The Executive Guide to E-mail Correspondence: Including Model Letters for Every Situation

273 Pages·2006·2.05 MB·English

by  Dawn-Michelle Baude

T
HE
Executive
G
UIDE TO
E-MAIL
Correspondence
I
NCLUDING
M L
ODEL ETTERS
E
FOR VERY
S
ITUATION
BY
Dawn-Michelle Baude, Ph.D.
Franklin Lakes, NJ
Copyright © 2007 by Dawn-Michelle Baude, Ph.D.
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright
Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any
form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or
hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, The Career
Press.
The e-mail documents in this book are based on actual e-mail the author has
read and collected. Identifying details have been altered prior to publication.
Any resemblence to actual businesses and employees is purely coincidental.
THE EXECUTIVE GUIDETO E-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE
EDITED AND TYPESET BY ASTRID DERIDDER
Cover design by Howard Grossman/12E Design
Printed in the U.S.A. by Book-mart Press
To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Canada:
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on books from Career Press.
The Career Press, Inc., 3 Tice Road, PO Box 687,
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www.careerpress.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baude, Dawn Michelle, 1959-
The Executive guide to e-mail correspondence : including model letters
for every situation / by Dawn-Michelle Baude.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-56414-910-7
ISBN-10: 1-56414-910-2
1. Electronic mail messages. 2. Letter writing. I. Title.
HE7551.B38 2006
’
651.79--dc22 2006023656
Dedication and Acknowledgments
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to coach writers whose e-mail
documents were a career liability. Their e-mails were either heavily revised
before being sent through the chain of command, or they were bounced
back for more and more rewriting. These poor writers were extremely
intelligent, highly motivated people who excelled in other aspects of their
jobs. Only their writing held them back.
After learning a few e-mail writing techniques and how to apply them,
these writers went on to succeed and, in some cases, receive company-
wide commendation for their written documents. In other words, workers
singled out for poor communication skills became writers praised for the
high quality of their e-mail.
I dedicate this book to them.
I owe my gratitude to colleagues, friends, and students who have
contributed their advice and insight to this project. Special recognition
is extended to the IBM EMEA Legal Team, including Carl Belding,
Dan Schenck, Fabio Moretti, Eva Salzmann, and Paloma Valor, for
introducing me to the issues that this book addresses.
I would also like to thank the INSEAD and Harvard Alumni Groups,
Michael Herlihy at International Chemical Corporation, and Victor
Sonsino at the European Counsels Group, for providing ideas and
perspective.
My appreciation goes to Dr. George Lakoff, Kathleen Frumkin, and Dr.
Kyoko Inoue, for encouraging me to rethink English grammar for myself.
I also want to thank Tanis Kmetyk, who is an ongoing source of editing
insight and advice.
And finally, I extend my gratitude to Gina Panettieri at Talcott & Notch
Literary Agency, and the top-flight crew at Career Press, for their cheerful
suggestions, encouragement, and feedback.
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Contents
How to Use This Book 7
Introduction 9
Chapter One 17
The Basics
Chapter Two 33
Sharing Information
Chapter Three 55
Delicate Situations
Chapter Four 77
Vendors and Suppliers
Chapter Five 103
Sales and Marketing
Chapter Six 127
Working as a Team
Chapter Seven 149
Employee Issues
Chapter Eight 171
Leadership
Chapter Nine 195
Deals and Contracts
Chapter Ten 209
Run It Past Legal
Chapter Eleven 229
On a Personal Note
Briefings 247
Bibliography 265
Index 267
About the Author 271
How to Use This Book 7
How to Use This Book
Look no further: everything you need to write clear and efficient e-mails is
between the covers of this book!
Models show you how it’s done.
N
Maps provide flexible document outlines for every e-mail task.
W E
S
Tools explains the why and how of e-mail English.
Netiquette describes e-mail trends.
Options illustrates how to swap words and phrases.
Inbox helps control the impression your e-mail makes.
Edit shows you how to revise your e-mail.
Advice supplies practical guidance on essential writing issues.
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Introduction 9
Introduction
E-mail is not hard copy
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that an e-mail is just a document you
read on a computer screen. Because it’s not. E-mail is designed to move or
transact information as rapidly as possible from writer to reader. E-mail
usually produces immediate action, often in the form of another e-mail.
Hard copy is designed for contemplation over time. Hard copy does not
necessarily move the reader to act. Readers don’t immediately respond to
hard copy with more hard copy, if ever. E-mail is a transaction;hard copy
is a reflection.
E-mail is more than rectangular
E-mail appears in a window, with clearly defined edges. The window is on
a screen, and the edges of the screen are reinforced. The edges of the
computer conceal armatures that hold the screen in place. These edges
and frames—windows and screens—focus reading in a way that is very
different from the way we read hard copy. The edge of the piece of paper,
of the book or booklet, is not so insistent. It’s easier for the eye to lift, to
wander, to reflect.
Boxed-in
In e-mail, multiple frames relentlessly focus the eye on the text. Rigid
borders confine our gaze, keep it on the words. The trapped-in quality of
the text affects our expectations about the purpose and intent of reading.
When we look at an e-mail, we expect to receive information—right away.
And we get frustrated when we don’t get it.
E-mail in the box
The frame pops open; the e-mail appears. In a click, the window closes
and it’s gone. The ephemeral character of e-mail means it can’t waste
time. It either rapidly communicates, or it doesn’t communicate at all.
E-mail is not quaint
Since e-mail and hard copy don’t deliver information in the same way,
they’re not written in the same way either. Everything from layout to
sentence patterns to vocabulary changes. For example: long, ponderous
paragraphs don’t work well in business e-mail—it’s better to divvy the text