Making email work for everyone…
“People don’t read emails” or is it “People don’t read emails properly “.
How do you get your message across and how do you get noticed. We want to get attention for the right reasons.
I was recently asked to design and deliver a workshop on how to make email work for you. The client has had messages go out with “Hi” in the subject box.
Their brand and culture was very traditional and they felt their team did not reflect it in the way emails were worded and displayed. They wanted messages to match their culture and look and sound like the brand in essence the right voice. Overall their mantra was to sound “charming”.
The workshop was highly interactive with flip charts asking the questions what does good, bad and ugly look like from an email perspective. From the delegates answers you could ascertain how the company could change their email practices to have consistency and portray the right image.
The right voice is not just about the look of an email the tonality is key. We asked delegates to right email responses to common Client queries and looked at the language that was appropriate and inappropriate. The level of directness that is an assertive voice and the tipping point to aggression.
Practically we need to lead email rather than it lead us. The last part of the workshop explored how to manage it effectively.
When email entered the business world very few of us ever had training as to how to use it and very few companies provide guidelines. The standard signature template is as far as it goes. Think further are you happy for employees to use “Hi” or “Thanks” would you rather it was a “Kind regards”.
We have made a difference by working with organisations to get them to think about how much damage one email can do. With this one workshop “Making email work for you” we have given companies their brand back through email.
Please do get in touch to book a workshop on “Making email work for everyone…”
