10 Steps to Good Business Emails
In this post I explain 10 important steps to writing good business emails. I will go over some basic principles such as the correct tone to use, grammatical rules and examples of ways to improve. I hope you enjoy.
1. Remember your ABC
Probably the most important rule to remember is good written communication. This only happens when you say exactly what you want to say using an appropriate tone. Your message must meet these important specifications:
Accurate
Check all the facts carefully, include all relevant details and proofread carefully.
Brief
Keep your sentences short, use simple expressions and don’t use technical language.
Clear
Use plain and simple English. Write in an easy and natural style that you are comfortable with. Avoid formality and familiarity.
2. Be considerate & courteous
Courtesy doesn’t mean old-fashioned expressions such as, “your kind consideration” or “your esteemed order”. It means showing consideration towards your correspondent and being empathetic, which means showing respect for the readers feelings. By writing in this style, it allows a request to be refused without hurting their feelings and losing hope of future business. A friendship won’t have to be ruined because of a refusal.
It also means:
- Reply promptly to all communications, answer on the same day (if possible).
- If you are unable to answer on the same day, write a brief not on why. This creates goodwill.
- Understand and therefore respect the persons point of view.
- Try not to reply as if your correspondent is incorrect.
- If you feel certain commitments are unfair, make sure to be tactful so you don’t cause offence.
- Do not reply to an offensive email in the same tone.
3. Use an appropriate tone
If your email is to achieve its purpose then you will need to write in the appropriate tone. This reflects the spirit in which you convey your message. Even when replying to complaints you must try not to come across as rude and offensive. Failure in writing in the correct tone may lead the reader into thinking you were being aggressive, tactless, rude, sarcastic etc..
For example, instead of saying, “We cannot do anything about your problem”. Say, “Unfortunately we are unable to help you on this occasion because…”.
4. Write naturally and sincerely
Try to show some genuine interest in what your reader and their problems. Your message should sound sincere when your read it back. Make sure to to write the email in your own style, write naturally as if your were having a real conversation.
Some examples would be, instead of saying, “I have pleasuring in informing you”. Say, “I am pleased to tell you”. Also instead of saying, “We do not anticipate any increase in prices”, say, “We don not expect prices to rise”.
5. Use the KISS principle
Nowadays business people have many documents to read. A message that is short and straight to the point but remaining courteous will be much appreciated. KISS stands for:
Keep
It
Short and
Simple
This means replacing complex words with short ones. For example:
- Regarding – About
- Purchase – Buy
- Terminate – End
- Dispatch – Send
- Visualise – See
- Require – Need
Research has been conducted, to find out the degree at which the length of sentences affect the readers understanding upon reading it first time:
7-10 words – 95% people understand
15-20 words – 75% people understand
27 words – 4% people understand
6. Use modern terminology
Using old-fashioned phrases and words will add no benefit. It’s unnecessary, long-winded phrases are likely to give a poor impression of the writer and may lead to confusion. A good business letter will have no unnecessary words and will convey a clear and accurate message.
For example, “We are in receipt of your letter of 12 June”. Instead say, “Thank you for your letter of 12 June”. Also instead of, “Enclosed herewith you will find”, say, “I enclose..”.
7. Include important details
Make sure when your being concise and to the point you don’t must important details. For example – Instead of saying, “My flight arrives at 2.00 on Tuesday” say, “My flight BA 121 from London Heathrow should arrive at Singapore Changi Airport at 14:30 on Tuesday 12 June”.
8. Be consistent
Consistency is not just important in the way your email is conveyed but important in the message itself.
For example – Instead of saying, “I confirm my reservation of a single room on 16/7 and a double room on 17 Oct” say, “I confirm my reservation of a single room on 16 July and a double room on 17 October”.
9. Use an active voice, NOT passive
“Voice” is a grammatical term that refers to whether the subject of the sentence is acting or receiving the action. Using an active voice can seriously improve your writing style. Active voices makes your writing more interesting and alive!
Here’s an example:
Passive Voice: The guitar was played by John – Bad!
Active Voice: John played the guitar – Good!
To avoid using passive sentences watch for sentences that start with the action, ex: “the guitar”, rather than the actor, “John”. Sentences that start with the action are often passive. Also watch out for various forms of the verb “to be” such as, is, are, was, were, will, be, have been etc..
Another example:
Passive Voice: The new system was developed by our employees – Bad!
Active Voice: Our employees developed the new system – Good!
10. Use CLEAR communications
Finally, when writing your message, check to see whether it meets the CLEAR objects:
Clear
Logical
Empathetic
Accurate
Right
I hope you enjoyed this post!
