Writing an e-mail is not necessarily easy, despite appearances. Although an e-mail may seem like almost instantaneous communication thanks to the technologies we have at our disposal, we need to put it into context. It is a written exchange, similar to the epistolary missives that were the main means of communication at the end of the last century…
Electronic messaging has taken on a predominant role in corporate communications, and is gradually becoming an essential element that even has evidential value from a legal point of view.
That’s why a number of rules need to be observed to avoid unpleasant surprises or misinterpretations by the recipient(s).
Choosing the right e-mail recipients
Thanks to electronic messaging, you can reach several people at once and set up a group communication. It is therefore advisable to select the recipients of the e-mail with care.
Because it is so easy to use, the number of electronic messages is far greater than the number of letters or notes written in the ‘olden days’. The people you are going to write to therefore need to sort their e-mails to make sure they deal with the important ones, and the criteria can vary from one person to another.
However, a few good practices can help recipients to avoid missing out on your message. So let’s start by looking at the different ways of addressing an e-mail:
The main addressee or field To… :
This is obviously where you indicate the person or persons you want to address first. Be careful, multiplying the main recipients dilutes the attention that your contacts will pay to your e-mail. The more recipients there are, the more everyone will assume that the others will deal with your request or pass the buck…
The informed or Cc… field :
The ‘Carbon Copy’ field means what it says! People are copied for information purposes. They will therefore not consider this e-mail to be important and may decide to read it later, or not at all! You should therefore only copy people for whom the information is not critical. For those whose attention you want to catch, it’s best to follow up the original e-mail with a personalised information message.
Copy is for information, not protection! Avoid electronic polemics…
Hidden copies or Bcc field… :
As the name suggests, this field allows you to add recipients to the e-mail without others knowing. This practice is often likened to ‘opening an umbrella’. More and more companies consider this practice to be malpractice.
It can put one or other category of recipient in a complicated or even untenable situation. What’s more, the blind copy recipient is not explicitly informed of this situation, and can ‘reply to all’, thus revealing their status and embarrassing yourself by having to explain to others why you made this decision.
This option is generally only used by general services or the communications department in order to distribute information to a large number of people and to avoid polluting the e-mail system if one of the recipients decides to use the ‘reply all’ button.
Tips and tricks…
Let’s take my example of when I receive an e-mail…
As a manager, I receive a huge amount of email every day. So I need a quick and easy way to sort through them. So I give priority to those addressed directly to me and for which I am the only main recipient.
Next come those for which I am mentioned in the To… field along with others, then those for which I am copied. So, to draw my attention to a message whose sole purpose is to inform me, you should either send me a purely personal message to tell me that an e-mail I’ve been copied on is important, or give me a call, or have the e-mail forwarded to me with a message explaining why it is important…
Never forget that any of the recipients can use the ‘reply to all’ button and therefore potentially annoy one of the recipients. You should therefore choose your distribution list carefully.
The subject: a determining factor …
It’s important to write the subject of an e-mail properly. The recipient, particularly if they check their email on a smartphone, will focus on this first sentence to determine how much attention they pay to the message and even whether or not they read it.
Ideally, the subject of your e-mail should include :
- The subject of the message
- The action expected from the recipients
- The deadline for the expected action
The subject of your e-mail should be clear and concise, like a slogan that makes people want to read the rest!
One subject per e-mail
Only deal with one point at a time in your e-mail, otherwise you run the risk of one or more points not being dealt with. It’s very easy for your contact to respond to only one request and ignore or evade the others. Be brief and to the point to avoid leaving your request unclear.
If you want to be sure of being read, keep it short (sentences of no more than twenty words), to avoid the ‘later when I have time’ syndrome on the part of your interviewer.
Choose the right language and form
Choose the right language according to the recipients of your e-mail and your company’s good practice.
In the case of recipients from different cultures, remember that written communication is very different from oral communication.
Humour and sarcasm do not take advantage of voice intonations and do not always have the same meaning depending on the reader. What may be funny to a French person may not be to an English or German person. And don’t overlook the risk of misinterpretation because some people don’t read your e-mail in their mother tongue. So keep it simple!
That way, a joke can come across as a direct attack.
Be contactable
Clearly identify yourself through your e-mail signature. The vast majority of companies offer standardised signatures that reflect the company’s digital image. Make sure that the fields concerning you are correctly filled in and that you are therefore easy to contact. This will enable the recipient to contact you directly if they need clarification on the content of your message.
Proofread before you click send
Don’t forget that e-mails travel. So once sent, you have no way of knowing who your correspondent will forward your prose to… It may go round the company, leave it and end up in letterboxes that you didn’t even imagine. So be extremely careful about the content of your e-mail and the way it is presented.
Be positive in your approach.
Don’t answer on the spot!
Once again, remember that the written word is perceived very differently from the spoken word!
Start by assuming that the e-mail you’ve just received and which has upset you was probably written by someone who hasn’t read this article…
Take a breath, read the e-mail again, go for a walk and then read the message again. Never reply in the heat of the moment or in anger. This is the best way to provoke a controversy and an endless loop in which everyone will be shouting at each other, only making the situation worse. Which brings us naturally to the next paragraph: sometimes a good discussion is better than a long acid e-mail.
Pick up the phone!
Don’t let an argument start unnecessarily. If, after three messages back and forth, the point has not been settled, don’t hesitate to make direct contact with your correspondent. If several recipients are concerned, organise a meeting.
Although verbal reprimands are rare in real life, they are more common in e-mails. The result is acerbic e-mails with copies, which are often more damaging to the author than to the recipient…
At the risk of repeating myself, never forget that an e-mail can be forwarded and commented on…
Here are a few examples…
- When a Hungarian writes to you, whatever language he or she uses, he or she will retain local habits in his or her writing. Unlike in French, exclamation marks are commonplace in Hungary. This is not an acerbic or aggressive form of expression! Don’t get carried away when reading…
- If a Marseillais writes ‘ça va!’ all the time, don’t take it as a sign of disinterest, it simply means ‘I agree’ or ‘I understand’. It’s not a question of treating you flippantly.
- An Anglo-Saxon won’t understand if you don’t reply to his e-mail within half a day. They don’t necessarily expect an answer to their question, but at the very least confirmation that you have read their e-mail and that you are going to deal with the issue. If you can also give them a deadline, they’ll be all the happier.
Best practice
- Don’t send e-mails late at night or at weekends: this can create a sense of urgency among your contacts, generate stress and encourage them to work outside normal working hours. Case law has condemned this kind of practice. So don’t put yourself at risk.
- Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by email: while email is useful, it must not become the centre of your concerns. Answering your e-mails on time is one thing, but giving your correspondents the impression that you are connected 24 hours a day is quite another. Instant messaging can be considered as real time, e-mail cannot.
- Spelling is not an option: think of your readers… the electronic aspect of e-mail in no way detracts from its similarity to epistolary correspondence. Make an effort and proof-read. Don’t lose credibility because of poor spelling – there are plenty of tools to help you. Don’t let the person you’re writing to lose concentration!
- Identify your contact: start your e-mail with a ‘dear thing’ to personalise the correspondence. This will limit any possible lack of interest on the part of the reader due to the impersonal aspect of an e-mail and will encourage them to treat your request with more attention.
Good to know
- 56% of users spend more than 2 hours a day managing their e-mails,
- 38% of users receive more than 100 messages a day,
- 70% of managers say they suffer from information overload
- 65% of users admit to checking their email every hour, but actually do so every 5 minutes!
- 64 seconds is the average time it takes to regain your train of thought when you are interrupted by the arrival of an e-mail.