This week in the office, we were all shocked to read a story that painfully highlights the importance of taking time, thought and responsibility when communicating via email.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3990329/200000-exec-axed-after-telling-jobseeker-off.html
This is of course a worst case scenario but it did get the Select Team here at FreshMinds Talent discussing just how easily mistakes can be made! In this light I considered some key points to remember:
Take thought - Our initial perceptions and judgements are often our least well constructed and if hastily drafted into an email they may represent an inappropriate message. Consider carefully how you want to articulate your message and reflect on how you would interpret it if you were the recipient.
When drafting a critical email, add your own email address into the address bar. Therefore, if you do accidently hit the send button, the worst that can happen is that you receive your own email back!
Take time - Incessant phone calls, numerous emails and back to back meetings results in many working days being a frantically busy balance. However, this hastiness can often lead to making an easy typo, forgetting to attach a crucial document, copying recipients incorrectly or pressing send when only your initial thoughts are on the page. Taking that extra minute to proof-read prior to distribution may add immediate time to your task but will save any further work being needed in the case of an error.
Take responsibility - When you are emailing on behalf of a business your communication approach, style and content is a direct representation. Write in the style in which you and your organisation wish to be seen and consider the response you want to receive.
These points may seem obvious and unnecessary but when time or thought are lacking, do take that extra care!
