The Professional Gal.
A mixture of insight, a different dose of
perspective, a touch of wisdom, and mostly concern...

It
never fails that we inevitably will receive an email from a supervisor, a peer,
or another employee that will rub us the wrong way. Sometimes the intention of
the email is to offend, reprimand, or just read completely the wrong way. But this the problem with the technology that
we possess and it will only get worse as more and more people become
comfortable with emailing and the use of good simple language/writing skills
seems to become ever more obsolete.
It
was not too long ago that an email would have been a face to face conversation
or even an office wide memo. Therefore, leaving in the ability to interpret
ones conversation. However, with email we lack the ability to get facial que's,
tone, and other bodily language that would allow us to better assess the
situation. But we are human and many of the things that we encounter everyday are left up to our interpretation, just avoid the instant reaction to those.
So
let’s talk email…
Example: "The back
handed compliment"
“Hi Sarah,
I am glad that
you decided to turn down the position that I offered you. I really should have
considered the rest of my team prior to make offering you such position.
Best,
Jane”

Response:
“Good Afternoon Jane,
Thank you for the
opportunity and I wish you best of luck in the future.
Sincerely,
Sarah”
-Avoids
confrontation-even if you feel like being that way
-Keeps
the conversation positive
-Shuts
down the conversation and leaves little room for misinterpretation
Example: "The
habitual complainer"
“Good Morning John,
When reviewing
your presentation I had a difficult time understanding why we utilized the
numbers that we did. The information
that was given seemed pretty high level; and although that is the target audience
maybe we should be a little more specific. Also, I do not think it gets the
point across-it seems a little too broad.
Best Regards,
Joe”
Response:
“Hello Joe,
Thanks for your
input. Please feel free to schedule some time for us together and discuss your
concerns with the presentation.
Sincerely,
John”
-This
shuts the conversation down and leaves little room for misinterpretation.
-Places
the action back on the person who possess the opinion. If someone has a “great”
idea and gives it to you after the fact, than it is the responsibility of the
person with the great idea to help you see and understand their vision.
Remember,
a lot can be lost in an email/text. You never want to leave any room for misinterpretation
because you never know who is going to come across that email. (i.e. who it
will be forwarded, who is BCC-ed., who it will be seen by at the printer, ect.)
A
few easy tips for email etiquette:
1. Always start
with a greeting
“Good
Morning/Afternoon” or “Hello”
2. Never assume
that the receiver knows you very well, unless they truly do
A lot get lost in emails when you are not
able to read body language to hear the tone of someone’s voice.
3. Never use inappropriate
language
4. Avoid emoticons
They truly lack professionalism (and should only be used in personal emails and never professional emails.
J/ L
5. If you have a situation
where you want to respond negatively. DO NOT email type it out as a word
document and save it. Then come back to the document 24 hours later and
determine if the message is still appropriate.
This gives you time to cool off and maybe
gain a better perspective on how you want to come across and avoids sending a
confrontational email before you press “SEND.” Once the email is sent, there is very little you can do to retract a document that has been placed in writting.
Be
a part of a team. Lead with integrity. Remain committed to your core values.
Sincerely,
The Young & Professional Gal
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