E-mail Etiquette: 15 Essential Things You Need to Know for Efficient, Effective Email Communication
by www.SixWise.com
About 171 billion e-mails are sent each day, according to
2006 statistics from Radicati Group. This amounts to nearly
2 million e-mails sent every second, and although 70 percent
to 72 percent of them are spam and viruses, about 1.1 billion
of us send legitimate e-mails.
|
The Golden Rule applies to e-mail too: You should only
send an e-mail message that you would like to receive.
|
But that doesn't mean we're always sending appropriate e-mails.
In fact, because e-mail is so one-sided, your witty quip may
be perceived
as snotty by its recipient, your attempt at humor distasteful.
This is because while e-mail excels at speed and efficiency,
it lacks personality. There are no facial cues, no innuendos,
no clues given by tone of voice that let a reader in on the
message's intended meaning.
The result can be disastrous: a professional e-mail that
sounds too personal, a familiar one that's too stiff or, worst
of all, a flamer.
Flaming is a term that describes emotionally charged, angry
or otherwise insulting e-mails -- the types that you've perhaps
wished you could retrieve after you've already hit "send."
In the 21st century, e-mail is essential. So, then, is learning
the proper e-mail etiquette so that your e-mails get your
message across, and nothing more.
-
Proof your e-mail before hitting send. Is it polite?
Spelled correctly? Offensive?
-
Only send the e-mail to those who need it and are directly
involved.
-
Keep it short and simple. One subject per e-mail is
best.
-
Make subject lines count. Write "Meeting today
at 11" instead of just "meeting."
-
Don't forward personal/confidential information. If
you need to forward on an e-mail that contains confidential
information, make sure you have the writer's permission
to do so.
-
Use the "inverted pyramid" as a writing guide,
putting your most important statement first, then following
with supporting details.
-
Know when NOT to e-mail. Sometimes, a face-to-face meeting
or a phone call really is necessary, such as when you're
relaying complex or very important news (Best to tell
mom you're pregnant in person, not via e-mail. Likewise
with telling employees they're getting laid off or explaining
an important new project.)
-
Use proper formatting. People read e-mail differently
than they read a piece of paper in that they only scan
an e-mail. To make sure your point is heard, keep paragraphs
short and include a blank line in between them.
-
Avoid USING ALL CAPS! This makes it seem like you are
screaming your message. If you want to emphasize a point,
*asterisks* can be used around the phrase.
-
Limit your use of the "high-priority" flag.
If you use it too often, it won't have an impact when
something really IS high priority.
-
Use emoticons
(those little smiley, or sad, faces) sparingly, and only
with people who you are familiar with (and who are familiar
with emoticons).
-
Rather than including an entire original message in
your response, <insert a snippet that you're responding
to in brackets>.
-
Avoid flaming e-mails. If you're angry, don't write
an e-mail until you've cooled down.
-
Resist getting caught up in back-and-forth e-mail arguments.
Step away from the argument for a while, or make a phone
call to try and clear matters up.
-
For a more in-depth guide on e-mail etiquette, consult
Send:
The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home.
This is one that should be in everyone's top desk drawer!
Recommended Reading
E-mail
Miscommunication: How to Make Sure the Tone & Message
of Your E-mail Messages are Never Misunderstood
The
World's #1 Internet Threat May Be Robbing Your Identity Right
Now
Sources
About.com