Global Email Communication page

Table of Contents

Getting your message across: Email Communication in Global Business................................... 2

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 5

There are emails and emails: Some culture-free basics ................................................................. 7

1. Subject line ..................................................................................................................................................7
2. Cc, Reply all, and Forward .........................................................................................................................7
3. Length ..........................................................................................................................................................8
4. Structure ......................................................................................................................................................8
5. The beginning and the end ........................................................................................................................9
6. Style .............................................................................................................................................................9
7. Grammar ......................................................................................................................................................9
8. Emotions......................................................................................................................................................9
9. Content and distribution ..........................................................................................................................10
Infographic: 9 Critical Elements of an Effective Email ..............................................................................11

Language best practices for emails ................................................................................................ 12

1. Language proficiency ...............................................................................................................................12
2. British/ American/ Indian/ Singaporean/ International, etc. English ....................................................12
3. Idioms.........................................................................................................................................................13
4. Sense of humour.......................................................................................................................................13
Infographic: Language best practices for emails ......................................................................................14

Cultural differences and their impact on emails ............................................................................ 15

1. Acknowledgement ....................................................................................................................................15
2. Formal and informal style ........................................................................................................................16
3. Structure ....................................................................................................................................................17
4. Direct and indirect style ...........................................................................................................................17
5. Relationship-building ...............................................................................................................................19
Infographic: Cultural differences and their impact on emails ..................................................................21

Finally, when email may not be appropriate................................................................................... 22

Summary of tips ................................................................................................................................ 22

About the Authors............................................................................................................................. 23

About the Publisher .......................................................................................................................... 25

Introduction
 

Have you ever sent an email that you thought was polite and clear and received a surprising
response in return? Have you found yourself reading an email and thinking that this person is rude,
ignorant or just plain incompetent only to find that they had misunderstood the meaning of your
message?
In the modern world it is vital to be able to communicate effectively via email if we want to be
successful in today’s global economy. Yet, emails are potential minefields for misinterpretations as
communication relies on much more than just words. Seeing the facial reaction, hearing the tone of
the reply and so many other subtle factors play important parts in our understanding of what someone
is trying to communicate to us. In emails we are missing out on all non-verbal clues. On top of this, in
global organisations we often communicate across different languages and different cultures. This
means that in addition to using good general email writing techniques, we also need to be aware of
different cultural expectations and norms.

Figure 1: The illusion of communication

The objectives of any communication, including emails should be to make sure that our
communicating partner

1) Understands what we mean to convey in our message, and
2) Remains motivated in communicating with us in the future.
How can we minimize the risk of misunderstandings and communicate appropriately and effectively
across different cultures?

In this booklet we will cover subjects from basic tips on effective email communication to more
complex topics like how to address intercultural emails. You will find useful techniques to:

• Write effective emails, independently from the culture you are writing to.
• Use easily understandable English language in email communication.
• Avoid cross-cultural communication pitfalls.
Our easy-to-understand Infographics can be downloaded or saved by clicking the title links
throughout the booklet.

Infographic: 9 Critical Elements of an Effective Email

Figure 2: 9 critical elements of an effective email