Email Etiquette-- working fun -- work smart
Reham shoaib
Training & Marketing Development at International Training & consultation center UAE ???? ??????? ?????? ??????? /?????? ?????? ??????? ???????????
28 email etiquette guidelines for the workplace
When sending or replying to emails, here are some best practices for email etiquette to keep in mind:
1. Use standard formatting
Standard fonts, such as Times New Roman or Arial, colors and sizes are appropriate for business emails. If you use bold or italics, try not to use them on more than one word or a string of words in a single email.
If you're copying and pasting text, clear the formatting before sending the email because it could appear different from the rest of your text. To clear formatting, you can use "Command + \" on a Mac or "Ctrl + Shift + N" on a PC.
2. Include a clear subject line
Title your email so the recipient knows what the message is about. For example, if you're emailing to follow up on a presentation, you might write,?"Quick question about your presentation." Emails with clear and brief subject lines often have better open rates, so it's useful to be descriptive without sharing too much information. Also, consider how much text the email provider can display in an inbox so that your message appears complete.
3. Email from a professional email address
Use a company email address if possible. Though, if you're self-employed or using a personal email address for work-related correspondence, ensure that your email address doesn't contain any words that some might consider unprofessional. If so, then consider setting up a work-only email address.
4. Use the correct email format
A business email has a specific but simple structure, which includes a subject line, greeting, body and a sign-off. The body of your email may be in short paragraphs. Organize the information in the body section so your recipient can easily understand your message.
5. Use professional greetings
Choose a salutation that's appropriate for the relationship you have with the recipient. If you're emailing a coworker, a casual greeting such as?"Hello" may be appropriate. If you're contacting someone for the first time or if they're a professional acquaintance, use a more formal greeting like?"Dear Sarah Atkins." It's recommended to use the person's name exactly as it's shown in their email signature line. This means don't assume someone named Jennifer goes by Jen unless you've seen them sign their emails that way.
6. Use an introduction
Depending on who you're emailing, it's best to?introduce yourself?by your first and last name and the company you're representing in the first few lines. This is especially important when emailing new contacts, clients, potential customers or employers. Let them know how you received their contact information.
Example:?"My name is Jessica Franklin and I'm with White Label Agency. Mark?Gregston?gave me your name and suggested I contact you regarding your amazing printing services."
Related:?How To Introduce Yourself Over Email
7. Choose your salutation and sign-off carefully
When sending a business email, choose appropriate salutations. This can help your correspondence appear more professional. Examples include:
When ending your email, use a formal sign-off such as:
领英推荐
8. Be cautious with "Reply all"
The benefit of using?"Reply all" is that you can respond to everyone at once to let them know you're addressing an issue. When in doubt, use?"Reply" to avoid inundating a list of people with unnecessary emails. To determine which to use, consider the information you're sharing and who it most affects.
9. Avoid using all caps
Use sentence case as you would for any formal communication. It's unprofessional to use all caps; doing so can misconstrue your intentions and meaning.
Example:?"Anne, it was great seeing you at the meeting. I look forward to connecting again soon."
10. Double-check attachments
If you can copy and paste information into an email rather than attaching a document, do that. If not, let the recipient know in the body of your email that you're attaching a document. It's also good etiquette to compress the documents or attach them in a zip file so it takes up less space in their inbox. In addition, you may want to consider uploading documents to a shared location and giving the recipient a link to access them.
11. Shorten links
When sharing a website, use a link shortener to shorten the link or?hyperlink text within the email. Including links in this way can help your email appear clean. A short link is also easier to copy and paste into a web browser.
12. Proofread
Proper spelling and grammar are important when sending business correspondence so always proofread your work before you hit send. Likewise, double-check the spelling of the recipient's name and email address because?autocorrect?may alter names. You can install plugins to check your writing and find errors automatically.
13. Don't use?emojis
Even if the recipient has used?emojis?when communicating with you, resist the temptation to use them yourself. They can come across as unprofessional in certain company cultures. Instead, you can express emotion with words and your tone.
14. Reply within 24 hours
When someone emails you, replying within 24 hours is common courtesy. If you've unintentionally passed this timeframe, apologize and politely explain the delay. In your emails, you may provide a gentle reminder about time sensitivities so that the recipient members to reply quickly.
15. Keep your tone professional
Think carefully about your word choices in an email and how others may interpret your intention. Use positive words, such as?"opportunities" and?"challenges," instead of?"obstacles" and?"limitations." Avoid negativity, sarcasm and adjectives that can cause you to sound overly emotional.
16. Perfect your email signature
An email signature is a special text box that displays your contact information at the bottom of an email. A signature typically includes only your name, job title, company website and phone number. If you don't have an email signature, creating one is useful because it can make your emails appear more professional.
17. Use?Bcc?appropriately
Bcc?stands for blind carbon copy, which is similar to Cc except that the email recipients specified in the?Bcc?field don't appear in the header or to the recipients in the To or Cc fields. Using?Bcc?is good etiquette if you want to protect someone's email address rather than exposing it to others.
For example, if you're emailing a group of subcontractors about a change in policy or procedure, it's considerate to?Bcc?everyone on the list.
18. Think before forwarding
A good practice for forwarding is to summarize what's being discussed, so the recipient quickly knows what you need from them. It's also important to remember that some emails may contain private or sensitive information, so you might not be able to forward them. Use caution when forwarding and ask permission from the original sender if you're unsure to whom you can forward the email.