Struggling with Email Communication After 3-5 Years? Should We Consider Business Writing Training?

Dear HR Folks, I need your help to understand when an employee has 3-5 years of experience and still finds difficulty in interacting internally and externally through email, would you suggest training in Business Writing or Email Writing? If yes, what skill sets would you like to see them trained on? Please suggest.

Thanks,
Bhushan

E-Mail Writing Etiquette

E-mail writing etiquette is indicative of any company's willingness and ability to efficiently assist both internal and external customers. The skills and attitude projected over the mail form a lasting impression in the minds of customers, making it a critical customer touchpoint.

Employees need training on:

- Types of E-Mails and Desired Outcomes

- **Self-Fulfilling:** The e-mail itself is the point, such as a compliment or information you want to share with the receiver. A reply is not necessary.
- **Inquiries:** You need something, such as advice or information from the receiver. A reply is mandatory.
- **Open-Ended Dialog:** To keep communication lines open for the purpose of some future result or benefit.
- **Action E-Mails:** Immediate attention and action are needed on the part of the receiver.

- Writing Clear, Correct, Concise E-Mails

- Using Correct Greetings and Sign-Offs

- Using Attachments Effectively

- Always proofreading what they have written before clicking "send."

Regards

Dear Mr. Jacob, I appreciate your response to the query I raised. However, I would be glad if you could narrow down some examples you might have come across with participants or employees. Additionally, there are certain skill sets that HR/Senior Managers and clients would seek from the email being composed. I am trying to figure out what those are, and I would appreciate any help you can provide on that.

Thank you, and I look forward to your response.

Best,
Bhushan

Thank you for your response, and I appreciate the inputs you have provided. Additionally, if you could share any experiences with the employee where you have guided them using appropriate methods or structures, it would enhance the knowledge gained from the inputs you have provided.

Best Regards,
Bhushan

I feel that the lack of confidence or ability to write emails is indicative of a general weakness in communication. Hence, finding out the root cause is key to providing correct training or coaching. If overall communication needs improvement, then such training should be provided, of which business communication is one part, apart from other things.

Email Writing Skills

Email writing also includes sensitizing individuals on how to write emails. How to write to one's boss, subordinates, peers, and cross-superiors, etc., needs to be explained. Which information to filter, which to include, who to mark in Cc, and how to address emails—all these things need to be taught.

Yes, I have come across a couple of employees, even from technical, sales, and marketing teams, making frequent spelling, grammar, and word-choice errors that jeopardize the business reputation. When corrected, they have their usual arguments: "What matters to our clients is the content, facts, and quotes we mention. A few spelling errors are not going to damage my company’s reputation."

What to Do About Writing Errors?

(a) Give everyone a writing test before hiring them? Before hiring any new employee, review their resume in detail. Are there spelling or grammatical errors throughout? If so, this says something about their literacy skills and background.

(b) Periodically arrange professional writing assessments and workshops at your workplace with trained professionals and industry experts.

(c) Stress the importance of quality writing across your company—communicate how it relates to your corporate reputation.

- It is completely true that when employees are not confident in their writing skills, they don’t contribute their suggestions, recommendations, and feedback. Their expertise is wasted.
- Sometimes vague writing even leads to misinterpretation.
- Avoid using shorthand, emoticons, and making typing errors.

Regards,

Internal or external communication is a secondary consideration. Is it a language issue or a clarity issue? A language issue would mean the problem is related to grammar and sentence construction. A clarity issue is a matter of converting thoughts to appropriate words. You can assign the training appropriately once you understand this.

Regards,

Dear Mr. Bhushan,

The majority of businesses and companies are facing this acute problem, and you have rightly taken up the just cause. I have personally trained many employees on this aspect. One thing you need to understand is that letter/email writing has a set etiquette, and this needs to be mentored with proper nuances. Care should be taken from the very basic level to the highest level of putting this into practice.

You can ask your employees first to correct their communicative English and make them understand the importance of business communication in today's times [see reason for mutual benefit]. Have a specific deadline [let them set it for themselves, and this should be on paper]. First, let them read the letters to the editor daily in all the different newspapers and practice it. Next, ask them to post a civic grievance in any of the papers. Once their grievance is published, reward them. This is a technique I have evolved, and it has given me 100% results. Hope this information was useful to you.

Regards,
Ashwin - S9 Consulting