Informality in business email is like wearing a wrinkled suit with a stain, or an outfit that is too tight or revealing. You are noticed, but not for all the right reasons. If you are too informal or come across as rude, your inquiry may not be taken seriously, nor will the perception of your work ethic be good. In today’s rapidly changing workplace, overlooking the value of written communication is easy to do. It is important to take an extra moment to review and organize your thoughts before keying them onto the screen and pressing the “send” button. Here are some email tips and a review of email diplomacy, irrespective of whether the email is for internal or external parties.
- To help recipients prioritize email, make the subject line specific.
- Make sure your email includes a courteous greeting and closing. It helps to make your email not seem demanding.
- Address your contact with the appropriate level of formality and make sure you spelt their name correctly.
- Do not include emojis if the relationship has not progressed to that level.
- Email is a form of professional communication, and it is also the property of the employer. Never write anything that would make you uncomfortable if it were published.
- Think twice before hitting “reply all”.
- Don’t send an email while angry or emotional. Cool off, and then review your response. You may find you want to send a more tactful message.
- Ask the writer’s permission before forwarding their email to others, or ensure that you can forward the email. Sometimes a great deal is loss without the context of that original conversation, and misunderstandings by third parties can result.
- Reply to your emails – even if the email wasn’t intended for you.
- Don’t introduce a new topic in the middle of an email thread. If you are changing the subject, create a new message with a different subject line.
- Be careful about identifying some emails as “urgent”. Use this warning sparingly, or you find yourself in the same predicament as the boy who cried wolf too often.
- When replying to a question, copy only the question in your email, then provide your response. Don’t send a message that only reads, “Yes”. It’s too blunt and the message could confuse the reader.
- Be cautious with emphasis techniques (change of words either through font, bold, underlined, Italic, colour)
- If you have not had correspondence with someone, introduce yourself with your first email by identifying your company area of interest, background, position, etc.
- Add contact information at the bottom of your email messages in each one that you send.
- DON’T TYPE IN ALL CAPS. This can and will be perceived as “shouting” via email.
- If you can’t check your email for a period, be sure to leave an outgoing message indicating your return date.
- Spell check otherwise they you may not be taken seriously.
- Add the email address last so that you do not press send by accident before the email content is completed.
- A few additions of words such as “please” and “thank you” goes a long way.
- Do not feel that you are entitled to be rude to someone who you work with via email. Professionalism is applicable internally and externally. We are all human and deserve respect.