Have you got an email, and it made you furious?

I mean, it made you think WTF? (What the fragrance 😂 )

Interestingly, you do not know what got you upset, but it set you off like a wildfire. 🔥

In today's world of SMS, emails, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, or Facebook messenger, it is super important to remember that we are still humans. There is a living and breathing person at the receiving end of that message.

When we forget who will receive our communication, we risk offending someone, including but not limited to friends, family, coworkers, customers, or potential customers.

Over the years, I have made all these mistakes, and they cost me dearly. So, I hope you can learn from my mistakes and not let them affect you as they did me.

Let us start with Email Etiquette. Why should you care?

Your ability to communicate will dictate how others will perceive you and relate to you. I am not talking about becoming a professional writer. Others' first impression of you will be what they see in front of them.

That first impression will affect how you relate to family members, business associates, customers and, in the end, can affect how much income you make. So take the time to think before you write. Your future self will thank you.

Tip #1 – Vaccinate your computer.

If your computer is infected with a virus or malware, it will start sending junk to other people. This is the number one way of cutting a relationship with a business associate.

Keep your computer up to date and patched. Apply your antivirus updates. And for all the MAC fans, apply updates and antivirus too. Mac can get infected as well.

Sending someone a virus or a link to a fake site is the best way to get someone mad at you.

Tip #2 – Be Civilized

As a kid, my mom always taught me to say please and thank you.

What a nice thing to do!

Then why did I forget to use it in my emails? I do not know.

But you want to be friendly in your communications.

Courtesy with nice words can go a long way.

When your email asks for information or for someone to do a task, it will go a long way if you add some nice words like “please” or “thank you.”

It is rare to see it, so when you get someone taking two extra seconds to add those words, it makes a HUGE difference.

Tip #3 – DON’T SHOUT

My dad is 92 years old, and every time he sends me an email, it's in all caps. And my first response is WOW, what did I do? And then I realize he can't see the screen too well.

If you are reading this article and you are in this tip, it looks like you can read well. So, when writing your emails, please do not USE ALL CAPS. IT IS LIKE SHOUTING AT THE OTHER PERSON. 😀

A message or email in all caps is difficult to read.

People know this, but there may be different reasons why they keep doing it. However, the recipient will likely be annoyed when they receive your communication in all caps.

Tip #4 – Use Spell Check

Yes, I know I wrote spell check wrong. Almost every email program or phone has some form of spell check built into it.

As English is not my first language, I even look for tools to help me with this.

The best one I found is Grammarly. I can use it to check my emails, documents, and SMS messages on every device I own.

Remember, your first impression is that message or email you send, so spend some time reviewing it.

Tip #5 – Minimize the Fluff

These days we are swamped, so do not spend hours crafting an email or message with 1000 words when you can use 120 characters.

I do not want to read five paragraphs in an email. So get to the point, but don't skip being nice. Include “please” and “thank you” here and there.

On the other hand, do not send five words and expect people to understand what you are trying to say. Instead, use enough words for people to get your idea.

Remember, it's an email, not a book or novel.

Tip #6 – Be mindful of your audience.

I love to have fun, but that does not mean everyone in my email list or company wants to.

So, when sharing or writing, remember you have other people that may not think like you.

For example, a joke, comment, image, or gif may seem funny to you, but it may not be kind to someone else.

So, before you hit send, check if someone may get offended by the content of your email or message.

Tip #7 – Minimize the communication channels per conversation.

We may have different ways to communicate—email, SMS, WhatsApp, Slack, and countless others.

But one thing that is starting to happen is that we create one conversation in one place and think that because we know where it is, everyone else will too.

Stick to one platform; this will help you be more productive. It will also reduce the number of notifications, sounds, and places where you'll have to look for information later.

Learning to be good with your communications will help you be more effective and productive.

Keep these tips in mind.

Until next time.

Carlos