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In the remainder of this presentation it will be divided into two sections- The Workplace and Social Situations. The division is really for convenience only, since with less formal workplaces and more “business” seeming to take place in social situations now than ever before, the lines get blurred.
When replying to a question, copy only the question into your e-mail, then provide your response. You needn’t hit reply automatically, but don’t send a bare message that only reads, “Yes.” It’s too blunt and confuses the reader.
Address and sign your e-mails. Although this is included in the To and From sections, remember that you’re communicating with a person, not a computer.
Make sure your voice mail system is working properly and doesn't tell the caller that the mailbox is full, transfer them to nowhere, or ring indefinitely. Address technical and system problems- a rude machine or system is as unacceptable as a rude person.
You don't have to reply to obvious solicitations. If someone is calling to sell you something, you can indicate that you are not interested and hang up without losing too much time on it. However, you do need to be careful. You may be receiving a call from an insurance or long distance company that wants to hire you as a consultant! Be sure you know the nature of the call before you (politely, of course) excuse yourself.
Make the subject line specific. Think of the many messages you’re received with the generic subject line, “Hi” or “Just for you.”
Don’t forward messages with three pages of mail-to information before they get to the content. In the message you forward, delete the extraneous information such as all the “Memo to,” subject, addresses, and date lines.
When you initiate a call and get a receptionist or secretary, identify yourself and tell them the basic nature of your call. That way, you’ll be sure you're getting the right person or department and the person you're trying to reach will be able to pull up the appropriate information and help you more efficiently.
When you're on the receiving end of a phone call, identify yourself and your department. Answer the phone with some enthusiasm or at least warmth, even if you ARE being interrupted, the person on the other end doesn't know that!
Always return calls. Even if you don't yet have an answer to the caller’s question, call and explain what you're doing to get the requested information, or direct them to the appropriate place to get it.
If you're going to be out, have someone pick up your calls or at a minimum, have your answering system tell the caller when you'll be back in the office and when they can expect a call back.
If a subject is important enough to call a meeting, be considerate of the participants’ time and ensure that it is well prepared.
Communicate beforehand-
The objective
The expected duration ( Be sure to observe the ending time scrupulously, unless everyone agrees to continue.)
Items expected to be discussed
Never assign an action item to a person who is not present
to negotiate it, unless you absolutely have to. Note in the minutes that the person has not been notified, and will be contacted for a final disposition of the item.
Often overlooked- be sure to THANK meeting members for their time and participation, and demonstrate (in the minutes or written record, at least) how their contributions helped meet the objective of the meeting.
Distribute minutes or some written record (no matter how simple the meeting) to all attendees and absentees, with concise but complete descriptions of decisions made and including action items.
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(cc) image by anemoneprojectors on Flickr