Who hasn't been given "the look" from our parents, or given that very same look to our own children to show dissatisfaction with something... Without word, that child knows what mom or dad is expressing!
I learned today that 50-55% of communication is through non verbal cues.
35-38% is from tone.
7-12% is from words used.
What does that tell us about communicating to clients through email?
Some pointers for communicating through email:
1. Reread your email to be sure the interpretation is precisely what you want to convey.
2. Don't use all caps OR IT WILL SEEM LIKE YOU'RE YELLING!
3. Be conscious of how you use (!) exclamation marks and don't overuse them.
4. Smiley faces are cute, but when you're writing a letter to a client, or to a business associate, keep it clean and simple without adding fluff.
5. Don't play around with fonts when communicating professionally.
6. Use spell check.
7. Never relay anything that could evoke strong emotion to a client in an email. Call them or speak with them face to face. There is nothing worse to a seller than receiving an email from their agent that their home must be put back on the market because the buyer is backing out. This deserves an explanation and a real-time conversation from the agent.
Common sense is something we should all use, however, it is always good to be reminded to check your verbiage to make sure it cannot be misinterpreted. Thank you for the reminder.
Sometimes emails are interpreted as rude and abrupt. Re-reading them or holding off can result with a less harsh tone. Stephanie, you have shared some very good tips.