The Hindu Business Line : E-mail essentials

I wrote a quick e-mail to a Bangalore-based colleague last month. All of us send quick e-mails back and forth don't we? "Dear Nil, Pls ask Arathi to send meher new cell number. Rgds Ranjini" This was the message.

I forgot about it and the weekend came and went. On Monday morning, I got an email from Nil, "Arathi says she doesn't have Meher cell number. Rgds Nil" I ignored that e-mail which was among a bunch of others , as e-mails are bound to be at the start of the week; I also had no clue what it meant.

Two days later I got an e-mail from Arathi, "Sorry Ranjini I don't know who you mean. I don't have Meher cell number, Rgds Arathi."

Now, I found this whole thing too strange. I went through the e-mail trail and found at the very bottom a typo I had made. I had forgotten the space between "me" and "her". I had wanted to say, "Pls ask Arathi to send me her new cell number."

Boy oh boy, this mysterious Meher had been conjured up from my own lazy e-mail writing — wasting everyone's time, effort and mental energy! All was not lost, however, for it made me think of sharing with you a few key points to remember while writing e-mails.

Proper grammar

We really must treat e-mail and all business documents as we would any other written communication and focus on grammar and proper use of the English language. E-mails have been used in lawsuits and have been detrimental to a company even in the recent past!

Use the grammar check that's available in MS Word or other word processing software. We have to stay away from typical mistakes, one of which is using "ing" with have. For example: "I am having a degree in computer science" should be " I have a degree in computer science."

Short, simple, but complete sentences

Stay focused and to the point! This has a bigger impact and gets the message across more clearly. Long sentences tend to confuse and lose the audience.

E-mails are not the place for showing off our vocabulary. So let's not use big words. Keep it simple.

Appropriate word choice

At all costs avoid slang and profanities. Also resist the temptation to use acronyms or abbreviations unless everyone knows them (for example PC). If you do use acronyms, spell them out fully the first time and then abbreviate. For example, use Global Adjustments (GA) the first time and then use GA in all further references to the company.

DO NOT TYPE IN ALL CAPS — it makes it much harder to read and gives the reader the impression you are shouting at them.

Avoid flowery language and Indian phrases

Flowery language won't be understood and takes focus away from the key point/message. Stay simple. Also, Indian phrases will not be understood and will confuse/lose the reader. Indian phrases such as `Do the needful' or `I beg to inform you' should be avoided. Similarly, `herewith attached below' can simply be `attached'.

Basic structure: introduction, body and closing

All written communications should have the same three-part format. The introduction includes the greeting/salutation (see next point) and purpose of the communication. The body covers all the details. The closing includes a summary/recap, outlines the action to be taken and the actual closing.

Correct salutations

Acceptable greetings include `Dear John/Mr Smith', `John/Mr Smith' and `Dear Sir/Madam'. Remember name dos and donts. Acceptable closings include: Regards, Best Regards, Sincerely — all followed by your name

Factual and objective not personal or subjective

Avoid excessive use of "I". The sentence "I am enclosing an update on your issue" can be written as "Enclosed is an update on your issue." The latter is much better.

Avoid expressing your personal opinions (for example `I think' `I feel'). Stick to the facts. Stay focused on the facts and remain objective.

Always proofread and use spell check.

There's nothing worse than spelling a person's name incorrectly or misspelling a key piece of information. For example, a part number or Internet ID. Misspelling shows sloppiness, carelessness, inattention to detail and poor quality — all things you definitely do not want as a reflection of you or your company. So use the spell check and if it's a very important document, have another person read it before sending it out.

In summary, two key points to remember for business e-mails. Following these will truly make for Global Indians:

Communicate, don't confuse

Short, simple and to the point

(The writer is Founder-CEO of Global Adjustments, the India focused cross-cultural and destination services company)