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State of the Communication Nation By Anne Haag

In a world where electronic communication is constantly at our fingertips, etiquette matters more than ever, no matter how dusty and drab a concept it may seem. The days of Emily Post may be long past, but some of her messages still bear repeating. Though you may never stumble upon an occasion in which it is necessary to use a tape measurer to help set a table, even Post had the insight to see, “manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.” The most important step to take to ensure your email is polite, structured, and free of errors is to review it thoroughly before sending. This sounds simple, but in truth it undermines the instincts of email and thus takes effort to impose as a rule for oneself. Luckily, there are tools you can use to help train yourself to take this extra, crucial step. Additionally, these tools can save you from several common but no less embarrassing mistakes. Did you forget to actually attach an attachment? Did you accidentally send the email to the wrong person, or reply all when you meant to reply to only one person? An “undo send” button or another method of self-check can save you time and pride. Before you consider imposing a double-check rule though, what do you need to look out for in the first place? Tone So what makes a modern email polite? It’s all about striking a balance between formality and friendliness. If you’re too formal, you’ll alienate the recipient. In fact, a study by Boomerang found that formal email openings were significantly less likely to yield responses from their recipients. The classically simple “hi” and “hello” were ranked the most effective openings. The same idea held true for closings (though in that case, they found specifically that some configuration of “thanks” in a sign-off was the most effective). Structure Structure makes your email clearer. Formatting can become more flexible as an email thread continues, but initial communications should follow a specific

What to Check Before Hitting Send: 1. Correct recipients and email contacts 2. Correct reply level 3. Make sure contacts are in the correct fields 4. Check that your email is structured well a. Greeting b. Well-organized body c. Closing 5. Check for spelling and grammar that might get by your email provider’s check settings 6. Check for clarity 7. Review for tone to make sure you don’t come across as curt or rude

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LPMT Bits & Bytes | March 2018

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