How to write bulletproof emails in english
- 1. How to Write Bulletproof Emails inEnglish With John www.bei.edu.vn
- 2. Introduction About John About BEI About you About this meetup
- 3. • Bulletproof Business Email Strategies • Examples of different types of business email writings Discussion Outline
- 4. Why Written Comm. is so Important in Bus. Written comm. is more focused, usually subject oriented More clear and organized than verbal comm Easier to share & collaborate with team members and clients Provides historical perspective and reference In business everything needs to be documented (admin, legal, proof, security…) CYOA – in bigger more complex projects Why do people often avoid written communication?
- 5. The Most Important Char. of Bus. Email – 1
- 6. The Most Important Char. of Bus. Email – 2 Miscommunication can occur if an e-mail is unclear, disorganized, or just too long and complex for readers to easily follow Use plain English and be specific: Never use a long word where a short one will do. If you don’t need a word, cut it. Use the Active Voice CLARITY
- 7. Keep the message focused. Make each email you send about one thing only. If you need to communicate about another thing, write another email. The “One Thing” Rule FOCUS
- 8. Be Political Be brief and polite. If your message runs longer than two or three short paragraphs, consider reducing the message Remember to say "please" and "thank you.“ Understand fact, opinions and assumption and know how to phrase them Avoid stating something as true if you don’t have all the facts – leave it out Use phrases that states that you are not sure of something. For example: • I think that • It is possible • The optimal solution BE POLITICAL • May not be • One of the • It is estimated that
- 9. Don’t Assume Privacy NO PRIVACY
- 10. Bad: Important. Please read Better: Meeting set for tomorrow at 10AM – Need a room The subject of your email should means something to your reader. Email Subject Line
- 11. Think Before you Write Don’t send e-mails in haste Decide on the purpose of your e-mail and what outcome you expect from your communication. Then think about your message’s audience and what he/she/they may need in order for your message to have the intended result. Provide the reader with a context for your message. Provide context and sufficient detail (use attachments, links, previous emails, etc.) Be sure to highlight due dates of your request BE GOAL ORIENTED
- 12. See your writing from their perspective. How would I interpret this sentence, as someone reading it? How would this make me feel if I received it? If you think your audience is not clear on the point(s) you are making and will likely reply on that point, address it before they do Understand your Audience
- 13. Sign-off Like a Professional Use “Best”, “Regards”, “Sincerely” Add a signature block with appropriate contact information Your name, business name, address, and phone number, logo John W. Vuu Managing Consultant Accenture, BI Division Mobile: 408-362-5698 | Office: 1800-362-5684 www.accenture.com
- 14. • What is my purpose for sending this e-mail? Will the message seem important to the receiver • How will my message look when it reaches the receiver? Is it easy to read? Have I used correct grammar and punctuation? Have I divided my thoughts into discrete paragraphs? Are important items, such as due dates, highlighted in the text? • Have I provided enough context for my audience to easily understand or follow the thread of the message? • Did I identify myself and make it easy for the reader to respond in an appropriate manner? • Will the receiver be able to open and read any attachments? Before you Click the “Send” Button
- 15. STATUS UPDATE In most cases status updates (status reports) are written at a predetermined time (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) Most of the time the person you are providing status to are looking for a quick summary of your progress Use bullet points - no need to for complete sentences Highlight the key points and important tasks – no need to discuss every little detail 1. Accomplishments 2. Current tasks (& expected completion date) 3. Issues 3 Things to Include:
- 16. EXAMPLE: STATUS UPDATE Accomplishments: -> Business requirements signed-off by stake holders – completed 20/9 -> Updated project plan per per discussion with developers – completed 21/9 ->> Updated requirements around basic search ->> Assigned additional tasks to development team In Progress: -> Continue work on site layout – expected completion 01/10 -> Complete functional document – expected completion 05/10 Issues: -> Need to recreate sitemap as original design not available. May cause 3-days delay in schedule Project Status: currently on track
- 17. EXAMPLE: FOLLOW-UP EMAIL Hi Kim Anh, This is a follow-up to your meeting this morning. Please send me the proposed document by end of day this Friday. Our team will review the specs and get back to you the following week. Thank you so much for your time. Regards, John
- 18. EXAMPLE: CONFIRMATION EMAIL Hi Kim Anh, Thank you for meeting me yesterday. Here is a summary of your discussion on adding additional features to the company website: • Add basic user search function. Allow users to search by product name and by color. Please see the attached document for specific detail. • Add facebook comment functionality to the homepage • Etc… Let me know if I’ve left anything out. Thanks again, I’ll give you a call on tomorrow to see if you have any questions. Regards, John
- 19. EXAMPLE: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Hi Kim Anh, My name is John. I work with Robert Wilkes on the company website project. Robert mentioned that you were the original UX designer for the website and may have a copy of the sitemap. Our team would like to make some navigation changes and having the original sitemap would be very helpful to our planning process. If you still have a copy of the original document, can you please share it with our team. If for some reason you no longer have it, please let me know who we might be able to contact. Thank you so much! Regards, John
- 20. How to Write Bulletproof Emails inEnglish With John THANK YOU! www.bei.edu.vn