⭐️ Digital etiquette in e-mail and personal communication with colleagues

Hello Comrades!

Last week we discussed the role of digital etiquette in business. Today we continue learning information on this topic. Today I’m going to tell you how to use email and face-to-face communication with colleagues to benefit both sides. 

E-mail

Have you already forgotten about the good old email? Read our tips to get an answer to all your messages. 

Attention to the main issues 

Mention the main points in the text. These may be issues to discuss, the results of negotiations, attached materials, work tasks. We don’t recommend discussing or coming up with new ideas. By the way, if you’re waiting for a response to your letter, write directly to the sender about it. 

Don't forget about the topic 

Due to the topic, the interlocutor will understand the essence of the letter, won’t send it to spam and will find it at any time. Highlight the main idea and put it into the topic to avoid chaos and confusion. 

Follow the structure clearly

Numerous templates that can be found in open sources will help you with this. This is a great opportunity to highlight the main thing and not spoil the quality of information. 

Apply formatting 

Learn how headings, numbering, links, and various typefaces work. Highlight in bold the name of the employee, the essence of the task and deadlines. Due to these actions, information won’t be lost in a large array of words. 

E-mail correspondence is not a chat

Set a limit of five emails, after which you’ll keep communicating in other sources. To do this, you have messengers, phone calls or personal meetings. Believe me, your vault will thank you. 

Describe yourself 

If several people from different teams are involved in the correspondence, it’s a great decision to describe their functionality and roles in the project. 

Forward the emails correctly 

If you’re forwarding a message, take care of a colleague. Tell him or her the essence in a few sentences. This way you’ll definitely save time and briefly introduce the interlocutor to the essence of the case.

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Colleagues 

We know that many of you’re trying to build communication with colleagues, but you still can't reach a peak. We’ll share some secrets on how to talk about tasks and deadlines without a headache. 

Make phone calls only in a case of emergency

It’s not necessary to create a link in Zoom or Google Meet for any reason. Some issues are easily solved in correspondence. In addition, you’ll save time and be able to do more important things. 

Warn about one-on-one in advance 

There’s nothing wrong with a personal conversation with a colleague if you have agreed on this issue in advance. Make an appointment for the day and time and mention the essence of the conversation. After that you can set up a call and agree on all the details. 

Don’t engage in other people's tasks 

Offering design, text, or installation assistance to teammates is perfectly acceptable. But if you start giving unnecessary advice, trying to get ahead, the chaos is unavoidable. 

Search for information 

You can ask where to find the budget, when the meeting will take place, or how to contact a colleague from an adjacent department. Besides, it's not strange if you tried to find the answer, but couldn't. However, if the answer is contained in the first link in Google or in a pinned message, you’re wasting your and others' time. 

Take care of the open space 

We hope that you’ve never encountered fish in an office microwave. Remember that not everyone likes scented candles or diffusers, songs by your favorite artist or a loud conversation on the phone. To avoid misunderstandings, just clarify these questions in advance. 

Arrange communication before deadlines 

Any task requires control. Ask the employee how to communicate with him at each stage. Some people prefer messengers, while others are ready to talk to you on the phone right away. 

Don’t get ahead of the course of events 

If there’s still enough time before the deadline, you don’t need to regularly ask about the status of work. However, if the project is really important, and there’ve been no updates for a long time, you can do it differently. Write and tell a colleague that you're worried about the process. Offer help or your own advice. 

Everyone’s different, and to be successful at work, you need to find an approach to each teammate. Here is another life hack. Sometimes, instead of aggression and strict control, humor, messenger messages and funny stickers work great. This will reduce the degree of formality and reduce stress. 

Increase activity, not pressure 

Sometimes, before deadlines, a person disappears from the radar. You have every right to write him a few messages, come to personal chats and even call directly. However, don't threaten to fire him or insult him. A colleague may actually ignore you because of the volume of tasks, not because of his laziness.