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Telephone
And E-mail Etiquette
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Phone
Manners
Sometimes the first impression you make on your future supervisors
or employers is when you talk to them on the telephone. Having
your agenda set out before you call is a good idea. In addition
to making mental preparations (who to ask for, how to introduce
yourself, what to say), you should take note of the physical
factors surrounding your phone call. These include:
-Making the call from a quiet place where you will not be
interrupted (TV and stereo off!).
-Letting anyone with whom you may share the phone line know
that you will be using it for a certain amount of time
so they will not interrupt you.
-Using a phone with the best connection possible (this means
keeping away from staticky remote phones).
-Removing gum or any other objects (pen caps, retainers, hard
candies, etc.) from your mouth so you can speak as clearly
as possible.
-Having your résumé and cover letter sitting
nearby so you can glance at them if you are asked for additional
information.
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you've got that covered, you should mentally prepare
for the conversation. Working people, especially news
people, are extremely busy. After you've dealt with
the wrath of a cranky news director when things in the
newsroom are backed up, you'll understand why you should
try not to take too much of anyone's time. Before you
deign to dial the digits, you need to know: |
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WHO
you want to talk to
-AND -
WHAT you are going to say.
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Be prepared to leave a message with a receptionist if the
person you are trying to reach is not at his or her desk or
is screening calls. More importantly, be prepared to leave
a SHORT (about one minute), CLEAR message on voice mail telling
the person what you want and where and when they can reach
you.
In the event that you get straight through to the person you
are trying to reach, be sure to ask immediately:
"Is this a good time to talk?" If the answer is
"no," find out when would be good to call back and reassure
the person that you only need a few minutes of her or his
time.
And if you know any specific deadlines for the newsroom you
are contacting use common sense to avoid calling at peak hours
(i.e.: If Channel 7's evening broadcast begins at 6 p.m.,
don't call between 5 and 6 hoping to talk to an executive
producer).
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E-mail Etiquette
E-mail has become one of the most common communications tools
in today's business world. In 1996, approximately 37 million
workers in the United States used e-mail at the office, according
to the Electronic Messaging Association in Arlington, Virginia.
That number was expected to rise to 82 million by the end
of 1999. Newsrooms, where each days' paper, web-posting or
broadcast relies on the expedient transferal of information,
are increasingly reliant upon this revolutionary communications
tool. The relative newness of the medium, however, leaves
room for its users to surrender to confusion and error. Here
are a few tips that could lead to more effective communication.
1. Do not have an unprofessional e-mail
alias (name). Simply because you have a funny,
bizarre or random e-mail address does not mean that the name
that appears in your recipients' mailboxes has to reflect
it. You can easily change your e-mail alias by resetting the
properties on your mail account.
For users of Outlook
Express:
1. Open Outlook Express, and on the main screen, go to Tools/
Accounts/
2. Under the Internet Accounts pop up box, click on the tab
that says "Mail"
3. highlight the account you are using and click on "Properties"
4. Under "User information/ Name," type in your name as you
would like it to appear in recipients' inboxes. Note that
your alias (name) can be anything, but your e-mail address
must stay the same.
5. Click "Apply" and "Close."
For users of a Netscape Mail Client:
1. Open Netmail, and on the main screen, go to Edit/ Preferences
2. On the left-side folders list, choose "Mail & Groups"
3. Click on "Identity"
4. In the spot where it says "Your Name," type in your name
as you would like it to appear in recipients' inboxes. Note
that your alias (name) can be anything, but your e-mail address
must stay the same.
5. Click "OK."
2. Proofread!
Although e-mail is a casual, untraditional medium, you should
not treat e-mail communications casually. Use the spell check
function on your e-mail program or write your messages using
a word processing program and copy and paste them into messages.
3. Write clearly.
Sentences should be short and messages should be brief. The
purpose of e-mail is to save time, both your time and that
of your mail recipient. However, don't overdo it on brevity.
Although your time-strapped general manager may send you a
one-line message, you do not necessarily have the latitude
to dispense with all formalities. Also, you should generally
save humor and sarcasm for face-to-face interaction; when
taken the wrong way, well-intentioned e-mail jokes may actually
offend.
4. Recognize when e-mail is apropos.
NEVER write anything in an e-mail or letter that you wouldn't
feel confident saying to the recipients' face. E-mail is great
for making appointments, giving supervisors brief updates
on ongoing projects or addressing other non-controversial
subjects. However, for issues where emotion or dissatisfaction
are involved (ie: "I feel I am being exploited by the newsroom
staff and that I am not being amply compensated"), you should
talk to a manager face to face.
5. Recognize that e-mail leaves and "electronic
trail." NEVER write anything in an e-mail that
you'd be uncomfortable for a manager or other people in the
office to see. You have no way of ensuring that your e-mail
will not be read by someone other than your intended recipient.
Realize that deleting files on your own terminal does not
erase them from the larger system. E-mail is not a confidential
medium.
6. Use a clear subject line to emphasize
your topic.
Not only does this display your eye for detail and ability
to summarize, it may also aid your recipient in finding a
specific message from within a pile of old e-mails.
7. Check the recipient's preferred mode
of communication.
Despite e-mail's popularity, some people check their mailboxes
infrequently. Others have private mailboxes for pressing internal
matters and treat their public e-mail accounts as lesser priorities.
In such cases, you may be better off leaving a voice-mail
message.
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