Tuesday, September 04, 2007

The Art of E-Mail Writing, Part 6

This final posting of excerpts from The Art of E-Mail Writing appears in Chapter 6. In this concluding chapter, the book steers from writing quality to e-mail management. It covers 37 tips for filing, attaching, copying, forwarding, and other e-mail moments. Three of those tips, separated by daggers, appear below. The Art of E-Mail Writing is available from First Books (www.FirstBooks.com)


CHAPTER 6: MANAGING THE E-MAIL CHALLENGE

Don’t copy everyone. Many people do not always need to be in the loop. Transmit group messages sensibly (e.g., blind copy group messages to spare your readers the wasted time of scrolling past the entire list of recipients).

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Attach documents thoughtfully. Attaching lengthy unsolicited documents can frustrate your readers by requiring them to print numerous pages—many of which they might not need. Use non-electronic means of transmitting lengthy documents when the situation calls for it.

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Help your reader understand forwarded e-mail. A reference to the part of a forwarded message to relate it to your purpose and your readers’ needs will quicken the communication process. Mention why you have forwarded the message.


To purchase your copy of The Art of On-the-Job Writing by Philip Vassallo, click here: https://www.firstbooks.com/product_info.php?cPath=14&products_id=144

Coming Soon! The Art of E-Mail Writing by Philip Vassallo, also through First Books: http://www.firstbooks.com/.