News | Communication Events Diary — What’s Happening on the Business Front october
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Business Writing — EMA
Communicating properly is vital in the workplace and there are a million ways to y da es Tu get it wrong. This seminar will help you to get it right. To register visit www.emacentral.org.nz october
18
Issues Election Forum — Wellington Chamber of Commerce
Main party candidates in the three Wellington city seats of Ohariu, Rongotai and Wellington Central have been invited to present their opinions on issues impacting on the city and the business community in particular. To register visit www.wecc.org.nz Tuesday
october
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The Cloud-Based Business Toolkit — Mohawk Media
Improve communication, collaboration and increase productivity with a cloudbased business toolkit. To register visit www.mohawkmedia.co.nz Saturday
october
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Employer Workshop — IRD
This workshop is a hands-on interactive session where Wednesday participants learn how to complete a mock monthly wage summary for two employees, calculate PAYE and other deductions, and file employer monthly returns online. Ideal for sole traders, partnerships and other small businesses. To register, www.ird.govt.nz november
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Networking — Wellington Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber Business Networking Forum is a ay sd ne Wed boardroom style gathering aimed at developing relationships with Chamber members and business leaders. To register visit www.wecc.org.nz november
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Intergen — Pimp Your Sales Process and Profits
tours to experience local culture. For more information, www.satwnewzealand.com november
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Social Media: Bringing the Conversation Back to your Business — EMA
Online media is highly relevant in today’s business environment. Existing and emerging online technology is changing how we reach out to and engage our customers and stakeholders. For more information visit www.emacentral.org.nz Thursday
november
15
How To Be a Trainer — EMA
This seminar is to assist those who have responsibility for training staff but have not Tuesday had any formal assistance in understanding how people learn. To register visit www.emacentral.org.nz
Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce — 2011 Business Awards Gala Dinner ay Wednesd
november
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A celebration of the Hutt Valley’s best businesses; categories consist of innovation, exporting, not for profit, manufacturing, small business, professional services, retail/hospitality, trade services and sustainability. For more information, visit www.hutt-chamber.org.nz november
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This conference, starting Thursday, November 19 and continuing to November 25, will be one of the largest and most important spatial events in Australasia. It will bring together the disciplines, sectors and user groups in an unprecedented all-ofindustry event. For more information, visit www.sssc2011.org/ Thursday
november
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november
Networking Event — Wellington Chamber of Commerce
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Monday
Society of American Travel Writers Convention — Tourism New Zealand, Positively Wellington
More than 500 members of the Society of American Travel Writers will be in Wellington to participate in
If you would like to feature a business related event in this diary, email newsroom@academy.net.nz at least two months before the date of the event.
16 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz
… the top 10 tips about business email etiquette …
Surveying and Spatial Sciences —Conference 2011
The Chamber Business Tuesday Making every sale count Networking Forum is a is important — and even Thursday boardroom style gathering aimed more so in a tight economy. at developing your business relationships With increased competition, informed with other chamber members and business customers and numerous external pressures, leaders. To register visit www.wecc.org.nz salespeople need to use whatever tools they can to make the difference. To register visit november Annual Conference — National Digital Forum www.intergen.co.nz The National Digital Forum november Engaging Employees (NDF) is a coalition of libraries, y da es Tu — EMA archives, museums, galleries, There is clear and mounting government departments, and other evidence that high levels Friday organisations and individuals working to get of employee engagement New Zealand’s culture and heritage online correlates to individual, group and and accessible to all. It’s an opportunity to corporate performance in areas such discuss the issues and opportunities that are as retention, turnover, productivity, shaping our future. For more information customer service and loyalty. To register visit http://ndf.natlib.govt.nz visit www.emacentral.org.nz
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Making sense
By Bridget Gourlay
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Err on the side of formality. For example, begin an email with ‘Good morning’ instead of ‘Hi’ and titles and last names instead of first names unless you know the person fairly well. Better to be known as polite than forward.
Put an introductory sentence at the
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start of an email, reminding the recipient of who you are and why you are emailing. Even if you just spoke with them a few hours ago, they may receive a hundred emails a day and will appreciate the quick reminder. Or they might need clarification when re-reading it a week or so later.
If you want to be taken seriously,
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ensure the email has no grammatical and spelling errors. This simply means you run the spell check and read over it before it is sent. It’s really easy to accidently forget a punctuation mark or for the autocorrect to change an error into a different word.
Your email must make sense. Write clearly, to the point, and re-read it before you send it. This saves a lot of guesswork at the recipient’s end and nips any miscommunications in the bud.
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Make sure there is nothing that
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could be read inappropriately, ie a comment that could be seen as sexist or racist. Save the jokes for your friends and keep it polite.
Make sure your full contact numbers are beneath your email address so you can be reached.
Use paragraphs for a longer email.
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A massive single block of text can be overwhelming and vital information or key points can get lost in the crowd.
Always check the recipient. Sending the wrong email to the wrong person has sunk plenty of careers. Always check who’s receiving it, whether it is one person or many.
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Make sure you have attached the document. It’s easy to forget but for the person urgently waiting for it at the other end, it can be very frustrating if you forget to send it.
Don’t send enormous files that clog up an inbox unless the recipient really needs it.