Active writing, active reading - get your email message right

Active listening is the cornerstone to good relationships, whether in your family or in business. But active writing and active reading are too often left in the dust of business behaviour.

How many times have you misunderstood an email message or written one that just didn't cut the mustard?

When we compose an email to a colleague or a customer, it is so important to remember you will not be there to interpret the message.

So here's few rules to really keep you on track for active writing and active reading for emails:

1. Resist the urge to use a background. You have no control over how it is going to display on your customer's screen and you could lose a lot of business just because your email is illegible. Backgrounds add no impact to an email, but they can sure make a mess of it. And in many cases, in the business world imbedded images are blocked and can ultimately send your email to the spam bin.

2. Write in an active tone of voice - use present tense wherever possible. It helps get your reader involved in your message. Get involved in your message and your reader will too.

3. People scan! Always remember that your reader is busy and is likely scanning the email to see if it is worth their time. Don't ramble. Get to your point. Put your most important issues at the beginning of the email and close with a call to action. The middle is often material that the eye sees but the brain doesn't absorb.

4. Use bullet points. Because of our tendency to scan, bullet points work better. They are easier on the eye and the brain can absorb them faster.

5. Use plain language. Scanning two syllable, even three syllable words, works but much above that and your reader might get the word wrong and not even know it.

6. Actively read your incoming messages. You will scan; I guarantee it. You scan to make a decision whether to spend time with the message and you scan to absorb the content. Try to slow down and really read all the words. It takes practice, believe me. We all live in a hyper-active world and just to keep up we need to find ways of saving time. Don't make your business associates' or customers' email one of those places. Unless of course you get a lot of silly nonsense from them...then scan. And maybe recommend that they aren't helping people take them seriously and on that note....

7. Don't send junk. Few business associates and few customers want to see pictures of your kids, read joke emails or learn the newest psychic information. Use discretion for goodness' sake. Only send emails when there is important information to share or questions to ask.

8. Give them some face time. Both your customers and your business associates would benefit from you actually speaking to them in person or even over the phone rather than through email so much. We're forgetting the value of personal contact. Get off your butt and build a relationship.

9. And finally.... watch your tone of voice! Cheekiness, quips, sarcasm and innuendo just don't translate safely.

You have one chance to get your message right - damage control for "accidental emails" is too time-consuming and potentially costly to your business.