COURSE OVERVIEW:
There is no denying the fact that email plays an essential role in business communication mainly due to the fact that it is one of the more important channels for various businesses to connect with both internal and external entities related to the business. Email is used by businesses to communicate with their employees and other members of the organisation. It is also used as a means for communicating with customers, suppliers and other people essential to the operations of the business.
In today’s business environment, regardless of the industry, communicating effectively typically means a heavy use of email and using email means being able to write. The email is often the first impression the receiver gains of the sender. A poorly written email results in a poor first impression.
The importance of email in business communication cannot be underestimated. Not only does email enable immediate response, it also ensures we keep track of all outgoing and incoming communication. Email is also cost-effective and provides invaluable marketing opportunities.
Email has the advantage of being sent and received instantly, whether the recipient is a next door or thousands of miles away. Therefore, email streamlines communication, making it easier and faster to communicate important information and to receive status updates in real time. In addition, uninterrupted communication allows companies and clients to establish a meaningful and productive conversation and ensures doubts or issues will be addressed immediately.
The financial benefits of business emails are rather obvious. Email is essentially free. Granted there is a cost associated with maintaining a dedicated email server. Also, a dedicated email server doesn’t distinguish between one email and a million emails – the cost remains the same.
Aside from being cost-effective, email marketing also allows companies to distribute information about their products and services to both current and potential customers immediately. Rather than having to plan a campaign well in advance in order to maximise response, email marketing can announce next or same day promotions in real time.
A well-composed email provides the recipient with a friendly, clear, concise and actionable message. Learning how to write an email that meets all of these criteria can take practice.
This course is designed to help participants improve their professionalism and effectiveness when writing business emails.
The first part of this course starts by discussing how to organise an effective email from the subject line, initial salutation, body of the text, and final salutation. Then suggests ways for making requests and responding to requests. Then explains how to comment by email on other people’s work.
The second part begins by suggesting ways to organise your emails, avoid ambiguity, and make fewer mistakes. Then focuses on a stylistic element of writing emails: punctuation and capitalisation. Then explains how to use a soft approach for better communication. Then deals with email attachments.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:
- The advantages of using email in business communication
- How to compose subject lines?
- How to ensure that your subject line is not spam friendly?
- How to organise initial salutations?
- Why choose a specific job title when addressing an email to someone whose name you do not know?
- How to organise introductions and final salutations?
- How to introduce yourself to a new contact?
- How to give details about who you are and what you are requesting?
- How to remind a contact who you are?
- How to indicate which of the multiple recipients actually needs to read the mail?
- Why you don’t use a sequence of standard phrases in your final salutation?
- How to ensure your signature contains everything that your recipient may need to know?
- How to make email requests?
- How to lay out your request 100% clear?
- How to give recipients all the information they need to carry out the request?
- How to reply to requests?
- How to apologise for late reply?
- How to insert your answers within the body of the sender’s email?
- How to be diplomatic when sending reminders?
- How to explain the reason for your urgent need for a reply?
- How to motivate your recipient to reply?
- Punctuation and capitalisation in emails
- Why no punctuation is necessary after salutations?
- How to plan your email and be sensitive to the recipient’s point of view?
- How to organise the information in the most logical order?
- How to use short sentences and choose the best grammatical subject?
- When using pronouns, how to ensure that it is 100% clear to the recipient what noun the pronoun refers to?
- How to avoid ambiguity in emails?
- Why always check your spelling ‘manually’?
- How to comment on other people’s work?
- How to carefully construct and organise your comments on your colleague’s work?
- How to make positive comments?
- How to be constructive in your criticism?
- Why re-read everything before you hit the ‘send’ button?
- How to respond to criticism?
- How to ensure better communication by using a soft approach?
- How your email might be interpreted by the recipient?
- How to use non-aggressive language?
- How to avoid irritating the recipient with unnecessary remarks?
- How to choose the most appropriate level of directness?
- How to be friendly but not invasive?
- How to properly send attachments?
- Why you should consider not sending an attachment to someone with whom you have had no previous contact?
- How to instruct the recipient on what feedback you expect on the attachment?
COURSE DURATION:
The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.
COURSE DELIVERY:
Purchase and download course content.
ASSESSMENT:
A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.
CERTIFICATION:
Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.