KNOW YOUR EMAIL ETIQUETTE

Email etiquette is the code of conduct that needs to be followed when communicating via emails.  Irrespective of what stage of your career you are at, it is important to know that potential employers, business associates and colleagues  can make an impression of you from how efficiently you can correspond through your emails. 

At work, we all send and receive emails, every day.  In fact, with work from home becoming the new norm in current times, we have become increasingly dependant on email messaging and  the sheer volume of messages that we are reading and writing each day has increased manifold.  So let us discuss some basics of email etiquette that are easy to incorporate so that we are able to convey our message in a quick, concise and above all, a professional manner as well as reduce the likelihood of mistakes that can lead to unnecessary misunderstandings. 

1.   Be careful of what you write: Remember every electronic message leaves a trail... so be careful of writing something that could be hurtful to others and cause damage to your professional image.  Also, If it does not feel right to receive, don’t write it at all.  Emails are very easy to forward, and can cause irrepairable damage, so it is always better to be safe than sorry.  

2.   Have a professional email id:  As a practice, we must use the company email id for official correspondence.  But many a times  we may need to use our personal email address to correspond on official matters or being self-employed may necessitate that we use a personal email address to correspond.  Personal email addresses must be chosen carefully.  Refrain from using email addresses like “mrcoolguy@...” or “missunshine@...”.  These probably must have worked well when we were students.  But as a working professional, your email address must have your name so that the recipient knows at a glance, who the email message is from.  

3.   Pay attention to salutations:  It is best to address the recipient as Dear Sir or Dear Mr. Xyz, where you could use the surname or the first name. Whether you choose to use the name or surname will depend on how formal your relation with the recipient is, but addressing the person by his or her nick name in an official communication is a big no.  While “Hi” and “Hello” can be used in informal messages, refrain from using “Hey guys” or “Hi folks”.  The informality of the message to be conveyed must not have an influence on the salutation. 

4.   Use an appropriate subject line:  This will help the recipient know what the email is about before opening it.  For example, if it is a covering letter to your CV you may mention CV, followed by your name and the designation applied for, in the subject line.  Or if you need to follow up on an earlier meeting, you could say “A quick question about our discussion”.  This will also help the recipient to prioritise between emails that could need immediate attention and those which could be looked at a little later.

5.   Refrain from using abbreviations / emoticons: These can be used when messaging friends via whatapp or sms. In a professional context usage of emoticons and abbreviations must be avioided as they look frivolous and you can never be sure of how the recipient will interpret it. Also, a bigger issue could be that the recipient of your email may not understand what the abbreviation stands for!

6.   Revisit your message, check attachments:  Reading and re-reading your message will help, to....   a) check any mistakes which may catch the eye of the recipient.  Do not rely on spellcheck - sometimes a small error could go unnoticed by you and completely change the meaning of what you intend to say. b) check the tone of voice so that it is in sync with the message.  Also, you cannot afford to sound rude even if you are expressing your annoyance or displeasure.  If it sounds rude to you, it will sound rude to the reader too.                  c)  leave the humour for in person exchanges.  Humour can be lost in the absence of the right facial expressions and the tone of voice.  What may be funny for you may not be funny for the recipient.     All of these points could go a long way in the recipient judging you and making an impression.   When sending attachments, make sure that   a) you not only attach the correct document, but also that it is not too large a file.  Some servers are unable to take the pressure of downloading large files and you may end up annoying the persons at the receiving end.   b) title the document appropriately, keeping in mind the content, so that after it is saved at the recipient’s end and he wants to refer to the document, it is easy for him to find it.  

7.   End the email correctly:   Use the appropriate sign off.  ‘Yours sincerely’ works best for formal emails, as it conveys the right tone for formal correspondence. ‘Regards’ suggests respect and may also work well in emails, but is less formal.  ‘The best’ adds a friendly touch and must be used only when you know the recipient well enough.  

8.   Pay attention to cultural differences:  Misunderstandings could be caused due to different communication styles across cultures.  It is a well known fact that people from the South East, Far East and Middle East countries would like to know you before doing business with you, so their communication messages may be more personalised, which calls for you to adapt accordingly.  On the other hand, in western countries - Europe, America and Scandinavia, people prefer to get to the point immediately, which leaves no room for any other topic but business.  

Besides the above, one needs to pay attention to the following.. a) using a legible font and its size  b) do not use all capital letters to convey your message - as email etiquette, it can be interpreted as shouting at someone.  c) to emphasise a point, it is okay to use the highlight option, but do so sparingly.   d) using discretion when replying to emails - hit “reply all” only when you really think everyone on the list needs to read your reply e) when sending a message as a forward, check all the trail mail.  There could be a confidential message, that is not meant for the recipient or there could be a message with information  that is not good for the recipient to know.   f) be responsible and use intelligence while copying multiple people on messages (Cc) - mark copies only to the relevant people only as it could get annoying to those who the message is of no interest.  g) use the blind copy (bcc) feature for privacy reasons, while addressing multiple recipients.  Most of us are not too keen on having our email addresses shared with people we do not know. Recipients addresses entered in the bcc section are not seen by other recipients.   h) sign off with a signature block which mentions your full name, designation, company name and contact number.  This provides the recipient with some information about you and makes it easy for him to reach you on phone, if required. 

Always remember, the way you communicate displays your professionalism as well demonstrates mutual respect and consideration between you and the others who are recipients of the email.  

 Shalini Mehta  ‘Courtesy & Carriage’