A Few Thoughts on Writing (professionally)... as elementary as it might sound

I am shocked at the number of mails I receive regularly, a third grader will blush to put their name next to, yet these are supposed to come from educated professionals. I have whipped together a list that should be common knowledge, but alas, seems not to be the case.

And of course, this post isn't for you, you write perfectly. It must be for the lady in accounts or the IT guy, but I am sure you can take benefit too ;-). See point 11

1. BEFORE YOU EVEN START: If you are planning on attaching a document to an e-mail, do that first. Everyone makes mistakes, but it looks like you do not have your ducks in a row if you are forwarding attachments after the mail has gone out!
   
2. Now, write down EVERYTHING, all your thoughts regardless of order, spelling, grammar etc. Get it all out! (It would be a good idea not to fill in the "To" block just yet, for incase you drop your coffee on the keyboard and accidentally press send).
3. Carefully read through what you have written and order it logically, check for spelling and grammar too.
   
4. Next read what you have edited logically as if you were the person that the message is intended for. Remember that they do not see everything as you do. Take out all unnecessary bits that clutter a clear message. Or add where you need to give more background and context.
5. In the corporate world, people don’t have time for vagueness, be specific and to the point. Try and use bullet points and numbering where possible.
6. Avoid using vague terms like “it”, “that” etc. Make sure you are very specific so that there can be no ambiguity in what you have written.
7. It is best to err on the formal side, do not start with ‘Hi’ or other casual greetings and 'Cheers' with closings to letters. If you are writing to a customer or someone higher up the food chain, take note of the formality they use and try to mimic that without losing your unique style and quirkiness. If you are writing to Sally, your colleague, down the passage, it is not a problem. Which brings me to my next point...
   
8. Always finish e-mails off with a greeting and your name, even if it is to Sally. Your initial will also do (only if it is to Sally). This is just a way of rounding off the letter.
   
9. Once you are completely finished, read through the letter again, and again. First make sure that everything follows a logical order and communicates exactly what you want it to, then make sure there are absolutely NO spelling mistakes or grammar errors. DO A SPELL CHECK, even a trained eye can easily miss something from reading over it one too many times.
   
10. If it is a very important letter ask someone who is experienced for their opinion.
11. No smileys, ok not no smileys. I have seen Chief Executives of multinational companies use smileys, but once again within context, and not in a formal letter. Rather wait for the other person to set the smiley tone (or not).
12. Lastly, make sure you have a short and sweet subject line. PLEASE do not send a mail without a subject line. It looks untidy and unprofessional upon receipt. And the Lord and all his angels help the person who would like to find that mail 3 months down the line between the other 8000.

That's me for now

Sparkles and candy