Email Etiquette You Can't Do Without

    • kumar.saurav2@timesgroup.com
    • Publish Date: May 28 2016 4:49PM
    • |
    • Updated Date: Jun 2 2016 5:00PM
Email Etiquette You Can't Do Without

We have been sending emails for almost two decades now, long before any of your were born, which might make you think that to do a feature like this is pretty lame, late and lazy; but we bet, there are a lot us who don’t know much about composing an email that will actually be read and acted upon. For those of us, we have a step-by-step reckoner.  

  1. To, CC and BCC, it all begins here: To is for the individual (or set of individuals) who is required to act on the email, CC (carbon copy) is for those who have to kept in the loop, but are not required to act on it, or even acknowledge the receipt of the email; and bcc (blind carbon copy) is for sending the same email to people whose identities you don’t intend to disclose to the people in To and CC field. For example: If A wants B to delegate a job to C, B will write an email to C and cc A. However, if A doesn’t want C to know that A is part of this development, B will bcc A. 
  2. Subject line: The subject is the dodgiest part of composing an email as it decides whether the receiver will junk your email, read it later or open it instantly. So, keep the subject direct and noticeable. However, in an attempt to do this, don’t write spam-worthy subjects like “Open Me”, “Read it”, “Hi”. Examples of good subjects are “Urgent meeting at 3 pm”, “Attn: Quarterly result”, “Notice: New Rules for attendance”. 

    Subject slip-ups to 
    avoid

    a. Don’t write everything in caps, it’s rude.
    b. Case selections like “UrJeNt MeEeTiNg At 3Pm” are best left for love letters.
    c. Avoid punctuation.  
    d. While in the body, there is still a scope to hit one or two typos, in the subject line, there is no room for it. 
  3. Body of the copy: Here are the six point you need to consider while writing the body of the email. 
    a. Make a courteous opening and closing: Because you are not God, and it doesn’t hurt to be warm, don’t just jump to the purpose of the email directly.
    b. Spell the names correctly: And never use Mr/Mrs/Ms with first name. For example, if the receiver’s name is Jon Snow, address as Mr.Snow and not Mr.Jon.
    c. If you are not sure about the gender of the receiver: Politely ask them if you would like them to be addressed as Mr/Mrs/Ms. If you think, it’s easier to guess the gender by the name, it’s not. There are a lot of gender neutral and confusing names in this world. For example, the writer of this article knows a man called Dimple Kalra, Kim is quite a popular name for men in Korea (and it has nothing to do with the Supreme Leader) and Shawn is also a popular name for the ladies. So, just be careful.
    d. Don’t beat around the bush: Remember, emails are not meant to read like seven-part Harry Potter series, so keep it short and simple. The body should, one, clearly explain what you want from the receiver; two, should be free from spelling and grammar mistakes; three, have proper spacing between the lines and lastly, should have the right tone, so choose your words very carefully. In case, you are confused about the tone of the email, just read it aloud before sending, it really works. 
    e. Closing the email: It’s important to properly close an email. ‘Warm regards’, ‘Thank you for your time’, ‘Sincerely yours’, ‘Looking forward to hearing from you’ – whatever you use, make sure it’s consistent with the tone of the message. For example, there is no point sending a stinker to a subordinate with ‘sincerely yours’ closure, until and unless you don’t want the entire email to read like a bloated oxymoron. 
    f. Include proper signature: Technically, your signature should mention everything that’s written on your visiting card, so when in doubt, go by this thumb rule. 
  4. Sending an email: Don’t send the email as soon as you are done typing it, take your time, check the email for errors or incomplete information, and then send it. And never write an email if you are angry or not experiencing the right set of emotion. You might want to say “Get Lost” as a reply to your boss’s stinker, but that doesn’t mean you will actually say it, chances of which are high if you reply instantly. Yes, if even hour later, you feel your boss is a jerk, feel free to write whatever you want to.    

Other things to consider

  • You can take two hours to reply to a mail that has been sent from the same time zone. Don’t reply to an email at midnight. It makes you look like a fool.
  • If you are sending a heavy attachment, zip it. Don’t annoy someone by blocking their inbox. 
  • Don’t ‘reply all’ if you don’t want to communicate with everyone else in the mail. 
  • Acknowledge the email. Don’t be silent on it. ‘Noted’, ‘Will do the needful’ are some of the easiest way to acknowledge. 
  • Keep humour out of the email, you don’t know how it will be perceived. 
  • Don’t use slangs in the email. Not everyone is as kiddish as you.
  • Last but not the least, create an email id that doesn’t sound like coolsaurav@abc.com, dudemichael@xyz.com, lipsticklibra@abc.com  
 


 

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