#1 Preference for Executive Communication? Email

If you want to call a business executive, think twice. According to a recent survey, most executives prefer receiving E-mails more than any other form of communication. The results from a recent survey were detailed in a recent press release.

Only ten years ago, more executives preferred face-to-face meetings to any other form of communication. Only a third, 34 percent, preferred email communication.

What does this mean to the average worker? When executives prefer email, employees below them typically follow suit. Anticipate that more and more managers and supervisors will also prefer communication via email instead of having face-to-face meetings.

Fewer executives want to receive either paper memos or voice messages. In 1997, 12 percent of executives preferred paper memos and 7 percent preferred voice messages. Just ten years later, in 2007, only three percent of executives prefer a paper memo, and only one percent prefer getting a voice mail message.

Some of the benefits of using email are the ability to send, and receive, messages immediately. Additionally, there is a computerized record of conversations, commitments, and problems that someone may outline in their email conversation.

However, while there are many benefits to using email, there are also limitations and things that employees should be aware of whenever using email to communicate with a co-worker or boss.

Among the potential problems include the fact that email is subject to discovery if legal action is taken against a company. In a nutshell, this means that both the police and attorneys can access emails that have been sent or received, and read the contents of emails that are applicable with the case they are investigating, or researching.

Just because an email has been sent or received by a corporate computer system is no guarantee of privacy. The contents of email may be read by someone other than it's intended recipient.

According to Office Team, there are some simple rules that everyone should follow when using email to communicate with others. Their tips include the following:
-Be clear with why you are sending the email, and provide necessary details that are needed so that your email is easy to understand. Sending an email that says, "Here," or "see attached," is very unclear, and time consuming for people to decipher what you're sending. If you're replying to a request for information, it is better to say, "Here are the sales figures that you asked for..." or something to that effect.

-Only send copies of an email to people who really need the email. Don't copy everyone needlessly. Additionally, don't forward an email unless necessary, and don't use the "reply to all" option unless everyone really needs to read your comments.

-Be brief. Now is the time to get directly to the point and provide a brief summary.

-Only use the comment "Urgent" when something is critical, not because you want them to read your email right away.

-Use the "subject" line as an important part of your message. Try to describe what's in your email to help the person who will be receiving your email. For instance, your subject line could say, "Sales projections for January," or "For your approval, 12/27 ABC Budget."

Source:
http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/main.jsp?resourceid=3626209