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Professional Email Etiquette. [Thread]
Good morning everyone.
Good morning everyone.
A lot of what I will cover today will be familiar to most of you. Think of it as a refresher. A lot of what I will cover today will be from my own personal interactions with other people via email - in the course of business, as well as during my varsity days.
This is not an exhaustive analysis of the email experience, so feel free to chip in with your own experiences.
Let us begin with your choice of email address. We all remember our first experiences with email. If you didn't have a hotmail address, you were probably either in diapers, or still a twinkle in your parents' eyes. Most of us were excited youngsters.
Excited youngsters who picked outlandish email addresses like hotgirl[at]hotmail[dot]com or some other inside joke.
Do NOT use such addresses for official emails. This would seem obvious, but to many people it isn't. Especially for job applications. Gmail is kind to us.
Do NOT use such addresses for official emails. This would seem obvious, but to many people it isn't. Especially for job applications. Gmail is kind to us.
Pick a respectable email address like your real name and surname. E.g John[dot]Smith[at]gmail[dot]com
Leave out the honorifics. Unless you're a real MP or you have a real state award, calling yourself Hon OGW HSC or other such nonsense is silly.
Leave out the honorifics. Unless you're a real MP or you have a real state award, calling yourself Hon OGW HSC or other such nonsense is silly.
Gmail is multi functional and allows us to add user images. Pick a respectable image. You don't have to wear a suit, but at the very least look professional. That means no pics of you in a bikini, no matter how smart you think you look. 
When you are sending an email, ensure that you address it to the right recipients. Many a career has been destroyed when an email has been sent to an unintended recipient.
If you want to cc someone, or a group of people, be considerate of the fact that they probably receive lots of emails. Do they need to be copied in? If not, leave them out.
Bulk recipients. Have a BCC list. This will prevent people from hitting "reply all" and causing a cascade of emails with nonsense like "well noted" and so on.
A BCC list also preserves the privacy of people on that list.
BCC can also be used to snitch on your colleagues
A BCC list also preserves the privacy of people on that list.
BCC can also be used to snitch on your colleagues
The tone and manner of your email should take into account the people you are sending the email to. You can say "wassup" or "hae" to your buddies, but professional emails should be more formal.
If you are not on first name basis with someone, refer to them by the appropriate honorific/title, and their surname.
E.g Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms/Dr/Prof. Jones.
Maintain the level of respect that befits an official email message.
E.g Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms/Dr/Prof. Jones.
Maintain the level of respect that befits an official email message.
Contents of the email:
Polite greetings. Just do it where appropriate. You have nothing to lose.
Focus on relevant matters. Do not waffle.
People do not have time for stories, unless really necessary.
Polite greetings. Just do it where appropriate. You have nothing to lose.
Focus on relevant matters. Do not waffle.
People do not have time for stories, unless really necessary.
During the course of your career, you will be issued with an official work email address. Use this for official work related correspondence. Most of us will be able to use this facility from our own devices/phones/laptops/tablets.
Always ensure that you are sending emails from the appropriate addresses. Maintain your own privacy (don't let an angry email to your girlfriend sit on the company server). Maintain your professionalism and don't let an email from your bikinibabe hotmail account go to a client.
Unless you're planning on being a whistle blower, company related correspondence (especially if your are employed) have no business going to your personal account. It is quite literally theft and breach of trust, and you could lose your job and face other consequences.
If your employer has an IT policy, read it. If you are an employer, consider having an IT policy, and ensure that your employees are aware of it, and ensure that your employees acknowledge that they have read it.
NEVER share your passwords or your email addresses. The consequences of misuse can be severe.
These days we commonly see email threads with previous replies for easy reference to what was previously discussed.
Be very careful when forwarding such emails, as the person you are forwarding them to may not need to know what was previously said.
For example.
Let's say you have requested a quotation, and the person sends you an email with the attached quotation. AND IN THE BODY OF THAT EMAIL you see discussions with others where pricing and markups are discussed.
Don't be THAT person.
Let's say you have requested a quotation, and the person sends you an email with the attached quotation. AND IN THE BODY OF THAT EMAIL you see discussions with others where pricing and markups are discussed.
Don't be THAT person.
An email is a long term (possibly permanent) record of correspondence. You can burn a postcard, but an email can come back to haunt you years later.
If you are angry, do not send that email until you have calmed down. And don't Cc the whole world. Think before you send.
If you are angry, do not send that email until you have calmed down. And don't Cc the whole world. Think before you send.
Check any email before you click send. Spellchecker helps, but it isn't everything. Your grammar and punctuation reflects your professionalism, and it can also convey unintended things.
I like cooking, my kids, and my dogs.
Vs
I like cooking my kids and my dogs.
I like cooking, my kids, and my dogs.
Vs
I like cooking my kids and my dogs.
Attachments. If you are meant to send an attachment, make sure that you have sent the attachment. It helps to specify in the email what the attachment is. Give the recipient a choice on whether they really need to see it or not. For multiple attachments, give brief descriptions.
Give each attachment a meaningful file name. Seems like an obvious thing, but many of us don't do this. Make life easier for yourself and for the recipients.
For collaborative documents sent as attachments, ensure that you use track changes, and ensure correct versions go out.
For collaborative documents sent as attachments, ensure that you use track changes, and ensure correct versions go out.
I have seen that many people here are not massive fans of those one liner replies like "noted" or "well noted" -- Make it a part of your personal practice or corporate culture to specify in your email "FYI - no reply is necessary" and see if that works for you.
Your email signature.
Should include any relevant information that a recipient would require, including but not limited to alternative means of contacting you. Your job title, company postal address, physical location, phone numbers, company logo etc.
Should include any relevant information that a recipient would require, including but not limited to alternative means of contacting you. Your job title, company postal address, physical location, phone numbers, company logo etc.
Please feel free to add or discuss or ask for clarifications.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Thank you for the opportunity.
