Course Instructor: Dr.

Summera Malik FUUAST

5 reasons we need to handle E-Mail with care

1.  Email Can Be Deceptively Time-Consuming
It may seem more expedient to fire off a quick email than to hold a face-to-face meeting or
pick up the phone (there’s all that small talk…).  However, it could take you more time to settle
something this way.  While the beauty of email is that it is asynchronous – you don’t have to be
online and focused on the email message at the same time as the person you’re communicating
with – that can also lead to more interruptions, task-switching, and time-consuming back and
forth messages.

2. Email Can Be Dangerously Emboldening

Email allows us to hide behind our words; it’s much easier to say something snarky in an
email than to a colleague’s face.  When we receive a frustrating message from someone, it’s all
too easy to hit <reply> — or worse, <reply all>! – and bang out a scathing response.  While this
might feel liberating at first, the consequences quickly sink in.

3.  Email May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Email encourages us to sit at our desks – and we know how deadly that can be.  After
all, research has shown that that the longer you sit, the shorter your average life span.

4.  Email Slows Down Relationship-Building

I once heard about a manager who had been named country director of an international
development organization.  The office staff was curious about and eager to get to know their new
boss.  After he assumed his post, some staff members were shocked and frustrated when he
repeatedly sent them emails from behind his closed office door down the hall, rather than
come and speak with them face-to-face.  Needless to say, they did not build a great
relationship.

Guess what: to build effective working relationships with people, it helps to spend time
with them, and talk to them face-to-face.  Hiding behind our computers is not going to help –
we need to get out of our offices and interact with our colleagues.

5.  Email Can Lead to Misunderstandings (Especially in Cross-

cultural Settings)
Email is a limited communication vehicle because it doesn’t include non-verbal ways of
conveying meaning.  Experts suggest that between 50-80% of all human communications are
non-verbal.  Without the powerful cues of non-verbal communication (e.g., tone of voice,
gestures, facial expressions, etc.) the chances of miscommunication are higher.  This is
especially risky in a cross-cultural context.  We should tread lightly when in email mode.

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Course Instructor: Dr. Summera Malik FUUAST

Advantages and disadvantages of using email for business

Email is an important method of business communication that is fast, cheap, accessible and
easily replicated. Using email can greatly benefit businesses as it provides efficient and effective
ways to transmit all kinds of electronic data.
Advantages of using email
Email can increase efficiency, productivity and your business readiness. Using email in business
is:
 cheap - sending an email costs the same regardless of distance and the number of people
you send it to
 fast - an email should reach its recipient in minutes, or at the most within a few hours
 convenient - your message will be stored until the recipient is ready to read it, and you
can easily send the same message to a large number of people
 permanent - you can keep a record of messages and replies, including details of when a
message was received
One of the main advantages of email is that you can quickly and easily send electronic files
such as text documents, photos and data sheets to several contacts simultaneously by attaching
the file to an email. Check with your internet service provider if there is a limit to the size of
email attachment you can send. Some businesses may also limit the type and size of attachments
that they are willing to receive.
You can gain further advantages and increase your efficiency by setting up your email software
to:
 automatically create entries in your address book for every message you send or receive
 respond to incoming emails automatically, eg to confirm receipt of an order, or to let
people know that you are on leave or out of the office
Disadvantages of using email
Despite the host of benefits, there are certain weaknesses of email that you should be aware of,
such as:
 spam - unsolicited email can overwhelm your email system unless you install a firewall
and anti-spam software - see internet and email security issues
 viruses - easily spread through email attachments
 sending emails by mistake - at a click of a button, an email can go to the wrong person
accidentally, potentially leaking confidential data and sensitive business information

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Course Instructor: Dr. Summera Malik FUUAST

 data storage - electronic storing space can become a problem, particularly where emails
with large attachments are widely distributed
Less formal nature of email can lead to careless or even libellous remarks being made which can
damage your business. For more, see email and internet acceptable use policy.

Business Correspondence
Business correspondence means the exchange of information in a written format for the process of
business activities. Business correspondence can take place between organizations, within organizations
or between the customers and the organization. The correspondence refers to the written communication
between persons. Hence oral communication or face to face communication is not a business
correspondence.

Need for Written Communication

1. Maintaining a proper relationship
2. Serves as evidence
3. Create and maintain goodwill

4. Inexpensive and convenient

5. Formal communication
6. Independent of interpersonal skills

Types of correspondence
Business letters
Business letters are the most formal method of communication following specific formats. They
are addressed to a particular person or organization. A good business letter follows the seven C's
of communication. The different types of business letters used based on their context are as
follows,
1. Letters of inquiry
2. Letters of claim/complaints
3. Letters of application
4. Letters of approval/dismissal
5. Letters of recommendations
6. Letters of promise.
Official letters can be handwritten or printed. Modernisation has led to the usage of new means
of business correspondence such as E-mail and Fax.
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Course Instructor: Dr. Summera Malik FUUAST

Email
Email is the latest formal method of business communication. It is the most widely used method
of written communication usually done in a conversational style. It is used when there is a need
to communicate to large audience in an organization.
Memorandum
Memorandum is a document used for internal communication within an organization. Memos
may be drafted by management and addressed to other employees, and it is sent with the money
draft. Memos are sent to several people in a team when important business matters need to be
updated to them or to a single person to have a written record of the information.

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