Email Etiquette

The following tips will make your electronic communication a more effective and pleasant experience for both you and your intended recipients.

  • Be concise and to the point. Use a separate paragraph for each point
  • When responding to e-mail, answer all questions, and try to preempt further question in your response.
  • Do not attach unnecessary files of graphics
  • Use the subject field to provide a relevant description of your e-mail or a description of the attached files(s) (e.g. “3rd Quarter Region 3 Sales Results”)
  • Summarise the content of your e-mail in the first paragraph
  • Avoid misusing the “Reply to all” feature. Reply to only those who need to know
  • Do not “Reply with History” unless necessary. However, if replying without history, provide more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. The receiver of the reply may need a bit more information to recall the content of the original message.
  • Break the pattern. If a message exceeds three replies, resolve the issue by phone
  • Avoid cc’ing people unless they must know, or must be involved. For example, avoid cc’ing people when the e-mail does not require them to take an action.
  • When sending to more than three or four people, place the list of e-mail addresses in the BCC: field. The recipients will not be able to “reply to all” or see the e-mail aggresses of other recipients
  • Do not use CAPITAL LETTERS, as this is considered shouting
  • Avoid the excessive use of exclamation marks (!!) or including the words “Important” or “Urgent” in the subject or body of your e-mail
  • Use “plain text” as much as possible (e.g. characters you can type on a keyboard).
  • Avoid graphics, rich text and HTML style in e-mail. Use bold, underline, italics and *asterisks* around words for emphasis
  • Symbols and date formats may be difficult to translate and may cause a misinterpretation when sending e-mails internationally.
  • Never open, forward or reply to SPAM messages, junk mail, jokes, chain letters, or messages from unknown senders. Replying to the sender simply validates your e-mail address and will likely cause you to receive more SPAM
  • Utilise the spell check feature and manually review your messages for spelling, grammar, and punctuation before sending.
  • Add your signature (maximum 6 lines) to the bottom of your e-mail address. Avoid using irrelevant information such as famous quotes, slogans or tag lines
  • Think twice before sending e-mail that you do not want forwarded to others
  • Do not send or reply to an e-mail message when you are angry or upset. Once it is sent, it cannot be recalled. Compose and save the e-mail as a draft, re-read and send it later.

Using E-mail Efficiently

The following tips will increase your efficiency when working with e-mails

  • Schedule times to check e-mail – possibly every 1 to 1½ hours. The immediacy of e-mail is lost if it sits unnoticed in your mail files for long periods.
  • Organise e-mail upon receipt. Keep those messages in your inbox folder that you still need to read or act upon. Use folders for messages you need to keep
  • To save space, remove unnecessary e-mail attachments from messages you store in you mail file. They generally take up the most space in your mail file.
  • Delete all messages you no longer need as soon as possible
  • Create stationery for frequently used e-mail content or responses.
  • Never let e-mail be a substitutive for “live: conversations when more formal paper document or face-to-face communication is required
  • If you are being frequently interrupted by new mail, turn off notification of new mail feature
  • While e-mail is delivered quickly, it may not be read immediately. If action is required sooner than 24 hours, do not send e-mail. Call instead.

 

 
© 2010 Kelly Services, Inc.