Electronic Hit Send and it’s gone Hit Reply All and your career may be gone Deleted s live on Messages can be forwarded without your knowledge or consent

Tip: Electronic Colonel David Russell’s rule: Never say anything in an electronic message that you wouldn't want appearing, and attributed to you, in tomorrow morning’s front-page headline in the New York Times.

More Tips: Subject  Double-check the address line before sending.  Insulted by a general from the boss, an employee sent an angry comment to a colleague (she thought): “Does she think we’re stupid?”  The reply (from her boss): “Yes, I do.”

Body  Write so s are easy to read  Make paragraphs 7-8 lines  Insert a blank line between paragraphs  Use headlines, bullets, and numbers  AVOID ALL CAPS; THAT’S SHOUTING  If a message is longer than 3 screens, send an attachment

Tip: What not to do One of the officers convicted of beating Rodney King sent this Oops. I haven’t beaten anyone so bad in a long time. A transcript of the message was used at his trial.

Anatomy of an Body  Before you hit Send, review and delete  Negative comments about management  Criticisms of staff or performance issues  Bonuses or salary issues  Product or liability issues  Gossip  Humor or other ambiguities Booher

Tip: is never private Pillsbury assured employees that s were private. Michael Smyth was fired after sending an calling his bosses “backstabbing bastards.” A court held that he had no reasonable expectation of privacy.

To: Female employees From: H. Honcho Re: Dress code Date: 1 July 2006 Clients will be visiting next week. Halter tops and jeans will not make the right impression. It’s time you started dressing for the office instead of the beach. Leave your flip-flops at home! TONE - BAD

To: All staff From: H. Honcho Re: Reminder about what to wear to work Date: 1 July 2006 During the summer, our dress code is business casual. We think “business casual” means clothes that feel comfortable and look professional. MenWomen khaki pants casual pants and skirts leather shoes… leather or fabric shoes… TONE - GOOD

Tips: Tone  Avoid terseness, which can be misinterpreted  Use face-to-face communication if issue is sensitive  Read your s aloud, looking for ambiguity

Humor: Often misinterpreted  Participants [in recent studies] were able to accurately communicate humor and sarcasm in barely half percent -- of the s they sent. Louise Dobson (2006)

Humor: Riskier  Nearly a quarter of employees have suffered problems with colleagues or clients because their use of humour in an has not been understood or appreciated, according to a survey. Robert Jacques, “ Jokes Backfire for UK Workers” (2004)

Tips: Humor  If in doubt, don’t send it. Chevron was forced to pay $2.2 million to settle a harassment case based in part on s with such subjects as “Why beer is better than women.”  Reread for ambiguities.  Signal the joke. One emoticon or per is plenty.

Subject: Funded speaking engagement at Optimum University Message: Dear Dr. Smith, My name is Dan Craig and I am the office manager for the Department of Biology at Optimum University. I am contacting you at the request of Dr. Brown, the chair of the Department of Biology to arrange for a speaking engagement at our university. We bring in some of the best minds in the field of Biology each year to speak to our graduating seniors. This year we hope that you will be able to join us. The session will take place in the afternoon on Friday, May 10. If you are interested please let me know at your earliest convenience. We can further discuss funding, travel arrangements, and other specifics at that time. Sincerely, Dan Daniel Craig Office Manager Department of Biology Optimum University 3423 Ninth St. Glen Falls, NY Office: Fax:

Replying Example Subject: RE: Your February conference presentation Message: Hi Dan, I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the presentation. I am happy to provide you with a copy of my presentation. Please see the attached PowerPoint document. Other people working in this same area are John Smith at Johns Hopkins and Paula Brewer at the University of Minnesota. I suggest starting with Smith’s, “What you can’t see can hurt you” in the journal Nature (April, 2005). If you have any questions, let me know. Sincerely, Taejin Taejin Park, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Biology Sears University Biology Bldg 6666 Eastern Ave. Robuck, AZ Phone: Cell: Fax: Web:

Direct vs. Indirect Direct Mr. Smith, Send me all the information you have on patient Roger Barnes, M.D. Chief Resident Illinios Public Hospitals Suite Wish St. Chicago, IL Office: Fax:

Indirect Dear Mr. Smith, Could you send me all the information that you have on patient ? I need his files in order to carry out a consultation with him later this week. Thank you very much. Roger Roger Barnes, M.D. Chief Resident Illinios Public Hospitals Suite Wish St. Chicago, IL Office: Fax:

Requesting Information Example Subject: Your February conference presentation Message: Dear Dr. Park My name is Daniel Morgan and I am an Associate Professor at Cobalt University. I attended your presentation, “Microbiology in the modern hospital” at the International Association of Physicians conference in February and I am very interested in your ideas. Would it be possible for you to send me a copy of your presentation for me to show to me colleagues here at Cobalt University? Also, could you suggest some other authors writing on this topic? You can me at this address or you may call me at my office Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Dan Daniel Morgan, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Physical Sciences Cobalt University Administrative Bldg 3000 West St. Quincy, CA Phone: Cell: Fax: Web:

Tip: Spelling still counts Sloppiness is one of “seven deadly sins” Bad grammar, misspelling and disconnected arguments gave 81 percent of the survey sample "negative feelings" towards the senders. 41 percent of senior managers said badly worded e- mails implied laziness and even disrespect. CNN.com

The simple answer is it is “definite” + “ly”. Although people invent many spellings, there is one definite spelling. Remember “definite” and add “ly” to change the word into an adverb. But don’t remove any letters or edit the spelling. “DEFINITE” + “LY” A finite list of one correct spelling. “DE” + “FINITE” + “LY”

Confused? Try using a different verb in place of affect. If the sentence still makes sense, it’s correct. Another easy trick is to remember that "a" comes before "e" in the alphabet, and, at least in the case of affect the verb and effect the noun, you must affect something first to achieve an effect.

Please remembering that lose is a verb: you lost the prize. Loose is an adjective: her pants were very loose. Know when to use each word, according to their definition. Correct : "I always lose my cell phone." -- a lost phone. Incorrect : "I always loose my cell phone." -- a loosened phone(?). When you are close to defeat in a competition, use "lose". Correct : "I think Bob is about to lose the race." -- a lost race. Incorrect : "I think Bob is about to loose the race." -- a loosened race(?). When an object has free movement and is not restricted by restraints, use "loose". Correct : "Mary likes her hair loose and not in a ponytail." -- loosened hair. Incorrect : "Mary likes her hair lose and not in a ponytail." -- lost hair(?).

Their cow runs so much faster than mine! They’re excellent ranchers and farmers. The finish line is way over there! There are so many reason to compete in cow races.

First we went to the restaurant then we went to movies. The food was much better than the last time we went. A sequence of actions indicates time. Use the word than when drawing a comparison.

I believe you dropped your wallet. I don’t believe you’re capable of stealing.

I believe the weather station predicted heavy fog this morning I wonder whether or not I have a choice.