Emailing - A gentleman's guide to communication through the email !
For most of us checking our inbox, sending & receiving emails & communicating through the internet has become an integral part of our daily lives. Whether it be sending emails to our boss, our work colleagues, our family or friends or even to outsiders we'd be called upon to communicate with - The email has become a swift, easy-to-use & almost ubiquitously accepted medium of communication.
At the same time, however, we see that this marvel of modern technology has made us somewhat devoid of mannerism & at times common sense; as if the absence of face-to-face human interaction somehow allows us to forget most modicums of decency or plain common sense that we'd otherwise adopt were the person sitting right in front of us !
A gentleman is always careful in what he writes in the emails he plans on sending. He is mindful of the fact that emails may be read by others, it could be easily forwarded to multiple people & its contents misconstrued to mean something he never intended for it to mean. He, therefore, meticulously reviews & edits his email before sending it to make sure that the recipient of his email understands fully & clearly the intended message.
A gentleman understands that any email written in a fit of anger must never be sent before sleeping on it. He understands the value that an overnight sleep gives to reread, rethink & perhaps even discard the email without the emotional baggage of the previous night.
A gentleman realizes that whereas emails can almost always substitute for hand-written note & voice-to-voice phone calls, they are unable to encompass with them your emotions to a degree that a hand-written note or a phone call can. A gentleman, therefore, understands that sometimes a more personal touch is needed & so he utilizes the thoughtfulness of a personalized hand-written note or a telephone call to communicate as & when needed.
A gentleman never gives someones email address to someone else without taking the explicit permission of the person to whom the email address belongs to. This is because a gentleman understands that not all people use emailing in a positive way & that there are many out there who indulge in everything from spamming others to harassing them.
A gentleman knows that an email should be of an appropriate length; it should neither be a one-liner nor should it be a novella ! An email should convey the message in the least possible words. It is not a substitute for a cellphone text message nor must it be so long as to make reading it tedious.
A gentleman must be mindful of the fact that an email is not the appropriate mode of communication for sending confidential information because it is quite possible that it may not be solely read by the intended person.
A gentleman should know that sending last minute emails to notify someone of an important change is both highly counterproductive and extremely rude because a person may not check their inbox in time to enact upon the information. A telephone call is, in this case, a much better mode of communication.
Well thats it ! These are some of the tips I found whilst browsing the internet & reading a book or two on mannerism - I hope you find it useful !
