Email Etiquettes
Nowadays, email has become an essential means of communication, especially in the business world. It is important to follow some basic etiquette rules when sending or responding to emails in order to maintain professionalism and avoid confusion.
Myth or truth?
One common myth about email is that it is informal and doesn’t require the same formalities as a formal letter. However, this is not always the case. The same general rules for politeness and good manners apply to email communication as they do to any other written communication.
The basics
When sending an email, be sure to include a subject line that accurately reflects the content of the message. This will help the recipient quickly determine whether they need to read the email now or if they can respond later.
Be sure to use a professional tone and avoid using excessive abbreviations, emoticons, or informal language. When addressing the recipient, use their full name if you know it, rather than just their first name. If you don’t know the recipient’s full name, use their title (e.g., Dr., Mr., Mrs., Ms.) followed by their last name.
When replying to an email, be sure to respond to all of the questions asked and address all of the points raised by the sender. If you need more time to respond or there is something you need to clarify, let the sender know in your reply. Avoid using all capital letters in your response; this can be seen as rude and demanding.
Most people at some point have felt swamped by the large number of emails they have to sift through. But replying to an email is good etiquette, especially if the sender is expecting a response. Acknowledging you received the email but will get back to the sender at a later time is a professional alternative to ignoring or avoiding certain emails.
No one wants to read an enormous chunk of text. You can always follow up on the matter later or suggest they give you a call if they have any queries or concerns.
What to avoid
There are a few things you should avoid doing when sending or responding to emails:
- Don’t forward chain emails without checking with the original sender first. Many people find this irritating and spam-like.
- Don’t use excessive fonts, colors, or graphics in your email messages as they may not be compatible with all devices and could cause formatting problems.
- Don’t send large attachments unless necessary as they can clog up someone’s inbox and may also not be compatible with all devices.
- Don’t reply all to a group email unless everyone on the list needs to be included in the response. This can be confusing and annoying for recipients who are not involved in the conversation.
- Don’t type in all capital letters as this can be seen as shouting or rude.
