Page 28 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

WhY MUST I REMEMBER ThAT NOThINg ON ThE INTERNET 17

you farther than graciousness.” If you don’t have a good handle on what
graciousness means, Google it. It will take you far. Finally, before sending
an email, ask yourself whether you’d be comfortable seeing it published
on the front page of USA Today, the New York Times, Washington Post, the
Miami Herald, or worse still have it go viral online thanks to someone like
Perez Hilton. If you have any concern about seeing the message published,
with your name attached, revise, revise, and revise before hitting send.

Pick Unique Times to Send Messages, When Possible

Remember from Chapter 1 the principle that people are busy? Well, we
all receive a deluge of emails during the business day. If you want to
increase the odds that people attend to your messages, send them during
off-peak hours. Think about a time when you might send the message
and have it appear at the top of the receiver’s inbox—like sending it at
8:30 a.m. if the person arrives at work at 9 a.m.

Don’t Hide Behind Your Email
Sometimes you have to get out and see people. Effective communicators
know that communication is about relationships. Email is not an effective
method of developing relationships for all age groups or in all situations.
Verbal and vocal cues are absent from asynchronous communication
(such as email and voicemail), thus making relationship development
less easy, particularly cross-generationally. There are times when speaking
with a person directly will enhance, or at least minimize damage to, a
working relationship. Email is inappropriate when you need to consider
others’ feelings, when you are angry, or when you need to make sure you
are understood. Think before hitting send. Oh, right, we’ve told you that
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before. Well, it bears repeating: Think before hitting send.

Pay as much Attention to Tone, Grammar, Punctuation,
and Spelling as You Would in a Letter or Memo
Since the messages you write carry the same legal weight as printed, signed
letters or memos, you should follow the same rules. Have you heard of