Keep the Courtesy in Conversations

Part and parcel of effective e-mail communications is the ability to communicate with clarity — which includes ensuring that your tone is consistently relayed as the conversation is ongoing.

What happens all too often is after the first e-mail request or communication, which includes the 5 Essentials of Every E-mail (not the 5 essentials of only the first e-mail in a conversation), these basics are then dropped in lieu of one or two line statements, questions or comments.

What happens? Without a greeting and closing your tone is then perceived as more abrupt and demanding. I experience this daily as clients ask me for information. They e-mail with all the basics, then when they don’t like the answers provided to their inquiry or are confused about what they need to do next, I receive a one liner reply.

The one-line reply rarely thanks me for the previous e-mail’s information or guidance and instead reflects their annoyance with the situation at hand. When challenged by the topic at hand, their responses clearly reflect their unwillingness at that point to make the effort to be courteous. One should always make the effort to be courteous — regardless if they are frustrated, challenged, annoyed or confused.

So when in ongoing e-mail conversations, it behooves you to included the basics and ensure they continue to included in each and every e-mail. This allows you to control the tone, how you are perceived and lends to you leaving a more professional impression.