Page 106 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

E-mail and instant messaging 95

above is often recommended.) Don’t just use lower case alone: cor-
porate e-mail should still be in standardized English. Are you using
your spellcheck and grammar check – and have you selected the
correct variety of English?

Tone and appropriateness

Probably most reader complaints about e-mails relate to poor tone
and inappropriate subject matter. Regarding the first point, be
aware that you need to introduce the right tone for your target
audience in each e-mail, as we have seen earlier.
Check whether you are using the right style of English:

● ● Is ‘Hi’ the right opening salutation?

● ● Or should you use ‘Hello’ or ‘Dear’ followed by the recipient’s
first name or title and surname?
● ● Or is it sufficient simply to use their first name alone, for
example, ‘Paolo’? (Many find this approach curt.)
Most companies I work with do use ‘Hi’ as the default salutation but
this is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution as there are people who don’t
like it. When in doubt, using mirroring techniques can be useful in
cross-cultural situations. By this I mean that, where feasible, you try
replying to readers in a similar way to the way they address you.
Always remember that if you are not prepared to say a particu-
lar thing face to face, or if you would not be happy for other people
to see your e-mail (including people you may not know about),
then do not write it!

Use a good subject heading; refresh it regularly

If you want people to open your e-mail, write an interesting head-
line. If it’s compelling, so much the better! For instance, I once
received an e-mail from a company that I’d heard of but didn’t actu-
ally know. Their subject heading was: ‘Awards & important social
media updates’. I opened it. Why? Do you think it was to see what