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Communication Etiquette

While we might be used to texting or Whatsapping, when it comes to the world of work and uni you’ll need to communicate to other people in different ways. Here’s how: 

Emailing Someone

Find out who your email is for – if you aren’t sure many companies have contact details on their website.  If you can’t find this then you can begin the email with “To whom it may concern”. If you know the person’s name, make sure to spell it correctly or use the name they prefer to be known as (for example, if a person’s name is Christopher but they prefer to be called Chris, use Chris).

Something else to be mindful of when emailing employers lots of names can be used for different genders, so make sure not to assume that someone called Taylor is a man, or that someone named Aubrey is a woman. Email’s shouldn’t be too long in length, say what you need to say briefly. Nobody likes reading paragraphs upon paragraphs of text!

End the email with Regards, Kind Regards, Yours Sincerely, whatever you think suits best and your name. Leave other forms of contact if you won’t be able to access that email address for a reply.

Using the Phone

If you get nervous on the phone then you can have a script prepared for what you are going to say. You can rehearse this if you like. Make sure to have a pen and some paper nearby whenever on the phone to take down notes, numbers, etc. 

Introduce yourself on the phone when answering or if a call has been transferred to you. If someone has helped answer a question for you, remember to say thank you and always say goodbye at the end of a call!

If you are in a new job, ask to find out how the phone works, how to put the phone on hold, how to transfer a call to another phone, how to put it on speaker etc.

Face to Face

Face to face communication is one or thee not, most important forms of communication. It is extremely important to maintain high level of professionalism during business conversations. Address the other person with their proper name. Remember the name and do not ask the name repeatedly. 

Posture is key in a face to face meeting as you a representing yourself and the business you work for. Make sure you are not slouching or fidgeting a lot as this can become distracting to the others in the meeting. Foul language should never be on the mind in a professional face to face meeting as you are representing a business, stick to the subject of the meeting and do not drift off to general chit chat to the other members of the meeting, only do this is there is time after the meeting

Sending Letters

Write the name and the address on the recipient on the front of the envelope. If you already have stamps then the stamp goes in the top right hand corner of the front of the envelope. You can put a return address (yours/your company’s/etc) on the back and the post office will send your letter back if it wasn’t delivered to the recipient.

If you already have your envelope stamped then just pop it into your nearest Post Box. If not, pop into your Post Office who will calculate the cost of posting your letter/package. They’ll also ask if you want to send it first or second class. First means they aim to deliver it within the next working day, second means they aim to deliver it within 2-3 working days. If your letter contains expensive/important things there are different versions of recorded delivery you can use to make sure it’s delivered to the right person – plus some offer compensation if anything happens to your package. 

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