Power of Emails

Emails are the primary form of communication for any professional, and especially so for the leaders of an organisation. This is because it is their communication that trickles down to the very last employee. An Email exchange between talents who are not in leadership positions are not as scrutinized as those coming from leaders. 

Emails from a Leader fall under the umbrella of leadership communication wherein the leader is expected to flawlessly articulate, inspire, influence and raise employee morale across the board.

Following are some of the things to consider to build a strong self-image through emails.

Speaking Volumes through the Subject Line

A crisp and concise subject line is always useful for a reader. Example: ‘Weekly update - xyz completion - project abc’.  If you are a leader, a pinch of emotion creates a great impact! Example - We are determined to reach 15 million this year! 

Salutations

There are a large variety of salutations one may use, such as, ‘Dear Team, Dear Colleagues, and  Hi Future Leaders’ for internal communication. For external communication, it’s common to address with the first or full name, as per relationship. While both ‘Dear’ & ‘Hi’ are considered formal, one may want to stay clear of ‘Hello’ because the formality of the salutation is well disputed. 

Receiver’s perspective

Any form of communication is for the receivers/readers. Emails are no exception. A way to keep the message on track is to ask oneself - What information is relevant for my reader? & What would I want the person to do/remember from this email?

Cultural Sensitivity and need for Context 

Being the global village we are today, cultural sensitivity in any form of communication is essential.  Context & content need to be intertwined to share a powerful email, especially so when it comes to leaders or the ones in making.

In the end, we may be temporary in organizations, but our words outlive us, especially when it is documented in the form of email. Leaders therefore need to remember the image they want to establish - everyday - before hitting the send button. A quick check can be to ask oneself - is this how I want to be known?