Reviewed by: Tan Chee Teik

MANY of us read and write countless E-mails and letters each working day. How many mistakes do we make? Are we writing in such a way that our correspondence gets results? This book will show you how to rapidly transform basic writing skills into global communications expertise.

The author has sprinkled good advice in the various chapters of the book. Baude says that the quickest way to find errors in your E-mail is to consult the copy of the E-mail you've already sent. Once the pressure to send is off, you see the E-mail badly, for what it's worth.

When we're banging out an E-mail, we tend to type too fast. We read too fast. We proof too fast. Our dyslexia, corrective lenses, and lack of sleep get the better of us. We can type our professional E-mails by:

• Changing the fonts of the E-mail to see the contents afresh when we edit and revise
• Printing out a hard copy for a second reading, and
• Reading the E-mail aloud so that the ear can hear errors that the eyes can't see

The author advises writers to keep the E-mail tone informal and professional. In today's climate, straightforward communication is prized because it saves time.

The goal of business writing is to be friendly and direct. The people you do business with usually take for granted that you are a pleasant person who knows what you are doing. You can maintain that opinion simply by ensuring that your E-mails are direct to the point.

The book contains many model letters and E-mails and tools that the reader can use. The reader need not read the chapters sequentially, he can use the book as a reference when he is stuck with how to handle a delicate situation.