This article is written by Udemy instructor Emilie Schrevens-Wester and is part of The Entrepreneur Masterclass.
You will soon realize that just like in communication in real life, it doesn’t really matter what you say, but how you say it. In this chapter I’ll guide you through tips to write nice emails and master the art of “corporate bullshit”.
And daily reminder, some meetings are useless and you can just send an email to the team.
The start
Depending on who you’re speaking to, use the proper tone. Some CEO’s are fine with being called by their first name or a nickname. Double check around you what the usual company tone is.
Consider culture and nationality: I had some German colleagues that preferred to be called by their last name and called each other that way in the office. I will never forget when Marc (the german guy) was looking for his Austrian colleague and just asked me “Have you seen Schmidt?”, no first names, that’s how they roll until their friendship gets to another level.
Just like pronouns, check with people how they would rather be called. I had a colleague named Joseph who hated his name and insisted we called him Joe. Just roll with it.
Subject line
Be clear, now is not the time for clickbait or vague email titles. You want to talk about new procedures? Name your email “New procedure - starting Jan 15th - Important”.
You want to negotiate a salary raise? Name your email “Discussion regarding salary raise”.
You’re quitting? Name your email “Resignation letter”.
Saying hello
Unless you’re writing to a colleague that you are good friends with, starting an email with “yo”, “waddup” or “wazzup” is a big no-no. Always consider that your supervisor can read your emails, so start your emails with “Hello”, “Good morning/afternoon”, “Dear Team”, “Good day”, “Dear Mr/Mrs”, “Dear IT department”, etc.
Your purpose
If you’re writing to someone you don’t usually work with, start with “this is xxx from team xxx” so they know who is emailing them.
If you’re writing to people you know, go for “I’m writing you today regarding the (subject line)”
Everything has to say “I am a calm human calmly writing an email” even if you’re mad.
Your message
Say what you have to say, highlight deadlines, dates, important information, etc, to make sure that the reader knows where the valuable information is.
“I’d like to quickly present the new procedure, it starts on January 15th this year. Please make sure you are all caught up on the new procedure by the end of December.
If you have questions, feel free to email me or procedurequestions@mail.com. I have attached a PDF explaining the new procedure at the bottom of the email. All feedback is welcome.”
If needed, use bullet points instead. Keep it short, put important information in bold,
And double check if you actually attached files to your email.
Conclusion
Tell colleagues where to go if they have questions or feedback, say when you are available for a call, etc…
Share positive thoughts with something like “Thanks in advance for adapting to this procedure, I understand it can be difficult and I appreciate your efforts”
Wish a good day to your colleagues and insert your signature.
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Other tips:
Always thank someone for responding and/or confirm you received their email, even if you can’t give them the big reply now, let them know you got the email and you’re working on it.
Don’t use lingo, especially if you’re dealing with someone who doesn’t really know what you do within the company.
No jokes, funny comments or too many emojis. You can do jokes in your goodbye email when it’s your last day of work.
Remember, you are a calm human writing a calm email, don’t use red font, caps, or too many exclamation points.
Not everything has to be said in an email. Sometimes walking to someone’s desk or shooting them a message on Teams is enough.
Turn everything into positive language:
“I am frustrated to be dealing with employee conflicts during work time”
Turns into:
“I would rather be focused on doing project management and leave any negative energy behind”.
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“I am sick at this accounting software crashing all the time”
Turns into:
“I wish I could help make our accounting software more stable, is there anyone I can contact regarding this?”
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“I’m glad this Michael guy is gone”
Turns into:
“I can’t wait to have a new colleague and show him/her around”
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