10 Undeniable Facts to Master the Art of Formal Communication!

We live in a millennium where everything moves at the speed of light. Literally. Technology has made it a boon (or bane depending on who you ask) for employers and employees to constantly be connected. This means there is no room for sloppy communication. A lot of these communications happen via mail or instant messaging apps or through other corporate write-ups, which is why mastering the art of formal business writing etiquette is essential for succeeding at your job and to stand out from your competition.

This mastery isn’t simple and can be tricky since even the slightest of mistake can negatively impact how you come across to other people. So, before you hit the enter key on that next professional email, here are the 10 efficient ways to be the ultimate ‘formal communication’ Sensei!

·??????Keep your mails concise

This is a golden rule in formal communication, to keep emails short and to the point. You should be able to read a typical email in less than three minutes. If your email is longer, you should break it up into multiple shorter, clarity laden paras so that you don't overwhelm the reader with too much information at once.?

Every sentence in an email should have a purpose, either to add information or ask a question. Don't write long paragraphs that ramble on about something unimportant when there are other more pressing issues you could be addressing. In general, keep your messages as simple as possible while still conveying all of their ideas clearly and concisely.

Additionally proofread your emails to make sure they are free of errors, so that it doesn’t fall on the reader to make those corrections mentally and tire their grey cells more than necessary.?

·??????Follow a formal business greeting and closing

A formal greeting begins with "Dear" followed by the person's name and title (if they have one). For example: "Dear Mr Smith." If you don't know the person's name or title yet, then use "To Whom It May Concern."

Use a formal closing in your document. A formal closing is used at the end of every letter or email when you’re done with your message and signing off. The most common ones include Sincerely yours/Yours truly/Respectfully yours/Best regards etc., but there are many different options depending on who you're addressing and how well acquainted you are with them already.

Include an email signature with relevant details about yourself and your?organization (logo, email address(es), website(s), telephone number(s)).?

Avoid using slang, acronyms, or buzz words

It doesn’t matter whether Robby from the Marketing department is your golf buddy, and Martha from accounting brings you leftovers from her previous night’s dinner;?you absolutely cannot acknowledge them informally in your write-ups be it mail or any official document.

Furthermore, try to avoid general acronyms and buzzwords and stick to purely simple terms that are known in your respective industry

Refrain from making assumptions about others based on their age, race, gender identity or sexual orientation in your write-ups. There is no plausible scenario where you have to do so in a professional environment nor is it necessary. Every email you send is to be in line with your company's business communication guidelines.?

·??????Use a polite tone of voice in your emails

Be respectful and cordial in the tone of your writing, and do not use a professional write-up to vent or rant about someone or something. There is a decorum to be maintained, and even if there is a negative issue you have to address; do so with couth. Instead of saying an outright “no” to something try to word it in a way that doesn’t sound offensive.

For example, “I’m afraid that might not be possible currently” is a wonderful alternate to a quick and cold “no”.

If you feel the tonality of a certain statement might be unclear, try to rephrase your sentence to have more clarity. Obviously, it also goes to say you can’t type something in ALL CAPS since it is considered to be akin to shouting at someone.

·??????Use subject lines that are clear, concise and specific?

This is a big one! A succinct headline gives the reader the gift of understanding what the mail subject is before they have opened it. This helps is prioritization of work schedule especially in a professional environment where time translates to money.

Never formulate subject titles that are eloquent or flowery, even if the subject is. Stick to clean titles, list out your eloquence in bullet points or even better in few sentences.

·??????Formal communication improves efficiency and productivity

The beauty of formal communication lies in its inherent organized structure. The format of the content allows you to plan out what you need to explain and do in a clear way. This helps in being able to quickly fire away, an email without having any confusion about what you are trying to convey.

The more formal you are in your communication;?it eliminates a lot of words or phrases like “just” or “kind of” and cuts to the chase. This helps is speedier and real time communication helping the overall productivity to increase.

·??????Follow structured hierarchy of information

Formal communication typically follows a downward flow of information since there are quite a lot of instructions, rules, orders etc. to be given. In other circumstances, it can go upwards too, since employees revert with feedbacks, complaints etc

Try not to break this chain since every organization innately works around these hierarchical structures of command. It enables speedy, reliable, and trusted communication which is essential to the overall sanity of the place. If there comes any time when you have to go over this, say for filing a complaint against your immediate manager, then do so to the next person in position of authority. There seldom comes instances where this happens but then we assume all the formalities be thrown out the window any which ways.

·??????Everything is on records

A part of the entropy of being an organization is the record?nature of every data, proprietary information and other content being maintained in physical and digital forms. This leads to any and all verbal and other types of conversation being part of that record to reference later or to call back upon, if and when needed.

Another example of this would be trail mails. It’s an unspoken yet important rule to always reply to a trail mail for the relevant subject at hand and not create a new subject mail for every other related discussion.

·?????Do not be negative with your write-ups

It is easy to fall prey to firing off a quick retaliatory mail in response to a biased treatment from a superior. Or that emotional moment where we might want to type in all caps that you’re done with the organization for?whatever reasons, and you want to show that frustration since you’ve decided to move on.

DON'T.

Never resort to blatant negative mails that shame or accuse someone, even if you’re in the right. Be sure to take a deep breath and let go of the pent-up frustration brewing inside you. Follow it up with a neutral tone, formal write-up that clarifies your thoughts pertaining to whatever issue is at hand.

·??????Time is precious

Life moves on the fast track in the corporate world and every time that can be saved, should be. There are meetings to be held, targets to be achieved, and deadlines to be met. Formal communication ensures there’s lesser confusion and overall clarity in the relevant write-ups.

On the other hand, informal communication would take up a lot of time in arguments, clarifications, side-talks, discussions etc.

What do we take away from this finally? We see why formal communication is not just a tactic to be kept in mind rather, It’s a way of professional life that lends undoubted credibility and stability to the inner workings of a business environment. Mastering this is not just a benefit in your abilities to take on the corporate monsters, but also assures you are never going to be left hanging on the corporate ladder of growth.