a slog to read if it’s presented in a way that’s too wordy.
6. Maintain a professional but friendly tone. Avoid being too casual but keep it conversational.
7. Consider whether it needs to be an email at all. Certain ideas are better discussed face to face or in a phone conversation instead of cluttering inboxes with email after email.
8. Be prompt with your replies. No one wants to be kept waiting for an answer to a question or confirmation.
9. Remember to follow up when necessary. You don’t want to become a pest, but follow-up emails can help ensure your message was received.
10. Hold off on clicking “send”. Always give your emails a close read before you send them, so you can catch any typos or other errors.
What best practice do you have for email management?