Taking only one minute of your time when writing new emails can save yourself some foolishness or frustration between employees and clients. I will tell you exactly what you need to do from now on.
All you need to do is wait 60 whole seconds before clicking Send on a new email. Sounds pretty hard doesn’t it? No matter what kind of email it is, a personal email to a family member or a business email to your entire company, take 60 seconds to read it over. While you are waiting that whole minute of time, you will be able to proofread your email. Make sure it says exactly what you wanted it to and how you wanted it to, and double check that you are sending it to the appropriate audience that you’ve chosen.
Now here’s how you start:
The very first thing you should always do is read over the whole email for a final check. Keep in mind that if it is longer than a page then you should create it as a document and attach it to an email. Typically recipients don’t want to sit through long emails but they will tolerate documents.
Basically just look for spelling or grammar errors. If you find that the email does not meet your standards in the 60 seconds, then stop and rephrase your email. Give yourself a second chance to see if you sound professional or make sure you aren’t coming across in any negative or poor manner. All-in-all, it should take you 30 seconds to scan quickly back through your email.
Next step is obvious, DOUBLE check to make sure you are sending it to the right person! Save yourself the embarrassment of sending your boss the family Christmas card you were forced to dress up and participate in. Always make sure who you’re sending your emails to.
That is all you have to do. It’s as simple and painless as that.
You may find this extra minute to be a waste of your time, but try it and see if it helps. Before you go off sending angry emails in the heat of the moment, give yourself that spare 60 seconds to calm down, read over your email, and change anything that may be out of line. Those 60 harmless seconds can keep your professional image and be the backbone of you sending your emails from now on.
In the end, you always want to send the right emails to the right people. Make sure you’ve said what you needed to say and make sure there’s no spelling or grammar errors. Always, always, ALWAYS check to see who you are sending your emails to. Save yourself BEFORE anything embarrassing happens to you. Personal emails to your friends or family and business emails to your employees or clients. Not your next family reunion info to your whole office and your next lead assignment to your grandma.
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