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If you're an e-mail kamikaze, risking your own life every time you touch the keyboard, it's time to do something about it. In our series of articles, we will give you a chance to learn about e-mailing culture and, hopefully, to become an e-mail ninja - a (wo)man who has mastered the complex art of writing electronic letters.

Let's start with the famous "why?". Why are you busy writing another email? Why do you reply to all of these, sometimes mundane and repetitive, messages? Why do you even click "send"? Think of how powerful your emails could be if you spent a minute or two thinking of what you want to achieve. Think of the choice of words, think of the emotions you might generate, the actions you can cause. Being reflective in that very field may reap fantastic benefits.

So what are the goals of the emails we write? Let's face it, we either provide information or request it. Nevertheless, does it mean our emails boil down to exchanging data? There's more to it than meets the eye. Messaging may basically be a means of keeping in touch with your friends, communicating with customers or supervisors, applying for a job, internship or scholarship, asking for feedback or even being a follow-up after a meeting, lesson or job interview. Millions of purposes translate into millions of ways of writing. Therefore, it's worth remembering that your goals should affect the means.

Secondly, let's talk engagement. The urban legend says that the e-mail era is long gone and it's time for more interactive solutions. We couldn't agree more that for longer conversations, the latest cutting-edge tools could only be an advantage. However, could you imagine your work without Outlook or any other e-mail solution? Yes, neither can we. When you ask yourself the "why" question, you should know what reaction you want to evoke in the receiver. It's a myth that e-mails can't be engaging - it's up to you whether they are (or if they bore the receiver to death). Numerous decisions decide about that. All of them result in what we like to call "Email Culture".

Let's take an example of Donald's e-mail seppuku:

To: Hillary

From: Donald

Subject: Budget issues help needed

Dear hillary,

I would like to kindly ask you about the issue that we talk about 2,5 weeks ago and had great fun. As you know, we have to establish that ASAP. But I don't know how. Could you be kind and give assistance, support and help? ? ? ? Amb btw, how is Tom doing? Still having these wife problems?

It would be great to start and decide something about the budget. Maybe we could meet some day? I have some time but then am off to holiday.

Br,

Donald

Let's think - how would you respond to Donald's e-mail? Would you know what the main topic is? What impression does it make on you? What would you think of the author? Do you know what Hillary needs to do and when? How do you like to style?

Being an e-mail ninja means awareness. Taking care of an email culture takes some effort, too: being productive, quick, obtaining what you want, simultaneously keeping the standard and style that everybody can admire are some of the requirements. We are going to discuss them in greater detail throughout this series. We will talk about the issues that "best practices" don't cover. Why? Because we would like you to be confident, comfortable and good at what you do. We would like you to become Email Ninjas.

Follow our regular publications for more know-how.

Want immediate assistance? Contact Language Extreme at ninja@languageextreme.pl

We'll rush to help you and your email, not necessarily in this order. Connect here or here to stay tuned!

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[E-mail Ninja]: Wanna be? | Language Extreme

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If you're an e-mail kamikaze, risking your own life every time you touch the keyboard, it's time to do something about it. In our series of articles, we will give you a chance to learn about e-mailing culture and, hopefully, to become an e-mail ninja - a (wo)man who has mastered the complex art of ...

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In the flood of emails received every day, once in a while, we will get one that sticks out like an eyesore. Remember this? Writing emails is not a skill that everyone has mastered. Before getting to the keyboard, make sure you avoid the following seven fatal mistakes.

Don't misspell. No excuse for that in the world of online dictionaries and apps checking your spelling, grammar and punctuation. A spell check does not hurt - especially if it's as good as , for instance. All in all, there's a moral dimension to this, too: each time you write "your" instead of "you're", a baby panda dies! Or somebody else might, if you give them a palpitating rollercoaster of a read. In a moment of absolute doubt, email your correspondence to check@languageextreme.pl We will be gentle, promise. If you see a horror of a mistake in your incoming correspondence, hand the culprit our business card, we will deal with them nicely.

Don't go crazy with fonts. Comic Sans is for comics only, end of. Thou shall not use it. Ever. You would not wear a pink frock to a funeral, would you? If you want to be seen as a professional, always stick to professional tools and formats. The trick with an email is to make the content exciting, not the packaging. Do not distract the addressee from the message you have created with purple Lucida.

Don't yell. It will not make things go faster just because you keep the caps lock permanently on. If the key is stuck with a Dorito, remove it, the Dorito that is, not the key. Using capitals not only shows lack of respect, but also shows that you stress out quickly and cannot control your anger. If it is a matter of urgency, call your guys, but never rush them with capitals. It is a failed strategy, and an ugly one at that.

Don't mistreat. Ya wanna live? Remember who you are dealing with! If every email exchange is an act of building - and managing - relationships, it is essential to take care of whoever your addressee might be. How to do this? Take care of the tone. Do not be stiff or overly formal, make sure you keep the email personal but stay away from smileys (especially those unusual pictograms like aubergines ?). Keep the tone of your message in line with your relationship to the recipient - adequate, kind, and caring.Title like a pro. Imagine you're the one to read your own email. Would you pay attention to the subject line? Hell yeah! It'd be the first thing to attract your attention and make you read it, or to find it absolutely irrelevant. Thus, you'd better make your title brief and informative. No confusion needed here. Make use of square brackets for the main point, as in the following example:

Subject: [Email Ninja] How to title like a pro.

If you expect the recipient to check your presentation or do some proofreading, make them aware of that immediately.

Subject: [Email Ninja] Presentation to check

Should you want anyone to act immediately, flag your message or add a proper description to the title.

Subject: [Email Ninja] Some urgent questions

Don't overspace. As you know, reading is a structured process. We move from word to word, sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph. Each stands separately to mean something individual. Remember then: a paragraph takes more than a line. Why do you keep writing one-sentence paragraphs then? Are they actually paragraphs? Are they informative enough?

What's more, if you eventually write a full-length paragraph, don't overspace, please. Five lines between sentences are not liberating, but ugly. Overspacing does not look neat and might frustrate the reader at once.

Don't overinvest. Yet another email to reply gives you a sleepless night? Do you sit on your answers for hours? Get your act together! Don't procrastinate or waste time overthinking what to write and how to write it. Don't browse the Internet for more inspiration. Approaching an email is not a time-consuming process one needs to divide into a couple of phases and sweat over tortuously. Why don't you approach it in a more natural way? It's a part of your work routine, not a Goliath that you, David, gotta fight against. Do your best to develop good habits. Our Language Extreme training in communication will make it easier for you to write quickly and neatly.

You know the rules already. Now it's high time you put them into practice. Want to be an Email Ninja? Follow our regular publications for more know-how.

Oh, should you need immediate assistance, don't hesitate to contact us. We'll rush to help you and your email, not necessarily in this order.

Contact Language Extreme at ninja@languageextreme.pl

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[E-mail Ninja]: 7 Don'ts | Language Extreme

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In the flood of emails received every day, once in a while, we will get one that sticks out like an eyesore. Remember this? Writing emails is not a skill that everyone has mastered. Before getting to the keyboard, make sure you avoid the following seven fatal mistakes. Don't misspell.

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Of course it is, you silly! Being "painfully polite", also known as politosis, is a common emailing illness that reduces the emailer's resistance to bullshit, and slowly kills efficiency. It's good to avoid it, if you want your correspondence to look splendid.

One thing is your image. Rule number one of aggressive profiteering is: politeness makes you soft. There's more to it, though. When you try to be extremely kind, you might sound insecure rather than confident. Sometimes that's the exact opposite of what you want to be. Planning a career, right? Want to be a big boss, right? Going crazy on your polite notes will help, but only at times. You should be perceived as an expert at what you do, not as an eager beginner.

Another aspect is relationships. Many new hires are afraid of using their colleagues' first names, for instance. They believe that it is rude to be on a first-name basis with unknown person or their boss. We know that so well, don't we? Instead of getting to the point, we pluck up our courage to even get in touch with this big fish. Slows you down, doesn't it? While gradual development of our friendliness with people is a natural process, the keeping of formal, linguistic boundaries - is a cultural one. If you want to be smooth, use formality in a smart way.

In the email context, this means a couple of things. For instance, you do not have to reply to every "thanks" email to show that you are more thankful for "thank you" email than your colleague. Respect your own time! Look at this, for example:

MONICA:
Dear John, It was extremely nice to meet you. I hope you are doing well. 🙂 Let me know if you have more questions.
Best regards,
Monica

JOHN:
Dear Monica,
We are even more delighted to meet you, too! You are such a great person. 🙂 We cannot wait to meet you again. I am personally very grateful for the opportunity.
Best wishes,
John

MONICA:
Hi, John,
Oh please... you made me blush like a paprika 😀
Best regards,
M.

JOHN:
Hi, It's nothing but the truth 🙂
Best regards,
J.

MONIKA:
Oh, thank you so much, you are a true gentleman.
With the very best wishes,
M.

JOHN:
Not at all, you deserve it all. Thanks a lot for the compliment, though.
Yours,
J.

Looks romantic, sure. How much time does it take off your calendar, though! Of course, it is very nice when someone appreciates you or your job but after the fifteenth e-mail like this, you will feel dizzy and lose these precious minutes. Plus, you don't want people to think you're obsessed about them, do you?

Instead of writing "thank you" three hundred seventy-eight times use one fixed phrase "thank you in advance". It is easy, comfortable and efficient! If one example is not enough, let's try with "I appreciate your help". It may be used if you are asking for assistance and you are pretty sure that your collocutor is going to help you because your working cooperation is in process. Of course, there is one exception. This rule does not apply only if you are talking to your own grandma. In this particular case you can be extremely polite and no one will blame you on it.

Length. I know that asking for a favour might be a bit unpleasant but writing "I'm sorry, I was wondering, if you could perhaps consider offering assistance in the scope of activities related to our business, if it is not a problem, of course", is a bit odd, isn't it? So many words and too little content. Your recipient will drop dead before they finish the sentence. There is nothing bad in asking for help, but try to make it smart. Why not try some of these options? To be simple, go with:

"Could you help me with..."

"Could you give me a hand with this?"

"Would you mind helping me?"

"Could you do me a favour?"

"I'm wondering if you could help me with...".

It's time to pick your favourite expression. Go ahead and be effectively polite!
For more articles on powerful emailing, visit our Linkedin / Facebook profile regularly. If you would like to share your thoughts, write a comment or contact us at ninja@languageextreme.pl

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[E-mail Ninja]: Polite as Hell | Language Extreme

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Is it possible to be too polite with your emails? Of course it is, you silly! Being "painfully polite", also known as politosis, is a common emailing illness that reduces the emailer's resistance to bullshit, and slowly kills efficiency. It's good to avoid it, if you want your correspondence to look splendid.

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If you live in constant fear of being watched, you've probably figured out that pimples and CCTV are a big scare. And so are mobile cameras and microphones. In a world like this, rules are simple: You want to be seen? Show yourself well. Talking to your boss? Look as smart as he does. Getting married? Best bib and tucker's a must!

We chicken out of big occasions if we're not feeling just about perfect. We don't get a photoshoot in our salivated-on pyjamas. Nobody here at Language Extreme meets a customer after a big work-out sweat, until properly showered, perfumed, and blessed by Kors and Versace. Image matters, right?

If it indeed does, think of your emails - don't they show you to the world? Don't they reveal a most personal image of who you are - at least in a given context?

Email correspondence speaks volumes. Read your emails and you will surely know so much about the people you write with. Not because they say too much to all and sundry, but because text is a fingerprint that codes information on so many subjects. If you have corresponded for months, your recipients have already built a portrait of who you are, even if you have never met face to face. They most likely know a lot about the following:

Your time management skills (Do you respond in a timely manner? Do you spend enough time on key messages? Do your emails look hurried? Are you still at work at midnight? Or do you, like myself, wake up at 4:00 a.m.?)

Your expertise (Do you use vocabulary that reflects your competences and education? Do you answer questions in an exhaustive manner? Do you often ask for time to consult colleagues?)

Your grasp of language (Do you care about grammar, spelling and punctuation rules of whatever language you correspond in? Are your messages concise, well phrased and juicy? How accurate are they? Do you, like Donald, avoid words longer than 3 syllables?)

Your position and relationships with colleagues (Do you CC every email to your boss just to be on the safe side? Do you care about what your emails look like from your team's perspective? Do you declare in a preaching tone or do you perhaps prefer to ask?)

Your attitude (Do you reply to help, or to play the ball? Do you build relationships, or give info? Do you write to facilitate understanding or to entrench yourself?)

Your holiday (Have you reviewed your footer for information on planned absences? What does your autoresponder say about your trips abroad?)

That's plenty of detail, much of which is strongly related to our careers and private lives. Do you want your emails to show what they really do? What image do you want to build, specifically? Would you prefer to read bossy, concise and demanding? Or perhaps a welcoming, sympathetic, inventive attitude would suit your needs more? If you want to determine your emailing style and be in control, think of some strategic decisions that affect your email identity:

You have skipped the "dear" a number of times, haven't you? You've moved to the point, and didn't think it necessary to get a personal, direct, warm word anywhere in there, right? That's fair in a hectic world, sure. But think of how much your partners like to know you are writing TO THEM. Use their names, add interpersonal power to make your recipients feel they're your best pals. Even if it's not yet the case.

Nothing happens if there's no "I'm writing to...". Miracles happen if you include an opening phrase of this sort. Clarity is increased, your purpose is stated, order is established, readers get happier with every word. A lead-in organizes content and focuses attention. When these goals are achieved, you can develop your argumentation in whatever follows.

The absence thereof shall inevitably result in a radical diminution in respect of the above mentioned excess of interpersonal borders. See? Too much is too much. And yeah, we love to be direct and super clear. Want to know why? Try to make friends with: "Could you take you a look at...?" rather than "Would you perhaps be willing to consider taking a look at...?" and you will see for yourself. Emailing culture is born of respect of rules, and of clever attempts to break away from convention.

It is a feature of great emailers that they deliberately check their correspondence for mistakes, redundancies, and general nonsense. They think of structure, correctness, and necessity. If you want your message to have impact, read it yourself first, and think of what you get. It is best to have second opinion, too. Especially when the thing's big. If you don't think you can bother your colleagues to have your emails corrected, sign up for our Document Check and send your writing to check@languageextreme.pl

Human beings love to be included. Team members, too, on condition that they need it. If you have just CCed everyone at work just in case they are interested, somebody's bound to think you are hyperactive, incompetent or a bootlicker.

We have seen them, haven't we? Email footers are artistic objects - fruits of a creative process. They often draw readers' attention away from the content of the message, though. Make them simple and original, and they will communicate effectively to whoever is with you in the digital world.

A large territory - that's what emails are. If you want to build your competences and make sure you are a champion at Powerful Emailing, read our next articles. Want real, live experience? Contact Language Extreme at ninja@languageextreme.pl

Connect here or here to stay tuned!

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[E-mail Ninja] Your email identity | Language Extreme

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If you live in constant fear of being watched, you've probably figured out that pimples and CCTV are a big scare. And so are mobile cameras and microphones. In a world like this, rules are simple: You want to be seen? Show yourself well. Talking to your boss?

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The word "negotiation" usually connects to sales talks, to making the most out of a situation, and perhaps to the fear of being intimidated by the other party. That's what I've learnt while conducting classes with customers from various businesses. Yes, people usually get easily terrified with the n-word. But they shouldn't be! While watching the first episode of the new craze - BBC's Bodyguard, I realized that we've got it all wrong, and that negotiating happens much more often than behind the glass walls of the conference room. We can learn a lot from the main character of this splendid TV series.

If you have had an opportunity to see the first episode, and the scene where David Budd, a police sergeant, convinces the female-bomber, Nadia, to give up on her mission, you probably get the idea that negotiations do not always have to "intimidate" the other side. It would be more about establishing the bond. If David Budd reacted as a cold-blooded sales person, with a poker face, then... the show wouldn't be about him. It would end pretty quickly. There are several aspects of the scene that made me rethink the whole negotiation process and encourage others to head towards this way of discussions.

1. Watch Your Tone

The first thing that struck me was the tone of David's voice when he says these words of greeting. In that nerve-racking situation, being calm was a necessity. However, David took it to another level. Not only did he remain calm but also, he expressed his emotions, knowing perfectly well how to show them. You see, the poker face works when it protects you from showing what you really think. Luckily, if you're fluent in analyzing body language, you can detect the thoughts of your interlocutor. BUT! If you're cold as ice, how could you establish a rapport, which is so desperately needed in long-term talks? You've probably heard before that negotiations should be all about cultivating the relation.

2. State your intentions and find the common ground

I just want to talk, that's all.

Says David with his lovely Scottish accent. Scared as hell, he proceeds to state his intentions, and presents all the possible options to the bomber-to-be. Stop there. He presents all the possible options, widening Nadia's point of view, and getting her attention away from her goal.

However, the question arises - is activating the explosives her real goal? Let's imagine - you get into the train, open the loo, and there she is, ready with her fancy explosives. Personally? I would panic, of course (yes, that's why I'm a linguist, not working as an armed officer), and the last thing that the survival instinct would tell me would be: "Look at her, does she REALLY want to bomb the train?". Never. Yet, David has the ability to re-analyze her behavior and be bold enough to confirm her REAL goal. Which would be staying alive, avoiding the punishment from her husband. Cool, huh? Now, let's translate this situation into our negation question. How many times have you come to a discussions with a ready vision, assuming you know what the interlocutors desire? Either you were well-prepared, trying to foresee the possible scenarios and chose the most probable one, or spontaneously, you hung onto one cue that in your opinion stated the others' intentions. The third possibility is that you re-analyzed the situation by asking powerful questions, observing the context, and then you drew conclusions. Stick to the third one. It will help you in directing the convo later on. Well, it worked for David, and the rest of the train.

As you have established the other side's goals, now you want to specify your intentions, if that's possible. For what? For the sake of the rapport. Remember that we mostly fear what we don't know. The feeling of comfort comes when we realize what the boundaries are, and how much we can rely on the other person. Do exactly that. Utopian? Not if you try to do it in a smart way. Leave a margin of doubt, keep one argument for yourself just in case but always try to make the other side feel comfortable.

3. Small Talk Helps

Small talk, a phenomenon studied by the Polish anthropologist, Bronisław Malinowski, is so hated yet salvific. David proceeds with introducing the emotional factor, talking about his kids (spoiler alert: seemed like a good idea, right?), trying to keep the contact with the bomber-to-be non-stop. Do that. I mean nourishing the contact, not keeping it with the bomber. If you start from business topics, and end on that then the only connection between you and the interlocutor will be... yes, business. However, if you try to treat the other as a partner to talk, the chances of establishing rapport and making your life easier are higher. Just don't push it. Silence is awkward but weird small talk can be even worse.

4. Relate

... for what? Nothing. Politicians; cowards and liars (...) but you and I? We're just collateral damage. Don't let them win, Nadia.

That's it. Bullseye! In this situation, David showed that he and Nadia are not so different. In fact, they're in the same boat. That's relatability. If you are able to find a common point, story or goal for both, you show relatability which boosts your possibilities to close the deal. That's simple yet moves mountains. The bottom line is that without common understanding, you will never succeed in a long term. I would even risk stating that you won't succeed at all!

5. Talk that Talk

I'm not going anywhere. Stay right here.

Remember what I wrote about making the other side comfortable? Show your devotion, engagement and the side you're on. Switching sides, changing decisions constantly without a given reason will only show that you're a non-trustworthy partner. And, I don't want to count how many times it happens in business negotiations... or in your private life. It's pretty obvious that if the other side has no certainty of what to expect, they won't risk too much, and either close the basic deal very soon, without any prospect for the future talks or will simply leave the discussions. Coherence is everything. Do what you promise; make sure they know, you've got their backs.

Do remember that even if you are the one who's "in power" and show it by intimidating the others, you might get what you want this time but the future rapport could be out of question. (By the way, if you think that all depends on you, you might want to rethink your mindset!) Fruitful cooperation does not emerge in the feeling of fear. Nor does openness and honesty. Take an example from David. In Nadia's eyes, he risked being shot by his own people, and showed her support till the very end. Now, let's mention Newton. Yes, Isaac Newton and the third law of motion. In short; to every action, there's always opposed equal reaction, so if you go with cutting corners and cunning - be ready for consequences.

That's it. These are the general lessons that you can learn from only 6 minutes of the first Bodyguard episode. There's no need to panic, right? Negotiation should be a two-way conversation in which you would be able to convince the bomber-to-be not to activate the explosives.

Enjoyed it? Share it! If you want to know more about what we do, go to our Facebook page or website. And come back for further articles from the team of Language Extreme!

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what can bodyguard teach us about negotiation?

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What Can Bodyguard Teach Us About Negotiation? | Language Extreme

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The word "negotiation" usually connects to sales talks, to making the most out of a situation, and perhaps to the fear of being intimidated by the other party. That's what I've learnt while conducting classes with customers from various businesses. Yes, people usually get easily terrified with the n-word.

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expo abroad? fairs or a conference? here’s how to communicate your message in a business trip.

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Expo abroad? Fairs or a conference? Here's how to communicate your message in a business trip. | Language Extreme

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