email etiquette what you need to know about communicating effectively in an electronic medium

EMAIL ETIQUETTEWhat you need to know about communicating effectively in an electronic medium

Introduction to email

In our society, email has become one of the primary means of communication;.

However, most people do not know how to write and send email well.

It is a critical skill, and the sooner that you are able to master it, the easier it will be for you to communicate as a mature young adult.

Some facts about email communication that may surprise you

Why is this relevant to you?

Email is one of the world’s most common forms of communication. According to a study conducted in

May 2009, there are approximately 1.9 billion email users worldwide. That means that a little more than one

in every five people on the earth use email.

That same study projects that by the year 2014 their will be roughly 2.5 billion email users worldwide.

Statistic provided by the Radicati Group 2009 & 2010

Email is one of the world’s most common forms of communication. It is estimated that around 294 billion emails are sent every day. That means that more than 2.8 million emails are sent every second,

And that around 90 trillion emails are sent per year.

Statistic provided by the Radicati Group 2009 & 2010

Email is the preferred form of communication for business. 730 million email accounts are held by

business users. That’s over 25% of all email accounts.

On average a single user’s business email account receives around 25 email messages per day. This number is increasing at rate of 10% per

year The average business user spends 2.6 hours

per day reading and responding to email. At a 9:00 to 5:00 job that is around 1/3 of your

work day

Email is the preferred form of communication for business. Despite the massive amount of emails

sent each day by businesses, approximately 60% of business correspondence has grammar or spelling errors.

In the business world, these errors could cost your company business, or they might even cost you your job!

Tips for writing an effective email

So what should you do?

Introduction to email

When composing email, simply follow the steps in the following simple checklist.

Before hitting “Send,” be sure to check yourself with the email etiquette guidelines provided.

Write a subject line that is concise but specific. Don’t leave the subject line blank.

DO

Subject: Help for Short Story Essay

DON’T

Subject:

Subject: Hello, this is Richard, and I have a question about the upcoming short story essay

Use a font that has a professional, neutral look (Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier).

DODear Ms. Painter,

I’m a little confused about the short story essay. Does it have to be double-spaced or single-spaced? Does it have to have multiple characters? Other than that, I think I understand everything we need to do.

Thank You,John Doe

DON’TDear Ms. Painter,


Thank You,John Doe

Write a salutation that is respectful and appropriate.

DO

Dear Ms. Painter,

DON’T

‘Sup Teach,Or

Hey!

AndDo not leave the salutation blank!

When writing the body of your email, use polite, conversational language.

DO


DON’T

I NEED UR HELP!!!!!! i dont kno how to do the asinment u told us to do 2day. email me back asap. URGENT!!!!

Be sure to bring your email to an appropriate close.

DODear Ms. Painter,


Thank you, John Doe

DON’TDear Ms. Painter,


Before sending the email, ALWAYS check for punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors.

DO


DON’T

I NEED UR HELP!!!!!! i dont kno how to do the asinment u told us to do 2day. email me back asap. URGENT!!!!

Tips

The subject line should summarize the message. Good – Subject: Question about Report Bad – Subject: Hey!

Don’t assume the recipient knows the background. Always provide any important details that are necessary to understand your message. Good – I need some help with the vocabulary from

Friday. Bad – I need help with that assignment we did last week.

Keep the message concise. Get to the point and be specific about what actions are needed.

Tips

Use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) field when sending bulk email. This keeps the other recipients’ email

addresses private.

Don’t SHOUT at people!! Anything written in capital letters is considered shouting.

Avoid angry outbursts. Think before you hit “Send.” Once written and sent, an email may not be able to be recalled.

Tips

Always use correct punctuation and grammar. Do not use too many exclamation points! < Like this one

Use a good layout to improve readability. Use spaces and breaks between paragraphs

to make it easier for your reader Use appropriate sentence patterns to

make your writing more understandable If you wouldn’t say something like that in real

life, think about how you would say it.

Tips

Keep the thread of emails together; use the “Reply” button.

Use correct spelling. Spell-check is a wonderful invention. Use it, but don’t rely on it solely. Go back and check yourself! A funny miscommunication spell-check will not catch:

What you said was: I was really excited to get your massage yesterday.

What you meant to say was: I was really excited to get your message yesterday.

Don’t “Reply All” unless necessary.

Tips

Avoid using acronyms, abbreviations, and emoticons in formal and/or professional correspondence. No LOL or

Edit the superfluous (unnecessary) text out of emails.

Just say no to chain letters!

Do not be overly familiar with the recipient. In other words don’t write an email like you would

talk to your friend.

Tips

Keep download sizes to a minimum. Avoid illegal activities.

Talk of them (i.e.: drugs, theft, vandalism) Using email to commit illegal acts (i.e:

sharing music, software) Email is not confidential, so be conscious

of what you write!