Strive For a Style Somewhere Between Stuffed-Shirt Writing and T-Shirt Writing Just as the business casual dress code has some people stumped, so has the business causal writing style. Some writers confuse the screen for a t-shirt slogan.
 
Avoid Knee-Jerk Responses
E-mail's greatest benefit can also be its greatest drawback: speed. We open. We read. We reply. Then we think - or don't, as the case may be.
 
If You Don't Have Something To Say, Don't Say It
On the street, when someone you know speaks to you, etiquette requires that you return the greeting. Not so with e-mail.
 
Check It, But Don't Be Chained To It Instead of being constantly distracted, let the e-mails pile up and check them only once or twice a day.
 
Use The "So What?" Prompt To Turn Information into Communication
Imagine your reader asking, "So what?" Then add the answer: Draw conclusions. State the action you want.
 
Avoid Stream-Of-Consciousness Rambling
Just as the penny is the basis for our monetary system, the sentence is our basic unit of thought. If your e-mail wasn't all that interesting to read the first time, imagine forcing people to slog through it a second time to catch your meaning.
 
Tune in to the Tone of Directives
 
Brief is good. Blunt is not.
 
Guard Against A Trigger-Happy "Send" Finger
As a safety measure, don't enter the recipients e-mail address until you have the e-mail ready to go-with all attachments. Then if your trigger finger goes off, your e-mail is still safely in your hands.
 
Make Sure "Anytime, Anywhere" Doesn't Mean "No Time, Nowhere"
Many organizations advertise that they're available anytime anywhere. But the reality is that that expectation disappoints all too often. Email goes unanswered for days and weeks.
 
Know When To Phone Instead of Writing E-Mail or Letters
People are typically less guarded when speaking than writing. Choose according to your purpose.
 
Be Wary of Humor or Sarcasm
Comedy writers earn big bucks. Either make sure your humor works or don't try it.
 
Dianna Booher Article Excerpted from E-Writing 2 Understand Your Liability for Personal E-Mails on Company Systems. Inexpensive software packages can scan up to 50,000 e-mails an hour for objectionable words (unfair, performance review, copyright, breast, resume, angry) and forward those messages to a designated person. Consider that your e-mail may be retrieved for any number of things that keep people awake at night.
 
 
© Dianna Booher, Booher Consultants, Inc.
Author of 42 books (Simon & Schuster/Pocket, Warner, and McGraw-Hill), Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers programs on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence, Your Signature Life, Your Signature Work, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence. For more information, visit www.booher.com or call 800-342-6621.