How To Write An E-Mail That Doesn't Make People Angry Unnecessarily!
Rule #1: Never, never, never write e-mails when you're angry.
Rule #2: Don't use adverbs or adjectives! You'd be surprised how much less inflammatory an e-mail becomes when adverbs and adjectives are not used.
Rule #3: Limit what you say to what you actually know, or what everybody actually knows, or what has been empirically established. In other words, don't indulge in too much pointless guessing, or hypothesizing, or "wondering out loud".
Rule #4: Write your e-mail as if it is going to be broadcast on CNN an hour after you push the send button, or as if it will be read by the person you're talking about.
Rule #5: Understate your case.
Rule #6: Don't use sarcasm. Say what you mean straight, dead-on, without any irony or flippancy, even if "deadly earnest" is a style that feels odd to you.
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That's good advice, Jack. But I must make this observation. It's a whole lot less fun that way! (smile)
ReplyDeleteI've experienced lots of the fun that comes from writing them other ways.
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