People usually don’t associate the terms “relational” or “interpersonal” with business communication. At least in a symbolic sense, many familiar business icons—PowerPoint, the internal meeting, interviewing—have come to represent more sterile, protocol heavy forms of communication that lack true connectivity with the audience. It may seem that way, especially when dealing with lightning speed, content focused mediums like e-mail. We’d like to present a softer side.

In the last post we talked about the subtleties of sign offs and how they essentially sandwich an e-mail with the attitude the writer has toward both subject and audience. Is your e-mail a formal follow up to a prospective client? You might end with “Best regards”. Trying to end on a serious note with that vendor who failed you in the worst possible way? Then a stiff “Regards” might do well to make the point.

But what about sign offs that play on cordiality and rapport building? When is it the right time? How much is too much? These are all great questions, and many of you have asked because you are looking to write e-mails that are relational, client ready, and familial. We have broken down the ‘what’ and the ‘when’ of softer sign offs below:

1.       Speaking strictly from language, what are the sign offs that are softer, appropriate for a professional communication context, and what are some of the differences across them? Here are just two of the most commonly used expressions:

Best- You will often see this one, a notch down from its formal counterpart, ‘Best regards.’ This is used when there is still a degree of distance, or there is no need to focus on relationship building at all. On the other hand, you may want to keep the ‘regards’ if you want to keep formality or proper distance in the relationship.

Cheers- This is friendly and comfortable in American business communication (cf. British ‘Cheers’.) When used, it conveys a comfortable environment and attitude toward the subject and audience. It should not be used with formal audiences or for straight-to-the-point business topics. Some people abandon it altogether and do not feel ‘natural’ using it. You should follow your instincts here.

No signoff- Just your name will do, or no signature at all. We could write a whole blog post on various reasons for this, but let’s just say for now that your degree of comfort level and relationship with the recipient play a big part.

2.       When is it the right time to abandon a more formal style, e.g. ‘Best regards’, for a more casual ‘Best’? And when is the focus on the softer side of e-mails too much? A few good guidelines to follow would be:

Topic: How formal or serious is the topic? You can, and should, use your judgment here. For subjects of more elevated importance, don’t get cute with the audience, be to-the-point and professional.

Newness of relationship: How well do you know each other, or any number of cced members on the e-mail? After a few rounds of ping pong e-mail, you can generally feel out the climate. Don’t rule out new rules of engagement (and adjustments to business communication) that newer topics and changes in the relationship can bring. If you’re wondering whether you might get cozy too quick, follow your audience’s lead on language.

Frequency of the exchanges: After a few exchanges, even one or two, you will notice your recipient change the formality levels of their language and so should you if you haven’t yet. On the other hand, an overemphasis on softer language and attempts at relationship building in e-mail should be limited and subtle. More so than this, it should become part of your natural expression. If you are uncertain about certain expressions, such as idioms, avoid them at all costs.

Of course, there is no perfect formula for every situation. Using your judgment is more important than these guidelines. And as we’ve said before, if you’re not sure, ask! Better business communication and polishing your soft skills is just another part of career ownership, and you should own it.

We leave the rest up to you. If there’s a question you’re itching to ask or you’re doubting your approach to establishing rapport through e-mail exchanges, then write us info@springboardsconsulting.com or call us.

Thanks for reading. Until the next post….

To get promoted you must excel at what you do. To get promoted faster, you must be noticed for excellence. In 1963 advertising executive William A. Marsteller said, “Don’t waste your ability – write articles, make speeches. Stand out from the crowd or be lost in the crowd.” Four-and-a-half decades later, this advice still rings true. Writing articles and giving presentations are two salient skill sets that are marketable and highly desirable—think promotional building blocks.

To climb the corporate ladder takes action. Here are some points to consider as you think about getting started on your writing:

• Corporate culture – If your company has a culture of cooperation, your initiative may be welcomed and it’s likely safe to proceed. If the culture is highly competitive you may need to look for opportunities that are closely in line with the responsibilities of your job. In any case talk with your manager about your ideas and get their advice.
• Conflict check – Always be careful not to step on co-workers’ toes by doing their jobs or acting like an expert in their areas. You may come across as someone who wants to get ahead at any cost and who cannot be trusted. Also, it may be possible that a similar project is being worked on or has been produced in the past. Fully research your company’s database before embarking on such an endeavor.
• Seniority – Being new at a company doesn’t mean that you can’t put yourself forward. Focus on what you can contribute, such as experience in the industry or research at your university, and don’t write about your company’s procedures and traditions until you have been there long enough to understand them.
• Comfort level with English – Know where you need to improve in English and work on those areas to build your comfort level with the language accordingly.

Strong writing and speaking skills are becoming more highly competitive both in terms of perfection and in desirability on the part of the employer, client, and various external audiences. More so, as an international professional, these skills show that you mean business, that you are confident with English and culturally adept—highly prized attributes in a globalizing world. Consider these core business communication skills key to professional advancement and promotion.

“You think you are able; I think you are able. When other people around you begin saying so, unsolicited, then you’re promotable.” Start the new year by thinking you are able and defining and addressing those areas where you may need some fine tuning.

In our next article we’ll talk about the kinds of writing you can do and some topics you can write about.

It has always felt to me a presumptuous task to narrow down a list of “the best of this” and “the most common of that.” But the question of “What are the most common writing mistakes of English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers?” is still a popular one and, as a search term, continues to yield 100k+ returns on a Google search no matter which way you phrase it. On top of that, many of you have been specifically requesting this list for some time now.

So before elaborating on “the list,” allow me to explain my hesitation and procrastination in not having done this sooner.

1. ESL speakers come from a variety of linguistic backgrounds and do not make the same grammatical mistakes.
2. There are more than 10 kinds of errors spread across several category types: grammar, cross cultural nuances, business communication protocol, and audience-centered writing principles among others. It’s hard to pick the “top.”
3. The more they are called “mistakes” the more our culture will be based on learning from “failures” rather than “successes.” I’m an advocate of the latter. http://discussionleader.hbsp.com

But since so many of you longsuffering- ESL speakers, colleagues of ESL speakers, and communications experts alike – have asked for a breakdown, here we go.

The first five mistakes we will look at fall into the “grammar” category.

1. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

Incorrect Sentence: We had a kick-off meeting with Mr. Schmidt from Big Medical Devices Company yesterday; I’m not sure he agree to our current proposal.

Correct Sentence: We had a kick-off meeting with Mr. Schmidt from Big Medical Devices Company yesterday; I’m not sure he agrees to our current proposal.

2. COUNT NOUNS vs. NON-COUNT NOUNS
Incorrect Sentence: She offered me a variety of inputs on the manuscript.
Correct Sentence: She offered me a variety of input on the manuscript.

3. PARALLEL STRUCTURE

Incorrect Sentence: We are looking at several options from reducing hours, get a contract seasonal worker, offer voluntary resignation packages, and the removal of some benefits.

Correct Sentence: We are looking at several options from reducing hours, getting a contract seasonal worker, offering voluntary resignation packages, and removing some benefits.

4. GERUND, INFINITIVE, or BOTH?

Incorrect Sentence: Please remind me of adding the meeting to my calendar; I anticipate to see many of the new hires there.

Correct Sentence: Please remind me to add the meeting to my calendar; I anticipate seeing many of the new hires there.

5. ARTICLES: A, AN, THE or NOTHING?

Incorrect Sentence: The patients receiving new UI drug experienced side effects of nausea, dizziness, and insomnia versus other group of patients who took competitor drug and experienced only mild side effect of taste loss.

Correct Sentence: Patients receiving the new UI drug experienced the side effects of nausea, dizziness, and insomnia versus the other group of patients who took the competitor drug and experienced only the mild side effect of taste loss.

These grammar mistakes are a tell-tale sign to the reader that the e-mail is not from a native speaker, which may unfairly add to a list of stereotypes or biased decisions about the writer’s credibility. ESL writers fear this, and with good reason.

One partial remedy would be to write e-mails first in Microsoft Word then transplant them into the e-mail body. This will catch most grammar and spelling mistakes. However, this doesn’t cover all of them and some errors are very habit-forming and difficult to break.

Some recommendations would be to take a short-term grammar class (online or one-on-one) that focuses specifically on the target grammar errors. There are so many choices available for this and more often than not, executives are too busy for self study. So, it is highly advised that one have accountability and structure in this area.

Other problem areas in ESL writing deserve equal attention. The following 6-10 areas represent a combination of business communication and writing technique mistakes common among both native and non-native speakers. The major differences are that they are more prevalent with the latter group and tend to be worsened and more implicating when coupled with some of the grammar mistakes mentioned in 1-5 above.

1. Informal language in formal correspondence
2. Emotive language
3. Tone: mechanical-sounding or non-conversational
4. No call-to-action or clear navigation
5. Lack of flow from one sentence to the next

If you would like to see examples of these, stay tuned for our next post. In fact, we are taking submissions via open enrollment, so take the liberty of slipping your own e-mails in there if you would like a complimentary proofing and analysis of your work. We promise to keep you anonymous!

Send submissions here: info@springboardsconsulting.com

Thank you for reading. And remember, we want to make this blog yours, so send us your submissions, questions and comments.

Does part of your daily professional communication involve a constant flow of detailed e-mail exchanges, both internal and external? Keep your messages as easy to navigate as possible. Think of the many newsletters, promotional e-mails, and electronic resources you are literally forced to peruse every day. Obviously, no one reads everything. There are some tricks of the trade to keeping information concise, easier for your audience to find, and more visually pleasing to the eye.

Concise

Using lists can literally be a breath of fresh air after a long, cumbersome paragraph rich with technical jargon. Lists can be:

• Chronological-reporting actions or events as they took place in time
• Sequential-in one particular order
• Descending order of importance- most important item first, least important last
• Ascending order of importance- least important item first, most important item last (the bill you owe us!)

Easier for Audience to Find

Subheadings are a great way to logically separate chunks of information which will visually stand out to the reader (they’re being used in this post to help you navigate). Depending on the nature of the e-mail, this may be a strong fit. You can draw these out by italicizing, underlining, or making them bold.

In a less formalized, more back-n-forth communication, clear topic sentences would be better starts for each section. This helps your audience know what the rest of the passage is about.

More Visually Pleasing to the Eye

Use real estate on the “page” wisely. Try to avoid overuse of punctuation, such as dash marks for lists, 1,2,3, here, and a bulleted list elsewhere. Aim for consistency in your choice of layout. If anything can be appropriately annexed in an attachment, then allow it to be. The more you can say with less is better.

A final word. This week on Twitter, someone said “Business is social.” I believe it was @KikiValdes. I could not agree more, especially on this topic. If there is ever an opportunity to pick up the phone or be face to face with someone in lieu of e-mail, then do it every once in a while. Also, watch for what you enjoy or what makes you “feel good” in the personable language, style, tone, and writing characteristics of a particular writer at your work. It’s okay to borrow ideas from people; this can be the best form of flattery.

Happy writing. Remember, we want to answer your questions, so get engaged!

There are so many ways to write a “bad” e-mail, but if it’s personal, tactful, and demonstrates true connectivity between you and your audience, there may be more room for forgiveness.

Following a night of networking with the Boston business community at a Chambers of Commerce after-hours event, the e-mail below (names made anonymous) was received:

Subject: Boston Chamber’s Reception Networking

Hi:

It was great pleasure meeting you at the Boston Chamber’s Reception. Our firm IN Business Strategies is looking to grow and create sustainable business with your firm. Our key specialty areas include accounting, auditing and tax services. I look forward to discuss more about our services and see where we can synergize together. I look forward to hearring from you.

Thanks and have a nice weekend.

Regards,

Mandeep

Typically, I would delete such an e-mail. It’s impersonal, lacks true connectivity, and fails to demonstrate that any real discussion took place meriting a continuation of the conversation. Rather than delete, however, a response e-mail was politely sent with the following advice:

1. Subject line- make it relevant to our conversation specifically. Write down some useful tip or reminder on my business card after we have spoken and save it for future reference; customize to a personal e-mail.
2. Because you did not use my name once, I’m under the impression that this exact memo was sent to many others, which makes me much less likely to read it. This is a direct e-mail obtained from my business card and a personal encounter, after all.
3. Spellcheck always. Cut-n-paste into Word for grammar help (for which this e-mail also needs attention). Avoid cliche words, i.e., synergize.
4. Include your contact info and links to where I can learn more about you or your company.
5. You are asking me for something in this e-mail, what are you offering? How will you “create sustainable business” for my business? Where can I go to find out? Do you have a white paper? Advice I can apply to my business now?

These tips do not discount the value of grammar or style for which we will post future articles. We simply want to impress on the importance of using tact and being personable when dealing with people, especially in written communication. These are usually the least forgiven.

Please let us know what you think. We welcome your questions and comments.