E-mail is currently the dominant form of communication in business. Many spend a lot of time processing their e-mails every day. Here are some principles that you can already apply when using e-mail in a professional capacity.
Be informal but not sloppy : Among colleagues you probably use known abbreviations in your e-mails. However, as soon as you communicate with people outside the company, you represent the company. This also applies to <a href="https://zoetalentsolutions.com/course/email-etiquette/">e-mail correspondence</a>: you should therefore adhere to traditional spelling, grammar and punctuation marks.
Keep your messages short and stick to the case : Writing grammatically correct does not mean that you have to write long texts. Nothing is as frustrating as having to struggle with an email that is twice as long as needed. In addition, try to handle only one subject per e-mail message and email etiquette courses are available in online.
Use lowercase : IF YOU USE CAPITAL LETTERS IT SEEMS AS YOU ARE CALLING. On the other hand, you seem lazy if you use only lowercase letters. If you want to emphasize a certain part of your text, use an asterisk. You can also put that part in bold pressure. Finally, it is advised not to use too many images and colors in e-mail messages, because not everyone has the necessary programs to display them.
Use ‘Blind Copy’ (BCC) and ‘Courtesy Copy’ (CC) correctly : Do not use BCC to prevent others from seeing to whom you have sent a copy. Use BCC when sending a message to a long list of recipients, so that the recipients do not have to see a long series of names. Be moderate in using CC; excessive use only causes stuffed inboxes. Only send copies to people involved in the case.
Do not use e-mail to avoid personal contact : Do not forget the importance of personal or <a href="http://www.studylecturenotes.com/journalism-mass-communication/improve-verbal-communication-skills">spoken communication</a>. E-mail is not suitable for sending confused or emotional messages. Do not use e-mail as a means to avoid confronting people or hiding an error.
Remember that email is not private : I have known people who were fired because they had used email improperly. Email is the property of the company. It can be picked up and examined, and also used in a courtroom. Unless you use hardware or software that you can use to encrypt, you should assume that email is not private. So do not put anything in an e-mail that you would not write on a postcard. Also, remember that e-mails can be forwarded, and that people you might not have originally wanted to read your messages may get to read. You could also send a message to the wrong person by mistake, so to avoid painful situations it is best to keep the content professional at all times.
Be careful with group e-mails : only send out group e-mails when each member of the group benefits. Use the ‘Answer All’ button only when you create a summary that requires collective input, and only when you have something to add to it. Recipients become rather difficult when they open an e-mail where the only message is ‘Me too!’ able.
Use the ‘Subject’ field to clarify the content and purpose of the e-mail : Don’t just say ‘Hello!’ or "From Laura." Use abbreviations that indicate required actions in a simple way. For example, within a team, you can use (AR) if you mean ‘Action Required’, or (VV) if you mean ‘Report Meeting’. It is also useful to add the word "Lang" in the subject field to indicate that reading the message will take some time.
Do not send chain letters, virus warnings, or junk mail : Always consult a reliable Antivirus website or your IT department before sending an alarm. If you are bored with a constant stream of jokes from one of your friends, just go to him and ask him to remove you from his mailing list. Read and answer your personal messages at home.
Remember that your tone cannot be heard in an e-mail message : Did it ever happen to you that you tried to be sarcastic in an e-mail, and your recipient misunderstood it? E-mail communication cannot display the nuances of the spoken communication. In an effort to display the intonation of a voice, some people use emoticons. Use it in moderation, so that you do not appear unprofessional. Do not think that a smiling face is a solution for a message that is difficult to digest.
Add contact information to your signature : Make sure people know who you are. Therefore, add the necessary contact information to your signature, including your address, website and telephone number.
Summarize a long stream of discussions : It is not pleasant to have to go through pages and pages of text to understand a discussion. Instead of forwarding such a stream of e-mail messages, you can better summarize the information. You can even mark or quote certain important passages, and then add them to your answer.
