Emails, Your Manager, Your Team and Customers
On this page 9 headings
Start here You can see the email ID of every person in your company — even the CEO’s. Does that mean you should copy them all? No! One wrong “To:” list can tell everyone that you have poor judgment.
5. Sending emails
Email is one of the main ways to communicate at work. Follow three rules.
Rule 1: Carefully decide the list of recipients
Recipients are the people you send the email to.
| ✗ Don’t | ✓ Do |
|---|---|
| Send the message to every higher authority whose email ID you can find. | Take the time to find the appropriate person, and send it only to them. |
Just because an email ID is easy to add does not mean it is correct to add it. Sending to everyone shows very poor judgment, and that impression sticks to you.
Lecture example — course registration problem A university has many wings: research, academics, hostel, food, maintenance and more. A course registration problem should go to the academic person who handles it — not to the hostel, not to the food team, and not straight to the director.
Escalation — if the right person does not reply: 1. Wait some time. 2. Send a reminder. 3. If it is urgent, write to the next higher person: “Sir/Madam, I tried reaching X, but I am running out of time. I request you to please intervene.”
This shows you used good judgment first.
Rule 2: Formal emails are not social media messages
| ✗ Don’t | ✓ Do |
|---|---|
| Use emojis and abbreviations freely | Write complete sentences and convey ideas without scope for misunderstanding |
Complete sentences does not mean long paragraphs. Write 3–4 clear sentences, not 4–5 words with an emoji.
Rule 3: Formal emails need to be well structured
Social media has made us impatient: 5-second videos, half-sentence messages. Don’t bring that habit into formal emails.
| ✗ Don’t | ✓ Do |
|---|---|
| (to the Dean) “Where can I get library card?” | Dear Sir/Madam, I am new to campus and am unable to access the library. Please let me know the procedure to get a library card. Regards, Name and Roll number |
A good email has: 1. a greeting (Dear Sir/Madam, Dear Professor …) 2. your situation (why you are asking — “I am new to campus”) 3. your request (“Please let me know the procedure…”) 4. a sign-off with your name and ID (Regards, Name, Roll number)
A one-line email without structure feels rude.
In one line: Send emails only to the right person, in complete sentences, with a greeting, situation, request and sign-off. Exam words: list of recipients, escalation, reminder, complete sentences, no emojis, well structured.
6. Communicating with your manager
Formal emails should stay formal.
| ✗ Don’t | ✓ Do |
|---|---|
| Fill messages with personal comments about people (“he is temperamental”, “she talks too much”) | Give clear reports of work done and a projection of what to expect next |
Office communication is not for gossip. You are not there to judge others.
Lecture example — the 4 o’clock report “As discussed yesterday, I tested our product at the setting we decided, one setting higher and one setting lower. Please find the graph attached. It works well at the decided and higher settings, but not at the lower setting. My plan for tomorrow: change two components that I believe are causing the problem, test again at the low setting, and update you.”
A busy manager can read this in a minute and know exactly where things stand.
In one line: Tell your manager what you did and what you will do next — no personal comments. Exam words: formal, no personal comments, clear report, work done, projection.
7. Communicating with the team you lead
| ✗ Don’t | ✓ Do |
|---|---|
| Believe that fiery (angry, harsh) messages make people work better | Set clear expectations and deadlines |
Some managers think being rude and scary makes people work harder. It may work in the short run, because people fear losing their job. But in the long run, it damages the team and the organisation.
Instead, say clearly what you need and by when. For example: “Your report was not clear. In two lines, tell me what you did today and what you plan for tomorrow. Please send it within the next hour.”
In one line: Lead with clear expectations and deadlines, not fear. Exam words: fiery messages, short term vs long term, clear expectations, deadlines.
8. Communicating with a customer
Be the service you would like to see. Think of how you feel as a customer — a late flight, a rude taxi driver, cold food, torn cinema seats. You already know what good and bad service feels like.
| ✗ Don’t | ✓ Do |
|---|---|
| Argue with the customer, since it is important to win arguments | Be clear on what you can do for the customer, and do it politely. Be careful what you write, since you are representing an organisation. |
- Show that you understand the customer’s problem. This does not mean you blindly agree.
- If you cannot help, say sorry clearly. Some companies even let you suggest another option, even a competitor — it depends on your organisation’s culture.
- Never send rude, dismissive or abusive messages. That is why customer calls are “recorded for quality purposes”.
In one line: Treat customers the way you like to be treated, because you represent your organisation. Exam words: be the service you would like to see, don’t argue, be clear, be polite, representing an organisation.
Summary of the lecture
- Communication is about the message and about you. “My chair is broken” sent to the right person, the right way, also says: good judgment, patient, does homework.
- Your organisation is impacted by your communication. Companies work with many partners. Good communication gets the product out on time — and partners may even praise you to your CEO.
- Your career is impacted by your communication. People remember: “Preety’s updates are always clear.”
But communication cannot replace work. If someone (like “Rakesh”) writes beautiful messages but does no real work, people find out. Do good work, and communicate it well.