Don't Fall for the Terse Trap! | Business Email Etiquette

Many onliners are on Holiday away from their computers, while others are just getting caught up with the e-mails that arrived in their absence. More than ever, blunt, terse, stressed out e-mails with demanding requests fill our inboxes. “Where are you?” “Why are you not responding?” “Due to the Holiday why won’t you consider working on Saturday?” These are actual statements that were waiting for me upon my return today from my Christmas Holiday. One could have checked my site to see I was on Holiday — not purposefully ignoring requests.

The folks who e-mailed in this manner reflected business as usual for them. I cringe when I see their names in my inbox and they never have a kind word to say about anyone they work with. It’s always someone else’s fault, another person’s problem, they never look at their lack of professionalism, knowledge or understanding as the core of all their problems. Unfortunately, the tone of many of these e-mails can make you want to respond in kind. Don’t fall for the “Terse Trap.” It is at this time of year when you see the true professionals rise to the occasion!

If you e-mail me, you get a Hello and a nice greeting. For example, I started all my e-mails today with a genuine “I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!” — regardless of your tone or whether you were nice enough to state the same. I answered questions, or requests in the case of my WordPress Consulting practice, with details of completion and then the offer of “if you have any questions to please do let me know”. I end all e-mails with a nice closing or a “Take care” and like to keep that human personal touch to all my e-mails. Yes, business is business, but we are all people doing business with other people.

And, I don’t know about you, but I prefer to do business and communicate with people I like. People who show courtesy and concern above and beyond what they may want at the moment. People who take moment to think about how their actions may effect me regardless of if it is more convenient for them to send those 50G of file attachments (after being asked nicely on numerous occasions to not send large attachments outside of business hours) on the Saturday night of a Christmas weekend when I am not on the computer to keep my inbox clear.

No one person’s time is more or less valuable than anyone else’s. When you portray this type of attitude in your business e-mail it is sure to cause a resistance to long term partnerships. Customers shouldn’t think they can be rude or terse to providers simply because they are the customer and are paying the other side. I prefer to not make my living from folks who think in that manner. You may quickly find you will be a customer that one may not work all that hard to keep.

The same goes for managers who communicate rudely to subordinates simply because they are “above them” or are “the boss.” Those who have this perspective will realize the apparent lack of trust and teamwork is due only to their lack of inspiration of the same. Newsflash: You don’t demand respect; you earn it.

True professionals communicate in a kind and cordial manner regardless of what kind of day they are having, how much stress they are under or if they are frustrated by the tone of an incoming request. True professionals do not use e-mail as a way to pull rank, offer uninformed commentary they wouldn’t otherwise make if face-to-face or disregard courteous protocols that reflect you’ve made the effort to understand the technology in which you are participating.

E-mail is all about perception and those you communicate with look at how you type, what words you choose and how you choose (or don’t make the effort) to use them. Don’t kid yourself for a minute by thinking that e-mail etiquette can be disregarded for even one business e-mail. It may be just that e-mail where you loose the other side’s confidence, trust, partnership or even willingness to communicate with you further. Try to run a successful business that way.