By: Ned Van Maanen, Ph.D., CFRE

While the personal touch of a hand written message or a telephone call is always to be desired, in this day of instantaneous electronic communication e-mail is a fact of life. This being the case, please consider the following ways to make your business e-mail communications polite, personal and friendly. Your communications, in whatever form, are a reflection on you as a professional.

Being brief in a medium where others write too much will set your comments apart. The reader will always appreciate a brief, but complete, message. If your message is longer and more involved, try using descriptive headings. These will help your reader follow the thoughts you are putting on the wire. Likewise, the subject heading for your e-mail should be as illuminating as possible to let your reader know what this message is about before they even open it.

Being polite and avoiding angry comments and personal attacks is always good form. One of the dangers of instantaneous communication is that it does not give us time to “count to ten” and reflect on what we say. Angry words are best put on paper and then reflected upon for a day or two and only then mailed. Remember that you may just be putting the words into your computer but there are real people on the other end and you should never write anything you would not say out loud to them in a room full of people.

Consider your audience when you prepare your e-mail. Stay on topic and avoid the temptation to ramble or bring up extraneous subjects or ideas. Remember that you are just one small click away from the “recycle bin” and an ambiguous message will send you there.

Be very careful with humor and sarcasm. In person our humor or sarcasm can be tempered with voice inflection, body language, and a smile. In e-mail, all of these factors are missing and what might be a good joke in person could well be misinterpreted and cause embarrassment.

Block capitals can occasionally be used for EMPHASIS but to use capitals for anything longer is considered “shouting” and is not appreciated. It is also hard to read. Likewise, adding a blank line between paragraphs makes your message easier to read.

Abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laughing out loud) may be acceptable in personal e-correspondence but is not acceptable in professional communications. One never knows if the reader is “in” on the latest shorthand or would feel confused by abbreviated FUPs (frequently used phrases).

Signatures on e-mail need to be more descriptive since there is not a letterhead for additional information. The signature line should include information on name, title, organization, address, appropriate phone and fax numbers, as well as the return e-mail address.

And finally, the e-mail Golden Rule: “That which thou findest hateful to receive, sendest thou not unto others.”

Dr. Ned Van Maanen, CFRE, is the Executive Director of the Houston and Southeast Texas chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. This article originally appeared in “Developments,” the bulletin of the Greater Houston chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.