Donts of Email Etiquette

1. Leaving the subject blank – always include a relevant subject. This even applies to mails that you reply to or forward to
2. Typing in capital letters – this is considered to be shouting
3. Sending emails to the entire organization that is relevant only to a few staff
4. Storing out of date mail and never deleting them or the attachments
5. Use of quirky and difficult to read fonts in an email
6. Replying to all, instead of just to the sender
7. Marking everything you send as high importance
8. Sending mail with typing or spelling errors

Dos of Email Etiquette

1. Be concise and to the point
2. Answer all questions
3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation
4. Use templates for frequently used responses
5. Answer swiftly- usually within 24 hours
6. Do not attach unnecessary files
7. Use proper structure & layout
8. Read the email before you send it
9. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons
10. Use active instead of passive
11. Avoid long sentences
12. Use cc: field sparingly
13. Keep the paragraphs short
14. Use bullet points if manuy points need to be explained
15. Make sure your e-mail includes a courteous greeting and closing. Helps to make your e-mail not seem demanding or terse.
16. Are you using proper sentence structure? First word capitalized with appropriate punctuation? Multiple instances of !!! or ??? are perceived as rude or condescending.
17. When sending large attachments, always “zip” or compress them before sending.
18. Only use Cc: when it is important for those you Cc: to know about the contents of the email. Overuse can cause your emails to be ignored.
19. Include addresses in the To: field for those who you would like a response from.
20. Include addresses in the Cc: field for those who you are just FYI’ing.
21. Never expose your friend’s or contact’s email address to strangers by listing them all in the To: field. Use BCC:!
22. Eliminate big words and overly formal language

Substitute words

1. Talk about>> discuss
2. Ask for>> enquire
3. Help>> assist
4. Think about>> consider
5. Get>> receive
6. Buy>> purchase
7. Get together>> meet
8. Let someone know>> inform someone
9. Get in touch with someone>> contact someone

Useful Language

1. Thanks for your email
2. Just a brief note to say/let you know
3. There are a couple of things, I’m not sure about
4. Do call me if you’d like to discuss this further
5. This has been due to/this is because
6. It was a pleasure dealing with you
7. Nice to hear from you
8. I am attaching a copy of…
9. Your request was forwarded to me
10. I am afraid I could not open the document
11. I look forward to your reply
12. I am also sending a hard copy

Requests

1. Could you
2. Please could you
3. I would be grateful if you could
4. Can you
5. Do you think you could.

Language To Be Avoided

1. Please revert back/ reply back>> Use: revert/ reply
2. Awaiting for your reply>> Use: Awaiting your reply/ waiting for your reply
3. Please confirm me/ confirm us>> just use please confirm
4. I suggest you>> I suggest that you…. Eg: I suggest that you upgrade to the next package