Texts. Emails. Social media engagement. For the lucky among us, phone calls from friends and colleagues, rather than just bots. Maybe even that endangered species of communication, correspondence delivered to your non-virtual mailbox. Amidst all this constant communication, most of it faceless and cloaked in some level of anonymity, we choose our level of courtesy.
This post is not an editing tip that will help improve your writing, but instead addresses communication between editor and client. Contract editing often involves client interactions that never move beyond email communication and file sharing. Years of such interactions have taught me that people have a wide range of communication styles and expectations on email. I will indulge myself here with a plea for some basic tenets of courtesy:
- Please acknowledge email responses to a contract you have posted. You are asking the editor to put in time and effort; they deserve a response, even just a simple thanks. This is not a big ask, and makes the editor feel like they are corresponding with a human, rather than a great void
- A brief pleasantry can set a tone of friendly engagement in your emails. It can be a banal comment about the weather, or a personal detail. The point is to offer up some connection beyond just the purely business transaction (and helps prove that one is not corresponding with AI). I will say that I have yet to meet the person who does not respond positively to a compliment of some sort.
- There are obviously no set rules for how quickly you need to respond to an email, but telling your email recipient that you will get back to them in a day or two, or a week or two, is a considerate way to let them know when to expect a reply. Clarity is always best. Don’t leave them frustrated and refreshing their inbox every hour.
- Ask yourself: Would I feel comfortable saying this face-to-face? If the answer is no, then pause to consider why it is ok by email. When I pour my frustrations into an email response, if the timing permits I try to sit on it for at least an hour. Take a moment with your furry friend or a walk around the block, and then reread your email. Chances are, you will tone it down a bit. And catch a typo or two as a bonus!
What are your expectations for email correspondence with people you have never met in person? Do you prefer texting-influenced one liners, or snail-mail-influenced mini letters, with a greeting, proper paragraph, and a friendly sign-off? Have you ever had to push to get an email response from a current or potential client, or in turn, yourself ignored someone’s email for too long? Let me know what you think are the correct rules of engagement.
Photo credit for mailboxes: https://www.flickr.com/photos/octoberblue/
Hi Carina! I completely agree that a little courtesy goes a long way in email communication. I know I like to check in with people before I begin my email with a little life update. Even a simple acknowledgment or quick update can make interactions feel much more professional and human. Thanks for sharing.
I really agree with the point about acknowledging emails, even with a quick thank you. It is such a small thing, but it makes the communication feel a lot more respectful and human. I also like the idea of pausing before sending a frustrated response because tone can come across so differently over email.