20 Communicating with clarity Confirmation May I confirm the arrangements for/that Would you please confirm that Please drop us a line if (informal). 2 Best-practice emails and working in multi-cultural teams Email is rapidly overtaking letter writing as the most common form of written communication. We tend to transfer our communication style from our native language to a foreign language. This can throw up cross-cultural issues as email is an instant form of communication and is often far less formal stylistically than writing a letter. For example, if we forget to maintain the relationship by just getting straight down to business, we can alienate the person we are corresponding with. However, email has many advantages. Advantages of emails ᭤ eliminates phone tag (people out) ᭤ allows you to put more time and thought into messages than when phoning ᭤ breaks down distance/time barriers ᭤ shortens cycle of written communication ᭤ allows for more direct/interactive communication ᭤ improves productivity e.g., meeting planning and preparation ᭤ reduces telephone interruptions ᭤ allows people to work from any location with a computer However, there are also distinct traps you can fall into if you don’t observe some simple rules. As with letters or faxes, emails can be misinterpreted since there is no body language or voice tone to enable the reader to pick up clues. The easiest way to check if your email is appropriate or not is to ask yourself how you would feel if you received it. Below are the ten most common mistakes people make when they write emails and tips on how to avoid them. Dos and don’ts 1. No clear subject title. The subject line should be clear and concise. It should not contain negative words or expressions. 2. No greeting. Always begin your email with a friendly greeting. 3. Too many abbreviations and acronyms. Don’t pepper your email with abbreviations and acronyms – they can be misunderstood and misinterpreted as being rude or demanding. 4. Copying in too many other people. Don’t cc others unless they are directly involved in the situation otherwise you just add to the spam that we all receive on a daily basis. 5. Too many mistakes. Pay attention to your spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Writing an email full of mistakes reduces your credibility with your reader. 6. Flaming. Writing an email in capital letters to make a point is annoying to read. In any case, you should never send an email when you’re angry – it’s the equivalent of throwing a wobbler in cyberspace – just sit on it for a bit till you’ve calmed down. Equally, you should also never write an email all in lower case. 7. No closing or signing off. You should always sign off in a friendly way and try to end on a positive note. 8. Difficult to read. Long emails with no attention to paragraphing, sentence structure, or unnecessary repetition are difficult to both read and understand. You run the risk of your reader hitting the delete button. 9. Unfriendly tone. If you have to deal with a delicate situation by email, you do yourself no favours by sounding aggressive or downright hostile. You will immediately put the reader on the defensive and are unlikely to get a helpful response. 10. General lack of clarity. Make sure that your reader knows what you expect them to do in response to your email. Convey your message clearly and concisely. Task 1 Match the bodies of emails1–4with their responsesA–D.N.B. They all break the rules of best practice in one way or another. 1. I tried to call you but, as usual, you weren’t there. I’ve just had the production manager from Makro on the phone – he’s absolutely livid about the late delivery and is going to switch from us to another supplier. Due to your incompetence, we’re going to lose the best customer we’ve ever had. 2. The meeting has been arranged for Tuesday next week at 11 a.m. in the Green Room. The whole department is expected to attend as there is going to be an important announcement. Look forward to seeing you there. 3. FYI the alarms are going to be tested next Monday @ 8. FWIW it’ll only last 5 mins and BTW this is going to happen on a weekly basis. TTFN. 22 Best-practice emails and working in multi-cultural teams 4. Just heard a really juicy piece of gossip – do you remember Peter Brown – well I hear he’s about to be sacked. Great isn’t it? He’s such a pain. Look forward to seeing you at the conference and don’t forget to bring the presentation on team building with you. A. Thanks for the info. Did you know he’s my brother-in-law? He’ll be thrilled at the news. See you at the conference with the presentation. B. COULDN’T TAKE YOUR CALL COS I WAS SORTING OUT THE S*** WE’RE IN. HAVE MANAGED TO SALVAGE THE SITUATION WITH NO THANKS TO YOU. C. Thanx got the info 6 times. I already knew anyhow. D. About the meeting on Tuesday next week – well I know I should go but, you know how it is – I’ve got all behind with my work – and what I really want to know is – do I have to go or could I, just for once, like you know skip it. Task 2 Have a look back at best practice for writing emails and then note down what mis- takes the authors have made. Task 3 Give a one-line summary in polite English of the real message in each. (1–4&A– D). Common abbreviations Of course, when we’re emailing friends we do use abbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons. Here are a few of the most common with their meanings but use them with care. ABBREVIATION TERM aka also known as a.m. ante meridiem (morning) approx approximately et al et alia (and others) etc et cetera (and so forth) ASAP as soon as possible Bcc blind copy carbon bldg building CY calendar year cc carbon copy to COD cash on delivery COLA cost of living adjustment Co. company Advantages of emails 23 Corp. corporation Dept. department dba doing business as ea. each e.o.m. end of month FY fiscal year e.g. exempli gratia (for example) FYI for your information govt. government Inc. incorporated IOU I owe you Ltd. limited mfg, manufacturing mdse. merchandise mo. month viz. videlicet (namely) no. numero (number) p.m. post merediem (afternoon) PS postscript qtr. quarter VIP very important person Common e-mail acronyms ACRONYM EXPRESSION BRB be right back BTW by the way CUL see you later F2F face to face FWIW for what it’s worth FYA for your amusement GD&R grinning, ducking and running GMTA great minds think alike HHOK ha ha only kidding IMHO in my humble opinion IOW in other words LOL laughing out loud OBTW oh, by the way OIC oh, I see ROFL rolling on the floor laughing SO significant other (partner/spouse) TIA thanks in advance 24 Best-practice emails and working in multi-cultural teams . a pain. Look forward to seeing you at the conference and don’t forget to bring the presentation on team building with you. A. Thanks for the info. Did you know he’s my brother-in-law? He’ll be. common form of written communication. We tend to transfer our communication style from our native language to a foreign language. This can throw up cross-cultural issues as email is an instant form. clarity Confirmation May I confirm the arrangements for/ that Would you please confirm that Please drop us a line if (informal). 2 Best-practice emails and working in multi-cultural teams Email is rapidly overtaking