EMAIL

Formal Documents in the Workplace – Relevance, Purpose of learning / applications, Advantages of

learning

Rude emails at work = significant distress for employees

Active email rudeness = overloaded with strong negative emotions

Passive email rudeness = leaves people struggling with uncertainty

= may create problems for employees’ sleep, puts them in negative emotional
state the next morning

To mitigate this stress, the researchers urge employees to "psychologically detach" from a stressful
workday after receiving rude emails.

• unplug from work after-hours = designated times

• managers also should set clear and reasonable expectations regarding email communications = within
work hours

• "efforts to address email rudeness should not be interpreted as the same as creating pressure for
employees and managers to always check their email and respond to emails" = gentle reminders

9 BASIC PARTS OF AN EMAIL

1. To = where we put the recipient’s email address, last one to be filled out
2. CC (Courtesy Copy / Carbon Copy) =
3. BCC (Blind Courtesy Copy) =
4. Subject Line = overview about what the email is about
5. Salutation = Dear, Hi, *name*.
6. Body = email etiquette tips
7. Closing = regards, Respectfully
8. Signature
9. Attachment

Professional Email Message Guidelines

 Subject Line: Concisely convey your purpose for writing

 Greeting: Always include a greeting
 Font Style: Avoid ornate, playful, or colored fonts
 Length: Keep it as concise as possible
 Emoticons: Avoid in professional Emails
 Spelling & Grammar: Edit carefully before sending
Writing Effective Emails

Getting People to Read and Act on Your Messages

Email has long been a core tool for business communications, but a 2013 survey by Sendmail, Inc., found
that it has caused tension, confusion, or other negative consequences for 64 percent of working
professionals.

WRITING EFFECTIVE EMAILS

1. Don't overcommunicate by email.

2. Make good use of subject lines.
3. Keep messages clear and brief.
4. Be polite.
5. Check your tone.
6. Proofread.

5 TIPS TO ENSURE PERFECT PROFESSIONAL EMAIL MESSAGES BEFORE YOU CLICK THE “SEND” BUTTON

1. Make Sure Your Message is Complete: make sure the subject line of your email is filled in, you have
included a signature, you are sending the message to the right contact person, and you have filled in the
Bcc field to send a copy to yourself [and if you have attachment/s]

2. Proofread Your Email Message: spell-check and check your grammar and capitalization

3. Send a Test Email Message: send the message to yourself first to check that the formatting works and
that nothing looks out of place

4. Send a Copy of the Email Message to Yourself: use the Bcc field to send a copy of the email message
to yourself

5. File Your Copies: set up folders and organize sent items

E-mail Etiquette 101

1. Write a clear and direct subject line: let your recipient know exactly what you need just from
reading your e-mail’s subject. Use the e-mail body to provide additional information.
2. Make sure to use a professional e-mail address
3. Be professional with your writing: use appropriate salutations and be respectful with your tone
at all times. Remember that e-mails are more formal than social media or chat.
4. Include enough information about you: either in your signature or in the body of your e-mail.
5. Always proofread your email: Double check everything, from your subject to your e-mail body to
your signature. Add the recipient last to lessen the risk of sending an incomplete e-mail.
6. Be considerate of your recipient’s time: Send timely replies if you are responding to an e-mail.
Consider the volume of e-mails being received before sending a follow-up.
AGENDA

Research has actually found little to no relationship between the presence of an agenda and attendees’
evaluation of meeting quality. What matters is not the agenda itself but the relevance and importance
of what’s on it, and how the leader facilitates discussion of the agenda items.

WHAT IS A MEETING AGENDA?

 a list of topics or activities you want to cover during your meeting

 give participants a clear outline of what should happen in the meeting, who will lead each task,
and how long each step should take
 having this information before and during the meeting should ensure that it proceeds efficiently
and productively

BASIC AGENDA COMPONENTS

1. Purpose – specific reason

2. Items for discussion – limited but aligned to the purpose

3. Person responsible for each discussion item – one topic per person would be great

4. Wrap up/action items – should be clear

5. Approx. time per item – how many mins to share insights and respecting time

6. Attendees – contribute to the discussion

7. Date, time (indicating duration), & location/platform to be used - specific

8. Advanced prep guidelines -

Meeting organizers should be particularly aware of the importance of agenda use (particularly
completion), punctuality, venue quality, and the role of the chairperson in shaping attendee perceptions
of effectiveness.

HOW TO WRITE A MEETING AGENDA

1. Identify the meeting’s goals

2. Ask participants for input

3. List the questions you want to address

4. Identify the purpose of each task

5. Estimate the amount of time to spend on each topic

6. Identify who leads each topic

7. End each meeting with a review

EVALUATION OF MEETING PROCESS AND OVERALL MEETING

People complain about a meeting being a complete waste of time -- but they only say so after the
meeting. Get their feedback during the meeting when you can improve the meeting process right away.

 Leave 5-10 minutes at the end of the meeting to evaluate.

Have each member rank the meeting from 1-5, with 5 as the highest, and have each member explain
their ranking

POST MEETING ASSESSMENT STEPS

The goal is to determine whether or not all key needs and expectations were fulfilled.

1. Were meeting results successful and "as needed"?

2. Was the meeting well-planned and executed?
3. Was the meeting "tone and participation level" sufficiently positive and productive?
4. Were all follow-up actions and "next steps" properly identified, recorded and tracked?

COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE

 Rude emails can impact wellbeing, causing insomnia

 Increased digital communication due to COVID-19 restrictions is worsening workplace
rudeness, studies suggest.
 98% of people say they have experienced uncivil behavior in the workplace.
 Managers can help lessen email incivility by setting clearer expectations of staff.

Because if companies, and economies, are to recover from the current crisis, they need to ensure
communication is flowing - and employees can focus on big team goals, not big team rifts.

Top 10 Skills you need on your profile

1. Communication
2. Problem Solving
3. Operations
4. Analytical Skills
5. Microsoft Office
6. Project Management
 7. Presentations
8. Marketing
9. Customer Service
10. Leadership

SOFT SKILLS

• The equivalent of 305 million full-time jobs have been lost globally since COVID-19 hit, according to
International Labor Organization (ILO) figures.

• But there are signs recruitment is increasing in some markets.

• LinkedIn has analyzed millions of job adverts to find what employers are looking for.

• So-called ‘soft skills’, including COMMUNICATION and problem solving, head up the list.

INTERPERSONAL “SOFT” SKILLS

 personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other
people (Definitions from Oxford Languages)
 interpersonal “soft” skills (versus “hard” skills – abilities developed over time, like coding) are
the most prized
o reflects previous research by organizations, which investigated the skills that will be
needed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution in its Future of Jobs Report.

COMMUNICATION

 This is top of the wish list for many employers. It’s great if you can code – but can you express
yourself too?
 As work guide Career Contessa puts it:
o “Have you ever had a manager who refused to listen?
o Have you ever worked with someone who could not pick up on social cues; someone
who didn’t know when to be sociable and when to power down to work?
o Have you ever worked with someone who used a ton of office jargon in order to say…
seemingly nothing?”
1. Because COVID-19 has increased the adoption of remote-working software, the need to strike
the right tone of voice has, if anything, increased – not just for employees, but for employers
too.
2. LinkedIn says it’s not just verbal cues that recruiters are looking for, but “digital body language”.
3. Are you making the right impression with the tone you adopt in emails and texts?
“The most qualified people don’t always get the job. It goes to the person who presents himself or
herself most persuasively in person & on paper.” -Jerrold G. Simon (Harvard Business School)

Business executives note the importance of communication competence (Argenti & Forman, 1998)

In a CNBC interview, Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture’s North America business, said the greatest advice
she could give was this: “Develop excellent communication skills. I think people underrate the
importance of investing in [their] communication skills as a way to progress in [their] career.”

Research also reveals that the higher an employee moves within an organization, the more important
speaking skills become (Ruth and Wysocki, 2009).

FORMAL DOCUMENTS IN THE WORKPLACE

 A healthy workplace is one where workers and managers collaborate to continually improve the
health, safety and wellbeing of all workers and by doing this, sustain the productivity of the
business (World Health Organization, 2009).
 Given we spend one third of our lives at work, the working environment can have a significant
impact on our health and wellbeing. A healthy working environment is one in which there is not
only an absence of harmful conditions that can cause injury and illness, but also an abundance
of health promoting ones (WHO, 2010).

REASONS WHY BUSINESS WRITING SKILLS ARE SO IMPORTANT

1. ensure effective business communication

2. make the difference between "good" and "bad" employees

3. demonstrate intelligence

4. deemed credible and can be more influential

5. help to keep good records

Tone in Business Writing - What is Tone?

• writer's attitude toward the reader and the subject of the message
• a reflection of the writer and it does affect how the reader will perceive the message

• Business writers should consider the tone of their message, whether they are writing a:

• memo, • letter [or email], • report, • [minutes of the meeting], • or any type of business
document.

What kind of tone should we use?

1. Be confident.

2. Be courteous and sincere.

3. Use appropriate emphasis and subordination.

4. Use non-discriminatory language.

5. Stress the benefits for the reader.

6. Write at an appropriate level of difficulty.

1. Be confident.
• × Not: You must agree that I am qualified for the position.
• ✓But: My qualifications in the areas of accounting and customer service meet your job
requirements.
2. Be Courteous and Sincere If you are respectful and honest, readers will be more willing to accept
your message, even if it is negative.
• × Not: You didn't read the instructions carefully, thus your system has shut down.
• ✓ But: The system may automatically shut down if any installation errors occur.
3. Use Appropriate Emphasis and Subordination
• Emphasis: Our primary consideration must be cost.
• Subordination: A minor point to consider is appearance.
4. Use Nondiscriminatory Language
• Use neutral job titles • × Not: Chairman • ✓ But: Chairperson
• Avoid demeaning or stereotypical terms • × Not: After the girls in the office receive an order,
our office fills it within 24 hours. • ✓ But: When orders are received from the office, they are
filled within 24 hours.
5. Stress the benefits for the reader.
• State clearly the purpose of the document to the reader.
6. Write at an appropriate level of difficulty.
• Be aware of who specifically will read the document.
COVER LETTER

• Some may say that a cover letter is a thing of the past - because your resumé speaks for itself.

• But the fact is, your resumé can’t talk, or write, and your LinkedIn profile is never the whole story.

• That’s why it’s a good idea for you to get going on the number one tool you need in the new normal: a
killer cover letter.

IMPACT OF COVER LETTERS

A majority of hiring managers said cover letters were crucial to their hiring decisions, and 77% give
preference to candidates who submit one, even if they’re deemed optional on the application form.

 “Your resume is the most important since it explains what you’ve actually achieved and what
your work experience has been,” Green says.
 “But when you’re up against a sea of other candidates with similar work histories and
qualifications, a cover letter can be crucial in explaining why you’d excel at the job.”
 A thoughtful and specific cover letter also shows you aren’t simply applying to dozens of jobs at
once, says Rhiannon Staples, HR expert and chief marketing officer at Hibob.
 “If nothing else, a well-crafted and tailored cover letter shows that you aren’t canvassing job
boards with your resume, but rather you have a distinct connection and interest in the company
and job you’re applying to,” she says.

Keep Your Cover Letter Personal

 capture the reader’s attention right away

 address the reader by their actual title
 Put yourself in their shoes — if you got a letter from a recruiter that began with “To whom this
may concern” or “Dear potential job candidate,” would you be enthused? Probably not.
 Research the company so that you are up to date on any recent news or media mentions.
 Check out their social media accounts to see what they are talking about.
 Review publications in your field of interest, noting any industry shifts that may be relevant to
mention.
 better understand the organization’s needs, values, and interests
 Now ask yourself, “Knowing this, how can I contribute to those areas if I were hired for the role?
What makes my contribution unique?”

Business Letter Styles

1. Modified Block
2. Block – everything on the left – for Midterm Course Assessment
 3. Semi-block or Indented

Parts of a Letter

1. Return Address or Letterhead – senders’ name and address (home, email), mobile number
2. Date – Month Day, Year – when we send the letter
3. Address of Recipient (Inside Address) – name of the recipient or job title of recipient (Hiring
Manager), Name of the Company, Address of Company
4. Salutation – Dear *recipient*:
5. Body of letter – at least 3 paragraphs
6. Complimentary close – Sincerely, Respectfully
7. Signature – affix signature
8. Your type typed or printed name

3 MAIN PARAGRAPHS OF A COVER LETTER

1. INTRODUCITON
 Have a strong opening statement that makes clear why you want the job and why
you’re right for it
 Who are you? What is your purpose?
2. Body
 Share an accomplishment that shows you can address the challenges the employer
faces.
 How were you able to achieve your accomplishments and how can this contribute to the
further success of the company?
3. Conclusion
 Your contact information and request.

COVER LETTER TIPS

DON’T:

• Try to be funny — too often it falls flat

• Send a generic cover letter — customize each one for the specific job

• Go overboard with flattery — be professional and mature

• [make it too long – 1 page will suffice]

USE OF LANGUAGE

 Refer to the job posting / description / relevant information.

 Avoid: To whom it may concern / Dear Sir/Ma’am
 Use clear and ethical language.
 Use power verbs and precise words – avoid ambiguity.
 Keep letter short (yet not sacrificing quality).
 Proofread cover letter (spelling, names, jargons, grammar, punctuations, capitalization, tenses,
etc.).

FORMATTING AND LAYOUT

 Use WORD DOCUMENT  Keep it neat, simple, has a sense of balance.

 Margins: One (1) inch all sides  Font style: Arial / Calibri (simple, common/free)
 Font size: 11 or 12
 Be cautious when to use italics / boldfaced
 If to contain image/graphics – good quality.
 Every element present should have a purpose.
 1-page cover letter (for midterm)