"Despite similar ratings, experience and qualifications, Neha was chosen over Ritu for a promotion based on a particular area of her work; her interactive e-mails that displayed sheer professionalism instantly drew the reader's attention." 
‘Leadership and communication are inseparable. You can't have one without the other.' 
                                                                                                                        - Claude I. Taylor 

The best thing about e-mails is that you can compose a mail, save it, edit it later and review it again before sending it. However, since e-mails are permanent records of a person's contribution to work, it is also essential to follow some email etiquette and guidelines that convey professionalism and efficiency, something that also favored Neha in her career growth. 

Some E-mail Etiquette that you can use to improve the quality and credibility of your work are: 

1. Be concise and to the point. Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. Stick to the purpose of writing the mail. 

2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions. Exceed expectations and answer possible queries as well. 

3. Avoid long sentences. Try to keep every sentence in the mail to a maximum of 15-20 words. 

4. Summarize long discussions. Instead of continuing to forward a long mail trail you could even highlight or quote the relevant passage and then include your response. 

5. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation. If your program has a ‘spell check' option, use it. Use appropriate full stops or commas to make mails readable. When making points, number them or mark each point separately. 

6. Use the subject field to indicate the exact content and purpose of the mail. Do not respond to a different content under a different subject. 

7. Check twice whether the email addressed in the TO: and CC: sections are the right ones before pressing ‘send'. 

8. Use a signature that includes name, designation, department and contact information like a mailing address, local address or telephone numbers. 

9. It is important to add disclaimers to your internal and external mails, since this can help protect you and your company from liability. 

10. Use ‘Reply All' sparingly and only if it is necessary that everyone copied needs to know what you sent. 

11. Do not ask to recall a message because often it would have been received already - It is better just to send an email to say that you have made a mistake. 

12. Do not send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks. 

13. Reply to each mail preferably within the same working day. If the email is long and would need time to respond to, send an email back saying that you have received it and you will get back to them in some time. 

14. It is okay to write an email when you are angry with someone/something but just wait for 24 hours, and read it again before sending it. 

15. Do not use e-mails as an excuse to avoid personal contact. Document any interaction that is official and can be used as a record for future reference. 

16. Avoid writing in CAPITAL LETTERS BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE SHOUTING. 

17. Read your email out loud to ensure the tone is that which you desire. A few additions of the words "please" and "thank you" go a long way! 

18. In official emails, avoid using abbreviations such as BTW (by the way), LOL (laugh out loud) and emotion smileys (J). 

19. Formality is a courtesy and reflects respect. Refrain from getting too informal too soon in your email communications. 

20. Be sure your virus, adware and spyware programs are up to date and include scanning of your emails and attachments both incoming and outgoing. 

In a nutshell, read the email before you send it to prevent avoidable errors like spelling and grammar mistakes, wrong email addresses and inappropriate tone. Reading mails from the receiver's perspective also helps to keep the e-mails formal and effective. 

If you would like to discuss this further or need some help or support in this or any other area, our counsellors would be happy to help. 
 
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Place an online request for an Appointment 

Call 1800-258-8999 / 1800-258-8121 

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