Email Etiquette: Email Etiquette

Background

Communication using emails has become very important and essential in professional as well as personal life.
Communication using emails is prompt, direct and without disturbances.
These days most of the persons prefer email communication over other forms of communication.
Effectiveness and efficiency of email communication can be increased provided one develops the skills of communicating using emails. For this, it is imperative to know in depth the email etiquette so that even inadvertently you do not commit those email mistakes which many commit because of their ignorance.

Comprehensive List of Email Etiquette

If you are employed by an organization, find out it's email policy. Since the organization is providing you the resources, it can monitor how you should use those resources. It is a good idea to use work email account strictly for work or business related matters. Send and receive your private email communication by using your personal account.
Make certain that you are writing the email to the right person.
Plan out as to what you wish to achieve through your email; its objectives. The entire effectiveness of your email lies in the answer to question, "Did you ultimately achieve the objective for which you wrote the email?"
Get all the contents, facts and figures at one place before you start writing your email. You may have to refer to other related correspondence and literature for this.
Chalk out the complete contents of the email you wish to write, their sequence, paragraphing and flow for your email.
Your email should also include the content ( in the form of short sentences, questions, directives etc) that will elicit the desired response or action from the receiver.
Rather than asking the receiver to recall an earlier message, include the earlier message in your email. Maintain the complete thread of correspondence on that particular subject matter.
Give a short and yet, meaningful subject title. This is very important- give it a thought. It should not be too big or even too short. It should be specific and not vague. Subject title should give an idea of what the email is all about and provide a reason to the receiver to read it. These days people receive literally hundreds of emails every day and may not have the time to open each of them. If you want the receiver of your email to give your email a priority or urgency, you should motivate him to do so by assigning your email an appropriate subject line.
Be precise, concise and to the point. Get on with your key points of communication as quickly as possible.
Use short sentences and paragraphs. However, do not allow the brevity to be mistaken for rudeness or to interfere with its comprehensiveness.
Do not write very long emails (never longer than a page).
In case you are sending an email reply, reply to all the points raised by the other person. Add anything that you want the other person to tell you and do for you.
Send a prompt reply; that is the very reason you are using email.
Use proper grammar, spellings and punctuation. Use the spell and grammar checks but do not blindly depend upon them for complete accuracy or correctness. Use also your native wisdom.
Do not use all capital letters in your email; in email lingo it means you are shouting or screaming.
Do not use all lower case letters too. Why flout the conventional way of writing English language?
Emails are more informal as compared to the conventional letters but never be loose. Therefore, emails are more personal sort but yet businesslike.
Use proper layout or format.
Should look aesthetically appealing.
Use "high priority (high importance)" option only if your email really deserves it.
Use "request a delivery receipt" or "request a read receipt" option only when you think it is very important for you. Need not use it every time.
Do not use "reply to all" unless you really wish to reply to all.
Do not mark "Cc" or "Bcc" to those who are not connected with the business related to the subject matter.
Before sending the message, double-check the list of recipients. Also, in case of multiple people with similar names in the address book, be careful to choose the right person.
Do not attach the attachments that are not necessary. Attach only the essential attachments to your email (and make their mention in your email). You must have experienced the frustration of receiving large and unwanted attachments or unsolicited files . Therefore, in sending out the emails to others, do so only if absolutely necessary.
Do not use abbreviations (unless they are absolutely universally understood) or emotions.
Do not use slang in your use of language.
Do not use email for confidential matters or matters of secret nature. Discuss the confidential matters with others in face to face communication or exceptionally, over phone.
Use active voice, avoid using passive voice.
Do not use lengthy or long winding sentences. Use short sentences (maximum 15 to 20 words in a sentence).
Do not forward all kinds of emails to anyone and everyone.
Do not write or forward emails containing defamatory, derogatory, unfounded, loose, ethnic, racist and obscene remarks.
Do not forward chain emails.
Do not forward the jokes all over the place.
Do not forward virus hoaxes.
Draft your email messages with an understanding and assumption that they could be deliberately or inadvertently get forwarded by some receiver(s) to other people whom the email was not intended to be sent. So always be careful about what and how you write. The contents of your email therefore should not include offensive or abusive or obscene language or should not include confidential or secret information.
If you are a receiver of an email and if you notice that the email has also been wrongly forwarded to a person who you are sure will get offended by that email, you may alert the sender about it to save the embarrassment both to the sender and to that particular receiver. Perhaps the sender may recall that email.
One need not read the recalled message since the sender has sent that message wrongly and he does not want a wrong message to be acted upon.
Never reply to spam. It may be dangerous security wise.
Add disclaimers in your email as appropriate.
When unhappy with an email or email reply from others, do not use a number of exclamations or question marks in your reply email to tell the recipient so.
If you are annoyed with a colleague or client, do not send a curt, cold or rude email.
Do not point out spelling errors and grammatical mistakes to senders of emails to you.
Do you ever get into arguments in emails and send copies of the verbal “match” to everyone? If you do, stop it.
Do not give email ids of other persons to anyone without taking their permission.
Check your email thoroughly for contents, facts and figures, grammar, spellings etc once again before dispatching it. Make sure that you have spelt out the name(s) of the receiver(s) correctly.
Always conclude every email by writing your name, address, phone number and your email address. This way, recipients get the information on multiple means of contacting you in case they do not wish to communicate with you only through emails and wish to use other means. This information is also useful to the people to whom your email might be forwarded.
Communication through email is very efficient way of communicating and should be used. However, if your native wisdom suggests that calling the other person or speaking with him in person is more appropriate and you should not send an email, do so. Or some situations may warrant both types of communication.
Never hack into any one's email.

Check List

Check your email communication against each of the following:

Preparing
Composing
Logical structuring
Formatting
Visual appeal
Grammar
Punctuation
Effective subject line
Salutation and signing off
Using simple words
Effective vocabulary
Avoiding jargon and cliche
Avoiding archaic phrases
Correct tone and attitude
Courtesy
Ethics

It will be a good idea also to refer: (Written Communication) http://written-communication.blogspot.com/, (Communication) http://communication-for-business.blogspot.com/

For all other types of etiquette and manners:
(Executive Etiquette and Manners) http://executive-manners.blogspot.com/
(Cross Cultural Etiquette and Manners) http://cross-cultural-etiquette.blogspot.com/
(Dining Etiquette and Table Manners) http://dining-manners.blogspot.com/
(Telephone Etiquette) http://telephone-etiquette.blogspot.com/
For all the other continually updated topics, refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

For everything you wanted to know on building leadership and management, refer Shyam Bhatawdekar’s website: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com

Books Suggested for Your Professional, Organization's and Personal Libraries (All the titles below are available in print form and as eBooks online from Amazon)

Management, Business, Self-help and Personality Development Books

1. HSoftware (Human Software) (The Only Key to Higher Effectiveness)

2. Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Management Case Studies)

3. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers

4. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers (Volume 2)

5. Classic Team Building Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers

6. 101 Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers

7. Stress? No Way!! (Handbook on Stress Management)

8. HSoftware (Shyam Bhatawdekar’s Effectiveness Model)

9. Competency Management (Competency Matrix and Competencies)

10. Soft Skills You Can’t Do Without (Goal Setting, Time Management, Assertiveness and Anger Management)

11. Essentials of Work Study (Method Study and Work Measurement)

12. Essentials of Time Management (Taking Control of Your Life)

13. Essentials of 5S Housekeeping

14. Essentials of Quality Circles

15. Essentials of Goal Setting

16. Essentials of Anger Management

17. Essentials of Assertive Behavior

18. Essentials of Performance Management & Performance Appraisal

19. Health Essentials (Health Is Wealth)

20. The Romance of Intimacy (How to Enhance Intimacy in a Relationship?)

Novels, Stories, Biographies and Travelogues

21. The Peace Crusaders (Novel: how the peace crusaders established permanent peace on a war strewn planet?)

22. Love Knows No Bounds (Novel: a refreshingly different love story. Also available with the title “Good People”)

23. Funny (and Not So Funny) Short Stories

24. Stories Children Will Love (Volume 1: Bhanu-Shanu-Kaju-Biju and Dholu Ram Gadbad Singh)

25. My Father (Biography)

26. Travelogue: Scandinavia, Russia

27. Travelogue: Europe

Email Etiquette

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Email Etiquette

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