Writing emails - Effective enough?

Writing emails has been for a while now one of the most used means of communication. But even though almos everybody sends and receives emails on a daily basis, it seems not to be clear what are the rules for writing emails properly and effectively.

The first thing you should take into account is who is going to be reading the mail, and if someone should be in BCC instead of in CC. For example, in the case of a professional environmen, where you are sending the same email to several companies, it would be a good idea to include them in the BCC field, as that way you keep their email addresses private.

The subject has to get to the point. It must not be too long (remember that nowadays most emails are read from a hand-held device) and it has to be easy for the reader to identify what it is about right away.

The body of the message should also be concise and subjects in it have to be ordered, so that, again, information is easy to access by the person reading it. Also the register is extremely important, because you want to use the appropriate language in each occasion. This obviously gains an especial relevance in the professional world.

The signature may seem unimportant, and it mostly is, except when you are representing a company of an official body of some sort. In that case you should include your name and last name, as well as your position and the company name.

No need to say, when you are writing to your buddy you're obviously not going to pay attention to all these suggestions, just make sure it's your buddy you are writing to, not your boss!!

What is your body saying about you?

       Have you ever considered the importance of nonverbal communication? Many studies have been carried out in the past few decades regarding this subject, and it has become a major aspect of communication in politics and in the bussiness environment.

     The way you move your head, your hands, your eyes, even barely appreciable facial expressions, are just examples of telltale signs that will reveal the person in front of you sometimes more information than your actual words. Developing the technique to use body language in your favour takes time, but it will most certainly pay off.

     For example, your head can help you pace your speach, and tilting it slightly as you talk can make you look more confident in front of your audience and even gain credibility. Using your hands is key, as they are the best way to represent what you are saying. Gesticulating with them will draw people's attention towards you. You can also emphasize what you are saying by accompanying your words with your hands. But they can also indicate you are nervous or unconfortable if you seem like you don't know what to do with them or you are constantly touching your face or your hair.

      Your shoulders are very important too. We often judge someone's emotional state by the position of their shoulders. If they are curved forward, we might think that this person maybe is shy, or they're upset for some reason. Someone with their shoulders pushed back, raising the chest, usually is a demonstration of power or a high self confidence.

       Body posture and body language is very important, and even if it doesn't play a big role in our daily life, it is something you must take into consideration whenever you are facing an audience, or a job interview, or any other situation where you want your message to really reach your interlocutor.

Video - How to greet your audience

Continuing with our topic, I would like you to watch this short video on how the introduction to an audience should be. In it, doctor Gary Genard provides some interesting tips on this issue.

I  recommend you watching Dr. Genard's videos on public speaking, they are certainly interesting and will help you a lot when preparing for a public speach.

Stay tuned for more on comms!!

Meeting new people: Who, Where and How

Introducing yourself to new people can be an issue if you are not well aware of the context you're in. Would you talk the same way to a single person and to a large group of people? To your new boss to be   and   to   a   new   classmate?  Obviously  not.

When dealing with these kind of situations you have to bear in mind who you are talking to, where you are and in what situation. Also you should be clear on the information you think is relevant, for example the person interviewing you for a job is not going to want to know the same things from you as the person who will be seating next to you in class for the rest of the semester.

Your academic and professional background will be relevant at a job interview, or when introducing yourself to a large group of people in a professional environment. Personal matters should only be brought up when they are relevant to the subject, or when they complement what's being said.

Remember that your looks are also very important when making a first impression, especially in a formal register, so you must be fully aware of image and decide whether or not it is appropriate.

And don't forget that a big smile will always get you long ways, and that's true for evey situation in life!

See you soon!