EMAIL ETIQUETTE

EMAIL ETIQUETTE

What We Will Discuss Today

COMPONENTS OF AN EMAIL
oSubject Line
oSalutation
oBody
oEnding
FORMAT
TONE
DOS AND DONTS

To | CC | BCC | RR
Only use cc when it is important for those you cc to know about the contents of the
email. Overuse can cause your emails to be ignored.

Include addresses in the To: field for those who you would like a response from.

Include addresses in the Cc: field for those who you are just FYI'ing.

Think about your motives when adding addresses to BCC. To send BCC copies to
others as a way of talking behind someone's back is inconsiderate.

Don't use Read Receipt (RR) on every single email. Doing so is viewed as intrusive,

annoying and can be declined by the other side anyway.

The Subject Line

Never send emails without a subject line. No subject can get your email flagged as spam.

Make it short and to the point. For instance "Meeting date changed," "Quick question about
your presentation," or "Suggestions for the proposal."

Do not change the subject line midway during an email chain.

If the email chain topic has deviated from subject line, change the subject line to make it
relevant. But let audience know the subject line has been changed.

Salutation
Write a salutation for each new subject email.

When can you omit the greeting?

The greeting establishes the tone of the message.

Email Body Length (Cont.)

Try to keep the email brief (one screen length).
Write clear, short paragraphs.

Email Body Length

When your message is long

Create an elevator summary.

Provide a table of contents on the first screen of your email.

Create headings for each major section.
If you require a response from the reader then be sure to request that
response in the first paragraph of your email.

Email Body - Sentences

Keep your sentences short.

Effective Communication vs display of linguistic

brilliance.

Email Body - Lists and Bullets

When you want to emphasize important points, bullet your main points.

Example,
The objective of this initiative is to:
o

Improve customer satisfaction.

Empower employees.

Increase company branding

Email Body Replying to Emails

Answer should be relevant to and in continuation with original
email.
Always include the original message at the end of your email for
reference.

Email Body Content Issues (Cont.)

Delivering Information About Meetings, Orientations, Processes
Include an elevator summary and table of contents with headings.
Provide as much information as possible.
Offer the reader an opportunity to receive the information via mail if
the email is too confusing.

Email Body Content Issues (Cont.)

Delivering Bad News
Deliver the news up front: We are unable to order new
computers this quarter due to budget cuts.
Avoid blaming statements.
Maintain a positive resolve: I think it will be hard to recover from
this, but what can I do to help?
Avoid using ambiguous words such as:
Possibly, most likely, perhaps, maybe

Email Body Content Issues (Cont.)

Writing a complaint

Briefly state the history of the problem to provide context for your reader.

Explain the attempts you made previously to resolve the problem.

Show why it is critical for the problem to be resolved by your reader.

Offer suggestions on ways you think it can be resolved or how you are willing to
help in the matter.

Email Body Capitalization

Avoid using all capital letters which may come across as yelling.

How are you?

is much more professional than

HOW ARE YOU?

Email Body Using Lower Case

Avoid using all lower case letters.

Not proper grammar.

Will not be taken seriously.

Reflects a dont care attitude.

Email Body Punctuation

Avoid using lots of punctuations such as three exclamation

points at the end of your sentence.
Not necessary and not professional.

Email Body Abbreviations

Do NOT use short hand and abbreviations in your
email.
plz, str8 and LOL are appropriate for texts and instant
messages with friends but never for email.

Email Body Emoticons

: ) is not appropriate for email. Avoid using all emoticons
when writing to a professional.

Ending
Sincerely,
Kind regards,
Best regards,

Warm regards,
Cheers!

Attachments
Zip" or compress large attachments before sending.

Never send large attachments without notice! Always ask what would be the best time to send them
first.

It is better to spread multiple attachments over several emails rather than attaching them all to one
email to avoid clogging the pipeline.

Make sure the other side has the same software as you before sending attachments or they may not be

able to open your attachment.

When sending multiple attachments, name the files according to content and let the recipient know in
email body about the files.

Email Forwarding
Don't forward emails that say to do so--no matter how noble the cause may be. Most are hoaxes
and may not be appreciated by those you send to.
If someone asks you to refrain from forwarding emails they have that right and you shouldn't get
mad or take it personally.

When forwarding email, if you cannot take the time to type a personal comment to the person
you are forwarding to--then don't bother.
Don't forward anything without editing out all the forwarding >>>>, other email addresses,
headers and commentary from all the other forwarders.
If you must forward to more than one person, put your email address in the TO: field and all the
others you are sending to in the BCC: field to protect their email address from being published to
those they do not know. This is a serious privacy issue!
Be careful when forwarding email on political or controversial issues. The recipient may not
appreciate your POV.

Tone
Do not be demanding or curt.

I need more information.

If possible, can you share some more information with me?

Write in a positive tone.

If you complete the report. X
When you complete the report.

Use contractions to add a friendly tone.

(dont, wont, cant).
I cannot take on this project. X
I cant take on this project.

Format
Selective use of bold, italics and underline.

Use bold and underline to emphasize. Use Italics as a differentiator.

Do NOT use patterned backgrounds as it makes it harder to read the message.

Avoid fancy fonts. Use a font that has a professional or neutral look.

Avoid using multiple colors in emails.

Response Time to Emails

If you cannot respond to an email promptly, at the very least email back confirming your
receipt and when the sender can expect your response.

If you have cut off times for when you will respond to email, inform your audience about those
times.

Emotionally Charged Emails

NEVER send an email when you are upset or angry. Wait until the next day to reread
your words and make sure that what you want to say is appropriate and professional.

You can NOT retract or take back an email you later wish you never sent.

Check, Check and Re-check

Always reread your email a few times to find grammatical and spelling errors.

Use Spell Check.

Always reread the recipients name and title to make sure it is correct.
Small mistakes such as Lalitha instead of Lalita could be disrespectful or appear as though not a
lot of thought went into composing the email.

Is an Email Needed?
Phone calls or face to face discussions when

If things become very heated

A lot of misunderstanding occurs

When you are delivering very delicate news

EMAIL IS ALL ABOUT

Appropriate
Bullets

Tone

Subject Line

Edit

Proofread

Language

Plan

Etiquette means behaving yourself a little better

than is absolutely essential.