Email Etiquette 101

Email. It’s the way the world communicates both personally and professionally; and because it’s such a casual medium, it’s all too easy to jumble the two and come across as less-than-unprofessional. And once you hit “send,” your words are out there...forever...making an impression to a potentially endless audience, so watch those words!

A quick Google search will lead you to a million tips for email etiquette at work, but they all boil down to these essential rules.

Introduce yourself. When emailing someone for the first time, don’t assume that they will know who you are. Briefly introduce yourself and explain why you are emailing.

Don’t default to “reply all” - some messages are sent out to a group for informational purposes but only the sender needs a reply. Hitting “reply all” can inundate the group with unnecessary information, or, worse, share private or sensitive information with unintended parties. Before your reply, make sure you’re replying smart.

Avoid “me, too” and other unnecessary one-liners when you receive a group message.

Keep it short. The best way to ensure that your message is understood is to skip the details and get straight to the point. Readers tend to skim and, when confronted with a large block of text, will only remember the beginning and the end. Write out your message, then re-read and delete all the non-essential information before you hit “send.” So I was thinking that maybe we could have today’s meeting outside in the courtyard because the weather is finally nice. I’m not sure if Brandon can attend, but we’ll have to catch him up later. I think we agreed that 2:00 works for everyone so bring your ideas and we’ll do some brainstorming… is no where near as effective as “Meeting today at 2:00 in the courtyard.”

Punctuation matters. ‘Nuff said.

Have a clear subject line. Your subject should clearly state the purpose of your message. “Please reply” is not a good subject, but “Need input re: Whitehouse project by 4:00PM today” makes your request clear without the reader having to open your email. And don’t let your subject line get mistaken for spam by using all caps, hyperlinks, or exclamation points in the subject line.

And on that note, one subject per email, please!

If you must “Forward,” explain. Sometimes it’s necessary to forward someone else’s email but doing so without a reason why can confuse the reader (“what am I supposed to do with this information?”) so always write a few words of explanation.

Before you hit “forward,” clean up. Delete word clutter including strings of email addresses, duplicated date stamps, and unnecessary extras (like “P.S. Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy the snow!”) It’s unethical to delete in such a way as to change the meaning of another person’s message, or to re-write someone else’s words, so maintain integrity here. If you feel uncomfortable deleting anything but believe the message is buried under extraneous verbose, go ahead and bold the words you want to draw attention to and, in your own message, attribute the bold font to yourself “bold is mine for emphasis.”

Never email private information. If the topic isn’t something that you would publish for the public, it’s better discussed verbally and not via email (which can be easily forwarded to people and places you don’t want it to go).

Be a plain Jane. Remember that not every one on every device can read fancy formatting. When in doubt about the receiver’s device, use plain text versus rich HTML.

Don’t hop on the chain gang. Never forward chain emails, hoaxes, suspicious links, etc. And use Snopes.com if you need help resisting the urge.

Don’t spread worms! Keep your antivirus software up to date to avoid spreading viruses and worms.

Ask before sending large attachments. Large attachments can bog down the receiver’s computer or bandwidth so it’s good form to ask before sending. On a similar note, it’s a good idea to re-size photos to make them as small as possible (while still effective) before sending. Send a test version to yourself first to check for size. Compress files when possible.

Acknowledge receipt. Speaking of good form, it’s polite to let the sender know you received their email with a quick “thank you” or other brief acknowledgment.

Easy on the acronyms. Even if you believe the receiver is up on industry jargon, it’s proper form to spell it out the first mention, and use the acronym thereafter. I’d like to invite you to the Association for Consulting Experts monthly breakfast. A.C.E. is an organization that….

WRITING IN ALL CAPS IS STILL CONSIDERED SHOUTING!!! Don’t do it. Also, go easy on the exclamation points (they look childish and unprofessional) and never email angry, because email lasts forever.

Don’t use irony and sarcasm. They don’t translate well via email.

Check for typos.

If you aren’t sure how to close, “thank you” is always appropriate.

Your signature line should look like this:

Your name and title/position
Company Address
Company phone (P) and fax (F)
Company website (hyperlink)
Your company logo, slogan or motto (optional)

Your email is a reflection of who you are and how you conduct yourself as a professional. Take care to ensure it’s the reflection you want the world to see.