Die Möglichkeit, per E-Mail zu kommunizieren, wird heute immer öfter genutzt, in vielen Fällen ersetzt die Mail ein Telefonat oder einen Brief.
Wie Sie diese Mitteilungen effektiv und empfängerfreundlich beginnen und gestalten, haben wir Ihnen bereits in der Juli- Ausgabe der Rafa-Z gezeigt. Hier erfahren Sie, was außerdem wichtig für den Erfolg ist.
Form und Aufbau, Betreffzeile und Anrede beherrschen Sie, der erste, entscheidende Satz sitzt und informiert Ihren Empfänger oder die Empfängerin über das Wesentliche. Jetzt geht es darum, die Details Ihrer Informationen so zu verpacken, dass sie auch gelesen werden und nicht im Papierkorb landen.
Den NewsletterEnglish[at]Work sowie zahlreiche Muster, Checklisten und Arbeitshilfen erhalten Sie unter english-work.com.
Der logische Hauptteil
The difference between letters and e-mail is that the e-mail is usually shorter and more casual. These are good reasons to make sure you structure your e-mail well. Casual does not mean you should use emoticons or abbreviations, which might sound rude, like “lol” for “laughing out loud”. This mixes irony into your correspondence, which is not suitable.
There are some tools to improve the structure of your e-mails and make them more successful. We have already mentioned the use of bullet points.
Aufzählungen
Another tool is enumeration in your text, such as
- Firstly, secondly
- To begin with .../First of all .../In the first place …
- Then there is (the matter of)/are …
- The next matter (to be dealt with) is …
- Another issue/point is …
- Lastly,.../Finally,.../Last but not least, ...
- The last point (to be mentioned) is …
Zeitangaben
Another means of structuring is to order topics chronologically. This is a little more flexible than a numbered list, but just as helpful.
- In the beginning, …
- Later,
- Subsequently,
- In the end, …
Zusammenfassungen
It is helpful for an e-mail to close with a summary. This is especially so if your mail contains a long list of detailed information. The following are examples of useful phrases for summarising:
- All in all, …
- In conclusion …
- In other words, …
- To sum up (briefly),
Ein klarer Schluss
As the e-mail example given above shows, it is important to use a clear closing remark as it invites the recipient to respond.Some suggestions:
- Please give me feedback …
- I look forward to hearing from you …
- I should be glad to receive …
- We hope you can send it by Friday …
Your details are the last thing the reader sees. So do it properly and follow the international standards.
Eine englische Signatur
You may have your German details already. You can translate it for your English-speaking business partners by avoiding umlaute (“ä, ü, ö”) and “ß”, by translating your city’s name (where possible), and by including your PO Box and country code:
Peter Freitag
Marketing Agency
Brueggenstrasse
PO Box 12 34
5000 Cologne
Tel. +49-(0)221-345 569
Fax +49-(0)221-345 500
Ordentliche Anhänge
If you have attachments in your e-mail, it is best to state this in the body or the subject line of your e-mail. Many viruses are spread via e-mails, so many people distrust them and only open them if they are sure the attachment is clean.
- Subject line: meeting next Friday, 2 files attached
- Opening sentence: Our next meeting is set up. I attach 2 files.
People sometimes forget attachments and have to be reminded by the recipient to send a second e-mail with the files attached. So make it a habit to attach your files first and then write your e-mail afterwards.
Quelle: Jennifer Hohensteiner, USA; Maureen Brown, Großbritannien - Beitrag vom 29.10.08