This article attempts to highlight the manner in which people use e-mail as the prime medium of communication and suggests steps that need to be kept in mind for writing better e-mails. Email communication is one area in organizational communication that has in recent times assumed importance of a greater kind. It has become the biggest boon to our productivity because we can use it anytime we want. Yet sadly, e-mail also has become our bane. Abuse of e-mail has begun to clutter our minds with the trivial, the offensive, lengthily written messages in the stream-of- consciousness style, and the flames that get sent either deliberately or due to lack of knowledge of e-mail etiquette. Communication is not message sent, but message that is perceived and understood by the receiver. Meaning of a message is not in the mind of the sender, it is in the mind of the receiver. More often than not, the sender of the message forgets this crucial link between himself/herself and the receiver of the message.

The ability to communicate effectively is a vital aspect of soft skills repertoire. Effective communication is essential for transference of messages within and outside an organization. Poor communication can lead either to loss of messages and hence wastage of time or to inaccurate decisions, all culminating into business losses.

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