 EMAIL GUIDELINES

 With email, you can't assume anything about a sender's location, time, frame of mind,
profession, interests, or future value to you. This means, among other things, that you
need to be very, very careful about giving your receivers some context.

 Your correspondent won't have normal status cues such as dress, diction, or dialect, so
may make assumptions based on your name, address, and - above all - facility with
language. You need to be aware of when you can be sloppy and when you have to be
meticulous. Email also does not convey emotions nearly as well as face-to-face or even
telephone conversations. It lacks vocal inflection, gestures, and a shared environment.
Your correspondent may have difficulty understanding whether you are serious or
kidding, happy or sad, frustrated or euphoric. Sarcasm is particularly dangerous to use in
email.

 Another difference between email and older media is that what the sender sees when
composing a message might not look like what the reader sees. Your vocal cords make
sound waves that are perceived basically the same by both your ears as your audience's.
The paper that you write your personal note on is the same paper that the object of
your affection sees. But with email, the software and hardware that you use for
composing, sending, storing, downloading, and reading may be completely different
from what your correspondent uses. Your message's visual qualities may be quite
different by the time it gets to someone else's screen.

 Thus your email compositions should be different from both your paper compositions
and your speech.

 Be sure to write an appropriate and specific subject in the subject line so that the
recipient knows what to expect.

 For example: “Production Team Meeting – 22nd April" instead of “Meeting.” or

 Email Efficiency Conference, Bangalore Aug 14-16" instead of a plain "Email Efficiency
Conference".


 Make it brief and precise

 It need not be a complete sentence yet should convey the essence of the mail.
 Flag the message or indicate it in the subject line by typing “URGENT” before your
subject

 Keep it Short, Crisp & Clear

 One email should contain only one topic. In case of multiple topics, compose different
emails. Stick to one topic if possible

 Try and keep it to about 15 lines (about half a computer screen)

 Try to keep your line length at 80 characters or less.

 If your message is likely to be forwarded, keep it to 60

o characters or less

 Specify the response you want


 Do not use emoticons or smileys, Emoticons or smiley as they indicate a ;lack of
professionalism.

 Repeat any vital information from the Subject line in the message body

 Create an ‘elevator’ summary

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

 If you require a response from the reader then be sure to request that response in the
first paragraph of your email

 Create headings for each major section

 Deliver the news up front


 “We are unable to order new computers this quarter due to budget cuts.”

 Avoid blaming statements

 “I think it will be hard to recover from this, but what can I do to help?”

 Avoid hedging words or words that sound ambiguous
 -Intents and purposes
-Possibly, most likely
-Perhaps, maybe

 Maintain a positive resolve

 You should 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.

 Please call me at any time if I can be of help to you

 Please let me know if you need more information

 I'm available to answer your questions at: (phone number)

 Thank you again for contacting me. I will call you next Wednesday to see if I can answer
any other questions

 Flaming is a virtual term for venting or sending inflammatory messages in email.

 Avoid flaming because it tends to create a great deal of conflict that spirals out of
control.
 Flame fights are the equivalent of food fights and tend to affect observers in a very
negative way.

 What you say cannot be taken back; it is in black and white

 Empathize with the sender’s frustration and tell them they are right if that is true

 If you feel you are right, thank them for bringing the matter to your attention

 Explain what led to the problem in question

 Avoid getting bogged down by details and minor arguments
 If you are aware that the situation is in the process of being resolved let the reader know
at the top of the response

 Apologize if necessary

 Before you send an email message, ask yourself, “would I say this to this person’s face?”

 Calm down before responding to a message that offends you. Once you send the
message it is gone.

 Read your message twice before you send it and assume that you may be misinterpreted
when proofreading

 There are times when you may need to blow off some steam

 Remember your audience and your situation before sending the email.

 How you say it is as important as what you say

 Tone is the quality in your writing that reveals your attitude toward your topic and
reader. Tone comes from your choice of words, the structure of your sentences, and the
order of the information you present.

 Why is tone so important in Email writing?

 Because email lacks the formatting of print, and the body language of in-person
communication, the words themselves carry more feeling. And because email messages
are read quickly, an inappropriate tone can distract your reader and obstruct your
message.

 It's easy for email writers to let their tone slip from professional to edgy or sarcastic.
Email emboldens writers to express thoughts they would never say to a reader's face.
And email is written quickly then sent. Most email writers don't review their messages
as carefully as they should. When they do review messages before sending, they're
looking at the content, not the tone. But tone is important. A flippant tone that the
reader doesn't find funny can damage a relationship as well as progress on a company
project.

 When writing an email, if you can't be nice, wait. Wait an hour if you're irritated, an
afternoon if you're angry, and a day if you're furious. For many reasons, it's never
appropriate to lose your cool in email:
 Email is easily forwarded so the recipient can share your email with lots of readers.
Flames beget flames. If you use an angry tone in email your reader will probably answer
in anger. While the tone escalates, the work isn't getting done and a colleague or client is
lost.

 Don't write in a tone you'd be uncomfortable sharing with your boss. Remember that
well-chosen words create a personal, professional tone in email. You can't rely on
emoticons -- such as this smiley : - ) -- or abbreviations -- BTW for by the way - to set the
tone in your email. Choose words because they carry meaning to all readers, some of
whom may not understand emoticons or abbreviations.

 The greeting in your email establishes your relationship to your reader. Most writers of
business email begin their messages with "Hi" or "Hello" followed by the recipient's first
name: "Hello, Fred." Some writers begin the message with the first name only. "Dear" is
still an acceptable greeting in email, not merely a vestige of outdated "print" culture.

 If you're writing an email message to a group, use the group name in the greeting. Don't
begin your message "Hi, guys" or "Everybody." Though this extremely casual greeting
may sound friendly, it is actually just vague. Try "Dear Leadership Team" or "Hello,
Interns." A more specific greeting sets a focused tone to the message and lets readers
know right away who the message is for.

 Do write a closing for your message. Beside making it easier for your reader to find the
end of the message, the closing seals the tone and serves as a final reminder of the main
point or requested outcome. Try an action-oriented closing such as "Thanks for sending
me the proposal draft," or "I'll call you on Tuesday to schedule the meeting." Or go for a
gracious closing: "Thanks for your help," "Best regards," or "I look forward to meeting
you.“

 To make your email writing personal, address your reader directly. Use the pronoun
"you." Write: "You may use the Executive Health Club on weekends." Avoid: "Employees
may use the Executive Health Club on weekends.“


 Use the pronouns "I" and "we" when referring to yourself or your organization.

 Write: "I discovered that our mail room clerks were throwing away most of the
promotional fliers." Avoid: "It was discovered that most of the promotional fliers were
being thrown away." Write: "Because you used the product incorrectly we will not
refund your money." Avoid: "Mannheim Manufacturing cannot refund your money
because the product was used incorrectly.“
 Active voice makes your email tone clearer and more direct. Active voice makes the
"doer" in the sentence clear. When you write in the active voice your email tone won't
sound bureaucratic the way passive voice does

 The beginning of an email message sets the tone and emphasizes content for the
message. Set a direct tone by communicating the most important information first. But
what if the most important information is bad news: a cut in funding, a rejected
application, the immediate transfer of the hardest-working person in the department?
Will leading with the bad news damage your tone? The answer is no. Even when the
main point of the message is bad news, you must lead with it. Burying the bad news
somewhere in the middle or end of the message is harmful; readers may miss it or
misinterpret its importance.