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Email Etiquette 101: Seting the Tone In an E-Mail

I found some helpful tips today for office people like me. Sharing them with you.

Set the Tone In E-Mail: How You Say It Is As Important As What You Say

Tone is the quality in your writing that reveals your attitude toward your topic and reader. Tone comes from your  choice of words, the structure of your sentences, and the order of the information you present.

 

Most e-mail writers don't review their messages as carefully as they should. When they do review messages before sending, they're looking at the content, not the tone.

The best advice in setting the tone for your business e-mail is to write in a tone that is closest to the way you would speak to your reader in person. Here’s a tip to get you started.

Choose an appropriate greeting and closing
§ The greeting in your e-mail establishes your relationship to your reader. Most writers of business e-mail begin their messages with “Hi” or “Hello” followed by the recipient's first name. Some writers begin the message with the first name only. “Dear” is still an acceptable greeting in e-mail.

§ Use the group name in the greeting if you're writing a message to a group. Don't begin your message with “Hi, guys” or “Everybody.” Though these casual greetings may sound friendly, they are actually vague. Try “Dear Leadership Team” or “Hello, Interns.” A more specific greeting sets a focused tone to the message.  

§ Write a closing for your message. Besides making it easier for your reader to find the end of the message, the closing seals the tone and serves as a final reminder of the main point or requested outcome. Try an action-oriented closing such as “I'll call you on Tuesday to schedule the meeting.” Or go for a gracious closing: “Thanks for your help,” or “I look forward to meeting you.”

2 comments:

  1. very educational! I liked it, I am supporting back office account. I could use this tips. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  2. Email communications should be written properly.

    ReplyDelete

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