Making Electronic Communication More Personal

May 3, 2012

Interview with D.A. Benton, author of the book The Virtual Executive: How to Act Like a CEO Online and Offline

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Mike Carruthers:
So much communication today is electronic and not face-to-face so trying to personalize that communication can be very helpful. For example the subject line in an email.

D.A. Benton:
Putting someone else’s name in the subject line statistically improves the chance they will open it, personalizes it, humanizes it.
 

Debra Benton, author of the book The Virtual Executive, says the first sentence in an email is critical.

And the first line should start with you not I. yet if you go through your emails I will guarantee you the vast majority that you have received somebody started out I, “I wanted to talk to you, I wanted to follow up.”

Odd as it might sound your body language is very important in electronic communication.

If you simply purposely try to do the next email that you write with good posture, like your mother told you, and you smile your words will be carefully chosen, more likely because you’re putting thought into the affect you have.

And be very careful about using buzz words in your communication.

Buzz words can be exclusionary to effective communication because it’s kind of like I know this word this is a special language that we speak on and on. It would be much better to just say what’s on their mind, don’t use an abbreviation, don’t use a buzz word.

To hear the complete unedited interview, click here.