In this essay I delineate three groups of e-mail (positive, neutral, negative) and the essential components of each.
Electronic mail (e-mail or email) is now a standard form of communication, used for informal and formal communication inside and outside organizations. If you compose an e-mail using an organization's computer, you need to realize it is the permanent property of the organization. In other words, do not assume privacy.
Subject Line
The most important part of an e-mail is the subject line. Assume that recipients of e-mail have too many messages to read during one sitting. If they do not recognize the sender or if the subject does not interest them, they will not open those messages.
An effective subject line acts as a title and aids in filing and retrieving. Thus, it must be specific, concise and relative. The subject line needs to be specific to differentiate the message from others with the same subject. At the same time, it must be broad enough to reveal the essence of the entire message. With respect to conciseness, effective subject lines are short--usually containing no more than 10 words, often only 3 to 7 words. Because the subject line introduces a reader to the message, it must not mislead him/her. The subject line needs to correlate to the purpose and content of the e-mail. With respect to purpose, determine whether you are conveying positive, neutral or negative information; with respect to content, restrict your e-mail to a single topic.
The best subject line for negative messages depends on whether you are refusing a request or initiating a negative. When you are refusing a request, click reply and use Re: and the original subject line. (When you reply to a message, the system automatically creates a subject line: Re: and the subject line of the message to which you are responding. Use the subject line if it is acceptable; otherwise, create a better subject line. If you are the recipient of a series of replies, create a new subject line. Re: Re: Re: and the original subject line is not effective.) When you initiate a negative, you will need to decide whether to reveal the negative information in the subject line. Reveal negative information in the subject line when it is serious, when the reader will need to decide or to act, or when you need to report an error you made.
Positive and Neutral Messages
In the first paragraph state any good news and summarize the primary points. Include the date a policy begins, the percent of a discount, et cetera. If the message is a response to an issue, reveal that it is such.
Next, provide details. Do not repeat information that you have stated; rather, answer any questions the reader is likely to have. Present details in the order of importance to the reader. If there is any negative information, present it as positively as possible. A policy may have limits; information may be incomplete; the reader may need to satisfy requirements. Clarify such negatives, presenting them as positively as possible.
Messages to customers or potential customers sometimes include a sales paragraph promoting products or services the organization offers in addition to the product or service about which the reader asked. Such promotions should be soft, not aggressive.
Not all messages require reader benefits. Include reader benefits when you are presenting policies, when you want to shape the reader's attitude, or when the benefits may not be obvious to the reader. Reader benefits are difficult to create when you are announcing a policy that the organization adopted to help it. Those who made the decision may not have been thinking whether the policy would help or hurt their employees. Furthermore, although many new policies help the organization in some way, few employees will regard their own interests as identical with the organization's interests. The organization may save money or increase its profits, but employees will benefit directly only if they own stock in the company, if they receive bonuses, if the company is able to avoid layoffs, or if the savings goes directly to the employees' benefits. The savings an organization accrues often goes to executive bonuses, shareholder profits, or research and development.
The reader needs to understand the reason(s) for the change to support it. When you present reader benefits, clearly state the advantages to the reader. Think about benefits that are a result from the policy itself, separate from any financial benefits.
Tactfully concluding an e-mail can be problematic if it is short. You can tell your reader what specific action you want him/her to take; you can compliment the reader for an action he/she took; you can describe a reader benefit; you can look forward to something positive that relates to the subject of the message. If you have omitted backing (grounds in detail), you can state where your reader can find more information. If you have provided all the information your reader requires, you can write a goodwill ending that refers directly to the reader or to the reader's organization.
A goodwill ending should focus on the professional, not personal, relationship you have with the reader. An effective ending specifically refers to the reader to the extent it would not correlate to someone else or to another person with the same title in another organization. If you are writing to an individual in another organization, the ultimate paragraph can refer to your organization's relationship with the reader's organization. When you are writing to a group--all employees, for example--your ending should apply to the entire group.
Negative Messages
An e-mail is appropriate for a minor negative, not a major negative, which would require face-to-face interaction. Never write or reply to an e-mail when you are angry. If a message infuriates you, wait until you are calm to reply. Remember that employers have the right to read all messages, and an e-mail, similar to other documents, can become a legal document. When a negative e-mail is difficult to compose, create a draft offline so that you can receive feedback and revise it before you send the message.
Tone (the implied attitude of the author toward the subject and the reader) is especially important in negative messages. Carefully edit your e-mail for positive emphasis and you-attitude. The timing of an e-mail can convey tone. An immediate response will suggest that the rejection did not receive much consideration; a negative e-mail immediately before a holiday will seem harsh. When you need to relate negative information, consider recasting it as a positive or neutral message. For example, if your organization has a problem, ask the reader(s) to help solve it. A solution created by employees will be easier to implement. If the negative information will lead directly to a reader benefit, organize the information as you would in a positive or neutral message.
The way to organize a negative e-mail depends on whether you are writing to a person outside the organization, to a peer or subordinate, or to a superior. When there is a reason a reader outside the organization will understand or accept, state the reason before the refusal. A strong reason will prepare the reader to expect the refusal. State the refusal or negative information only once and as clearly as possible. The reader may miss an inconspicuous refusal, making it necessary for you to say no a second time. Present as alternative if there is one. An alternative not only will provide the reader another way to get what he/she wants, but it also will suggest you care about him/her, via helping the reader meet his/her needs. Close with a positive, forward-looking statement.
When you must reveal negative information to a peer or subordinate, first, describe the problem, clearly and unemotionally stating what is wrong. Second, present an alternative or a compromise if there is one. Finally, ask for input or action. Another employee may be able to suggest a solution, and if he/she does such, he/she will be more likely to accept the consequences.
Although your superior expects you to solve minor problems, sometimes you may not have the authority or resources to do such. If that is the case, first, clearly and unemotionally state the problem. Second, describe how it occurred, providing such background information as the underlying factors that led to the problem. Third, discuss the options for solving it. If one option is clearly the best one, state that you think it is such. Your superior probably will judge the options differently; regardless, describe all of them, providing what you think are the advantages and disadvantages of each. Fourth, recommend a solution and ask for action. Asking for approval will allow you to make the necessary changes to solve the problem.
