Using Email to Communicate Effectively

Overview

Even though picking up the phone to a colleague or customer can save time and confusion, much of our work is done via email.
Productivity can be greatly enhanced, saving valuable time and frustration by using clear, concise communication and following some simple practical advice.

This course will help you to avoid the common pitfalls when using email. You will produce professional emails which will help you to be more effective and elicit accurate, helpful responses from your recipients.

Who will the course benefit?

For those individuals who need to improve their email communication.

By the end of the course you will be able to:

• construct a professional email every time (even under time pressure!)
• avoid the use of too many words, clichés and jargon
• balance the need to be concise with the need to be nice
• use positive language, powerful words and phrases
• avoid over-emotional responses
• identify what email behaviours cause friction with colleagues/customers
• utilise a vocabulary that will help your colleague/customer feel valued from your response
• use simple, practical advice to use email in a more productive way
• compose a range of correspondence with fluency and style.

Course Outline

What a business email should look like and contain.
Appraisal of sample business emails.
Practice in writing in plain language.
The four block structure.
Practice in reducing the number of words.
Recognising and reducing business clichés.
Using active sentence construction.
How readers read and the 'fog index'.
Setting the appropriate tone.
Matching language preferences.
Email writing practice.
Practical top tips which will have an immediate impact.