5 Business Email Personality Types - Which One Are You?
 Take
a peek into anyone’s email box and you will find an assortment of junk mail,
subscriptions and old messages from friends and family. However, each and every
one of us has our own unique way of replying to such correspondence. While we
aimlessly tap away on our keyboard, we do not realize how much about ourselves
we are revealing through our writing style. Read on to find your personality
faux pas. Then, find out what sort of hidden messages you are sending to your
business clients. It will be helpful to pay attention to what you may not be
saying that clients or other coworkers are hearing just by the actions you take
answering and composing emails.
5) The God of know it all…
You absolutely love new inventions, ideas, concepts. With this email
personality type, you fill your emails with
lots of lighthearted banter and are likely to sign off with an enlightening
quote or saying. You always use lower-case lettering but may insert a smattering
of abbreviations. When confronted with an email loaded with problems, you go
into research mode and come up with some great suggestions to reach a quick
solution. You use this style for pretty much everyone. You rarely start a ‘new’
message as your interest lies solely in what people have to tell you rather than
whom they actually are.
Suggestions: Pay Attention to Your Audience
Because you are an information junkie, people love to receive your
correspondence as they know it will be filled to the brim with lots of good
advice. However, your lack of concern for the person on the other end of the
email could cause you to appear disrespectful. Adapt your writing style
according to your audience and ensure that you read every email thoroughly so as
you offer advice on the right issues, and not ones which did not need addressing.
Your conscientious natures is truly admirable, but stop and pause before you
write as your impulsive streak may cause you to go stomping in where angels fear
to tread. Check that you are replying to a current email and not an old one as
some email boxes tend to hide part of earlier conversations and cluster
correspondence of a similar nature together.
4) The hip responder…
You are the life and soul of email…The one who is never short of a friend
because you are intoxicated by the elixir of life. With this email personality
type, you open your correspondence
with a cool “Hi” and rarely open an email with “Dear”. You have a weakness for
the exclamation mark which can often be found within a paragraph or two. You
love everyone so it is very rare for you to run people down, and your joie de
vivre is evident in every email. You are the type of person who will immediately
email, phone or text a client shortly after a meeting.
If someone catches your
eye, you are the first to go up and make the initial introduction. You wear your
heart on your sleeve and talk to new people as though you have known them all
your life. Your favorite emails are those with a personal flair to them. You are the type of person who prefers to do business face to face
rather through correspondence because you just love being in the company of
others. As such, you are more of a talker than a writer, and you find emails
quite formal.
Suggestions: Maintain Professional Distance
Because you see everyone as a friend you may fall into the trap of revealing too
much about yourself. Emails bore you so social networking sites are your means
of communication. You love that instant friendly banter. In the business world
this could cause you to spend too much time socializing and not enough time
focusing on other matters. While enthusiasm is a great tool, this level of
buddy bonding could come across as overpowering to the reader. Having said that,
your naturally friendly personality comes through in your writing, so there are
very few people who would misinterpret what you are trying to say. Keep your
sentences related to business matters and less on becoming too familiar… There is
such a thing as professional boundaries.
3) The Fusser…
You know who you are…You sit at the keyboard scratching your head, biting nails
down to the quick and running on nervous energy. With this email personality
type, you dread opening each and
every email for fear of what lies within. You are forever beating yourself up,
very insecure and always expect the worst. If a client usually closes an email
with ‘Kindest Regards” but now leaves this out you naturally assume that he is
being short with you and find yourself rummaging through your old messages
trying to see where you may have caused offense. If an email bounces back, you
assume that you have been a nuisance and that the recipient no longer wants
anything to do with you. It couldn’t possibly be a case of computer malfunction.
When you do pluck up the courage to open an email, you scan every word
looking for sarcasm, abuse and hidden meanings. If a client does not respond
immediately, you naturally assume that you have been offended. You never calm the
fevered brow by accepting the fact that people are busy and cannot always
respond immediately.
Suggestions: Don't Take Everything to Heart
When you waste time scanning an email looking for accusations that are not
there, your productivity starts to nosedive, and it takes you longer to respond
to correspondence than anyone else in the office. You read and re-read what you
have written over and over again, constantly altering sentences and fighting to
find the right words. When reading an incoming email, bear in mind that written
communication has no intonation so sentences can often be misconstrued. If a
comment or tone has really upset you, it is far better to clear it up the moment
it happens rather than let it impact your day. This will stop you from giving 100% to
your other commitments which if left unchecked, could get you fired. Don’t become preoccupied on something that can be
cleared up quickly. Give the recipient a ring or write and ask if he/she could
clarify their message if there are any questionable statements contained in it. This insecurity has the tendency to make your emails
become drawn out and confusing. Say what you have to say and keep it brief but
to the point. Do not allow clients to see your flaky side, write with strength
and conviction.
2) The laid back…
Nothing fazes you, life is no big deal. The word ‘panic’ is foreign in your
vocabulary and you take everything in stride. It is already nearing 4.30 pm and
you have been handed a project to be completed by 5.00pm. You deal with it
calmly, rationally and efficiently. Sure, you had to juggle a few other tasks
but it was nothing. One thing colleagues can always guarantee is that you will
never fly off the handle, your temperament stays even keel, and you will never
send a hostile email out of malice.
Suggestions: Being Nonchalant is Not Always
the Best Strategy
People could lean on your calming demeanor too much which could make you a
welcome dumping ground to fellow colleagues. You’re ‘easy to please’ persona
means that you love trying to keep everyone happy. While this is all well and
good, you could end up taking on more than you can comfortably cope with. As a
result, emails may not be answered correctly or correspondence may be inferior.
Because you do not see problems as obstacles, your writing style could tend to
lack empathy and resolution. This level of flippancy in an email could also
create the impression that you do not take anything seriously, including work.
If a supervisor were to read your emails, it may be unlikely that you would be
considered for promotion as your correspondence tends to lack professionalism
and polish.
1) The ‘happy to help’ Little Worker
With the number one email personality type, you really are a little dear as you leap and bound around the office with
relentless enthusiasm. This shines through in your emails which are always well
constructed and laden with helpful advice. But you tend to suffer from writers
diarrhea when you communicate which can result in each email running into two or
three pages in length. Your inbox is kept meticulously tidy due to the fact that
you never leave any correspondence outstanding.
You are a bit of a perfectionist
as you thoroughly check each and every email to ensure that it is both
grammatically correct and answered appropriately. It will be very rare for a
recipient to find any words which are abbreviated or spelled incorrectly. In
return, you ardently digest every email that you receive, ensuring that you
completely understand the information therein. You love corresponding to emails
of a technical nature and thrive when compiling reports, contracts or minutes.
When it comes to the finer details, you have everything covered.
Suggestions: Give Your Time Efficiently
There is nothing wrong with being happy to help but when the recipient is a
busy executive, it can be very time-consuming having to wade through paragraph
after paragraph to find the information that was requested. Imagine if it were
you…How frustrating would it be to have to wade through line after line of text
to find a hidden venue for a meeting. Many recipients have had to read an email
two or three times before actually spotting the required details. As a team
member, you also run the risk of upsetting your co-workers who may not be so
precise and prompt as you. Keep your writing to small manageable paragraphs and
if necessary, limit yourself to a 350 word count.
Wrap-up
Recognize yourself among the bunch? Make your business life run more
efficiently by working on your communication glitches. This will make your
professional and private life run more calmly and more productively.
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