Is email best for every situation? Maybe sometimes putting
pen to paper or picking up the phone is more effective? The experts weight in
on when to go electronic and when to go “old school”
Career
Tlhoriso Audrey Sepenyane is a psychologist and HR
consultant who runs her own practice in Benoni, Gauteng.
The scenario: Hunting for a job
Website:
healthbridge.za.net
Reach out with confidence
The world is moving from hard-copy to electronic
transactions.
With that, email has become one of the most common
communication tools used in business. It’s largely acceptable and convenient.
But then using email to job search, it’s important that you
stay professional. Be aware of your language usage: just because it’s email
doesn’t mean you can use acronyms or slang. Also double-check your spelling.
Indicate exactly why you’re sending the email and create a
clear subject line. Make sure to copy and paste your résumé’s cover letter into
the email message.
Follow-ups can also be done using email, but make sure to
include full, sensible sentences.
Some people send their CV’s via hard copy and email but
there’s no need for this duplication.
However, it’s a matter of choice, so call and ask the
employer what form of résumé they’d prefer
Entertainment
Edith Venter is a Johannesburg-based businesswoman and owner
of events company Edith Unlimited.
The scenario: Hosting a party
Edith Venter
Make guests feel special
As an events coordinator, I know that the invitation sets
the tone for the event.
We live in a world of technology so emailed invitations have
become acceptable. It also makes it a lot easier to follow up on RSVPs. If,
however, you’re having a personal function or a birthday party then you may
want a printed invitation. This will make your guests feel special and welcome.
For an event such as a wedding, I prefer to do printed
invitations and have them hand-delivered where possible, which adds a romantic
touch.
Yet this is also budget dependent, so whichever you choose
make sure the invitation matches the theme of your party.
If I’ve invited guests to my home for a dinner party and
they arrive with flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine, it’s perfectly
acceptable to SMS or email them the next day to thank them. However, if the
event is a more personal or private affair and a guest gives you a gift, it’s
always good manners to respond with a thank-you note, either by email or
handwritten, the very next day.
Friends and family
Shelley Lewin is an internationally and locally qualified
life and relationship coach based in Cape Town. She’s the author of the blog
relationshipcoach.blog.com
The scenario: Keeping in touch
Shelley Lewin
Stay connected
Due to our frenetic lives we’ve convinced ourselves that if
we connect on social networks or online, it’s enough.
It’s ironic that the technology that lets us be more
connected runs the risk of substituting real relationships with electronic
ones. These may keep us updated with daily details but digital communication is
less intimate as it’s impersonal and informal. It’s important to balance our
communication and also connect with loved ones in person.
Real-life relationships require social skills. To build
these relationships requires us to be empathic and to read body language. The
less face-to-face time we spend with each other, the more isolated we become.
When electronic relationships replace real-life ones, we find ourselves lonely
despite our 500 “friends”.
Some relationships need less of our time, others need more.
But any quality relationship is the reward we get for investing time and
attention in it.
Regardless of the method of communication, the degree to
which we share our innermost thoughts lends a relationship its meaningfulness.
“Digital communication is impersonal. It’s important to
balance our communication and connect with loved ones in person” – Shelley
Lewin, life and relationship coach.
