Email Etiquette Email Etiquette WorkshopWorkshopYour key to effective Your key to effective

communication.communication.

Why is email etiquette Why is email etiquette important?important?

We all interact with the printed word We all interact with the printed word as though it has a personality and that as though it has a personality and that personality makes positive and personality makes positive and negative impressions upon us.negative impressions upon us.

Without immediate feedback your Without immediate feedback your document can easily be misinterpreted document can easily be misinterpreted by your reader, so it is crucial that you by your reader, so it is crucial that you follow the basic rules of etiquette to follow the basic rules of etiquette to construct an appropriate tone.construct an appropriate tone.

The elements of email The elements of email etiquetteetiquette

General formatGeneral format Writing long Writing long

messagesmessages AttachmentsAttachments The curse of The curse of

surprisessurprises

FlamingFlaming Delivering Delivering

informationinformation Delivering bad Delivering bad

newsnews Electronic Electronic

Mailing ListsMailing Lists

General Format: The General Format: The BasicsBasics

Write a salutation for Write a salutation for each new subject each new subject email.email.

Try to keep the email Try to keep the email brief (one screen brief (one screen length).length).

Return emails within Return emails within the same time you the same time you would a phone call.would a phone call.

Check for punctuation, Check for punctuation, spelling, and spelling, and grammatical errorsgrammatical errors

Use caps only Use caps only when appropriate.when appropriate.

Format your email Format your email for plain text for plain text rather than HTML.rather than HTML.

Use a font that has Use a font that has a professional or a professional or neutral look.neutral look.

General Format: General Format: Character SpacingCharacter Spacing

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

If your message is likely to be If your message is likely to be forwarded, keep it to 60 forwarded, keep it to 60 characters or less.characters or less.

Set your email preferences to Set your email preferences to automatically wrap outgoing plain automatically wrap outgoing plain text messages.text messages.

General Format: Lists General Format: Lists and Bulletsand Bullets

When you are When you are writing directions writing directions or want to or want to emphasize emphasize important points, important points, number your number your directions or directions or bullet your main bullet your main points.points.

For example,For example,

1)1) Place the paper in Place the paper in drawer A.drawer A.

2)2) Click the green Click the green “start” button.“start” button.

Another example, Another example, • Improve customer Improve customer

satisfaction.satisfaction.• Empower Empower

employees.employees.

General Format: ToneGeneral Format: Tone

• Write in a positive toneWrite in a positive tone

“ “When you complete the report.” When you complete the report.” instead of instead of “If you complete the report.”“If you complete the report.”

• Avoid negative words that begin with Avoid negative words that begin with “un, non, ex” or that end with “less” “un, non, ex” or that end with “less” (useless, non-existent, ex-employee, (useless, non-existent, ex-employee, undecided).undecided).

• Use contractions to add a friendly tone.Use contractions to add a friendly tone.

(don’t, won’t, can’t).(don’t, won’t, can’t).

AttachmentsAttachments

When you are When you are sending an sending an attachment tell your attachment tell your respondent what the respondent what the name of the file is, name of the file is, what program it is what program it is saved in, and the saved in, and the version of the version of the program.program.

““This file is in This file is in MSWord 2000 under MSWord 2000 under the name “LabFile.”the name “LabFile.”

When your message is When your message is longlong

Create an “elevator” summary.Create an “elevator” summary. Provide a table of contents on the first Provide a table of contents on the first

screen of your email.screen of your email. If you require a response from the If you require a response from the

reader then be sure to request that reader then be sure to request that response in the first paragraph of your response in the first paragraph of your email.email.

Create headings for each major Create headings for each major section.section.

Elevator Summary and Elevator Summary and Table of ContentsTable of Contents

An elevator An elevator summary should summary should have all the main have all the main components of the components of the email.email.

““Our profit margin for Our profit margin for the last quarter the last quarter went down 5%. As a went down 5%. As a result I am result I am proposing budget proposing budget adjustment for the adjustment for the following areas…”following areas…”

Table of contentsTable of contents

““This email containsThis email contains

A. Budget projections A. Budget projections for the last quarterfor the last quarter

B. Actual performance B. Actual performance for the last quarterfor the last quarter

C. Adjustment C. Adjustment proposalproposal

D. Projected D. Projected profitability”profitability”

Delivering Information About Delivering Information About Meetings, Orientations, Meetings, Orientations,

ProcessesProcesses Include an elevator Include an elevator

summary and table of summary and table of contents with contents with headings.headings.

Provide as much Provide as much information as information as possible.possible.

Offer the reader an Offer the reader an opportunity to receive opportunity to receive the information via the information via mail if the email is too mail if the email is too confusing.confusing.

Delivering Bad NewsDelivering Bad News

Deliver the news Deliver the news up front.up front.

Avoid blaming Avoid blaming statements.statements.

Avoid hedging Avoid hedging words or words words or words that sound that sound ambiguous.ambiguous.

Maintain a Maintain a positive resolve.positive resolve.

Delivering Bad NewsDelivering Bad NewsDeliver the news up Deliver the news up

front:front:““We are unable to order We are unable to order

new computers this new computers this quarter due to budget quarter due to budget cuts.”cuts.”

Avoid blaming:Avoid blaming:““I think it will be hard to I think it will be hard to

recover from this, but recover from this, but what can I do to help?”what can I do to help?”

Avoid using “weasel Avoid using “weasel words” or hedging:words” or hedging:

““Our pricing Our pricing structure is structure is outdated.”outdated.”

More examples of More examples of hedging are:hedging are:

Intents and purposesIntents and purposesPossibly, most likelyPossibly, most likelyPerhaps, maybePerhaps, maybe

Writing a complaintWriting a complaint• You should briefly You should briefly

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

• Explain the Explain the attempts you made attempts you made previously to previously to resolve the problem.resolve the problem.

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

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

Writing a complaintWriting a complaint

Briefly state the history:Briefly state the history:

““The current way we The current way we choose officers for our choose officers for our organization is not organization is not democratic. As a democratic. As a result, we have a result, we have a popularity contest that popularity contest that does not always get us does not always get us the best candidates.”the best candidates.”

Show attempts made by Show attempts made by you thus far to resolve you thus far to resolve the issue:the issue:

““I have offered two I have offered two alternatives for officer alternatives for officer selection that still selection that still involves the votes of involves the votes of the members but both the members but both have been rejected by have been rejected by the executive board.”the executive board.”

Writing a complaintWriting a complaintShow why it is important for your reader to get Show why it is important for your reader to get

involved:involved:

““This is a problem for two reasons. First, I am This is a problem for two reasons. First, I am concerned that the executive board no longer concerned that the executive board no longer protects the interests of the organization and that protects the interests of the organization and that their actions are not in keeping with the their actions are not in keeping with the constitution of the organization.constitution of the organization.

Second, there have been a number of complaints Second, there have been a number of complaints from the members who feel that their concerns and from the members who feel that their concerns and preferences are not being addressed by the preferences are not being addressed by the executive board, which decreases morale and executive board, which decreases morale and productivity.”productivity.”

Writing a complaintWriting a complaint

Ask for help and offer a resolution:Ask for help and offer a resolution:

““Please let me know what other Please let me know what other options I may have overlooked. I options I may have overlooked. I am willing to meet with the am willing to meet with the department head and the executive department head and the executive board to seek out a solution that is board to seek out a solution that is fair to the members and is good for fair to the members and is good for the business of the organizationthe business of the organization. ”. ”

Do not take your reader by Do not take your reader by surprise or press them to the surprise or press them to the

wallwall• Do not wait until Do not wait until

the end of the day the end of the day to introduce a to introduce a problem or concern problem or concern via memo or email.via memo or email.

• Avoid writing a Avoid writing a litany of concerns litany of concerns that you have been that you have been harboring for a harboring for a long period of time.long period of time.

Flaming in emailsFlaming in emails

• Flaming is a virtual Flaming is a virtual term for venting or term for venting or sending sending inflammatory inflammatory messages in email.messages in email.

• Avoid flaming Avoid flaming because it tends to because it tends to create a great deal create a great deal of conflict that of conflict that spirals out of spirals out of control.control.

• Flame fights are Flame fights are the equivalent of the equivalent of food fights and food fights and tend to affect tend to affect observers in a very observers in a very negative way.negative way.

• What you say What you say cannot be taken cannot be taken back; it is in black back; it is in black and white.and white.

Keep flaming under Keep flaming under controlcontrol

• Before you send an Before you send an email message, ask email message, ask yourself, “would I say yourself, “would I say this to this person’s this to this person’s face?”face?”

• Calm down before Calm down before responding to a responding to a message that offends message that offends you. Once you send you. Once you send the message it is the message it is gone.gone.

Read your Read your message twice message twice before you send before you send it and assume it and assume that you may be that you may be misinterpreted misinterpreted when when proofreading.proofreading.

Responding to a flameResponding to a flame Empathize with the Empathize with the

sender’s frustration sender’s frustration and tell them they are and tell them they are right if that is trueright if that is true

If you feel you are If you feel you are right, thank them for right, thank them for bringing the matter to bringing the matter to your attentionyour attention

Explain what led to Explain what led to the problem in the problem in questionquestion

Avoid getting bogged Avoid getting bogged down by details and down by details and minor argumentsminor arguments

If you are aware that If you are aware that the situation is in the the situation is in the process of being process of being resolved let the resolved let the reader know at the reader know at the top of the responsetop of the response

Apologize if necessaryApologize if necessary

When Email Won’t WorkWhen Email Won’t Work There are times when There are times when

you need to take your you need to take your discussion out of the discussion out of the virtual world and make virtual world and make a phone call.a phone call.

If things become very If things become very heated, a lot of heated, a lot of misunderstanding misunderstanding occurs, or when you are occurs, or when you are delivering very delicate delivering very delicate news then the best way news then the best way is still face-to face.is still face-to face.