Email Communication has over the years evolved to be
one of the vital channels of communication, especially in this era of computer.
It is faster, cheaper and can transfer other forms of information, including
pictures and videos; making it a more convenience way of sending messages as
compared to other media.
Health professionals may use the email to interact with
other professionals, patient, lecturers or perform other official duties.
However, using the email for official duties may require just more than typing
a message in a Working Space and
clicking on the Send knob. It requires some
level of knowledge and skills in order to make your message relevant and well communicated.
Email as the name implies, (Electronic Mail) is the
electronic version of the letter writing we know, with just some additional properties.
Therefore, it must follow all the rules and the seriousness we normally give to
letter writing.
Every professional email must be
1.
Clear, Simple and Concise
Many people will skip
over your emails that contain lengthy information. Just as it’s being
encouraged in letter writing, every email must be as simple as possible, clear
as possible and concise.
2.
Well Organised
One key thing in letter writing is
organisation. The same rule applies here in Email Communication. One has to predetermine the manner in which his message will be organised before composing his message.
3.
Formatted
Formatting is as necessary as the points we've already discussed above just that in most cases, we do not treat it as such; making our work look junky and messy. In emailing, we have to ensure that we paragraph our texts and
all numbering done accordingly. An orderly presentation increases the reader's appetite to read to the very end.
4.
A Clear Subject
Subject lines are also very important in emailing.
It is what the recipient see when he opens his inbox. With over hundreds of
mails in the recipient’s inbox, your subject is the only thing that convinces
him to either read or reject your message. Therefore the wording of a subject line must be carefully selected.
5.
Relevant
The body of the message must be relevant to the
subject matter. Most times in emailing, because of ease of access to information due to the internet,
we are tempted to include information which may not be relevant to the subject
matter.
Also, know the kind of information to be included in the message. Certain information need not to be delivered via email. For instance, news of death, chronic diagnosis and sensitive information. It's safer to deliver them in person.
Also, know the kind of information to be included in the message. Certain information need not to be delivered via email. For instance, news of death, chronic diagnosis and sensitive information. It's safer to deliver them in person.
Hyperlinks must also be avoided. This distract readers. In many instances, this arises when unedited information is
brought from other website into the mail. This information may
contain hyperlinks that may not be of relevance to the reader. Hyperlinks must
only be brought in mails only when it will be of importance to the reader.
6.
Proofreading
One important skill in writing is proofreading.
Every good writer knows that, in order to avoid petty mistakes, he has to read his
works to his hearing. Sometimes, you can read to other people’s hearing
or have other people read to their hearing.
Whiles proof reading; it is good to review or check
on your grammar, punctuations, capitalisations and spellings.
7.
Attachments
If files are attached to the email, it is prudent to
add a short referring statements; stating the type of file, the name of file,
the number of files and preferably, a short descriptive statements.
The Writer is a Communication Skills Lecturer
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Write all your comments, reviews and questions in the box below
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