3 E’s: English E-mail Etiquette

Technology plays a vital role in almost everything, and that includes communicating with friends, family, colleagues and clients. The Internet makes the communication process faster and more convenient via electronic mail or e-mail, yet a badly-constructed e-mail especially for business purposes can result to a waste of time, negative publicity or worse, a string of lawsuits. For more effective e-mail interactions that serve any given purpose, keep in mind these Do’s and Don’ts:

   happy6  Do’s

  • Respect the recipients and their time by keeping e-mails brief.
  • Be straight to the point in the first few sentences of your writing, instead of stating your real intention towards the end.
  • Make your subject line priority-worthy.
  • One topic per e-mail message is ideal to avoid “information overload”.
  • Courtesy words like “please” and “thank you” are a must.
  • Be discreet in constructing e-mail messages, as e-mails aren’t always guaranteed as private can be shared to others with just a few clicks. When writing company e-mails, consider them as company records that top management and colleagues can check every now and then for reference. However, if the e-mail is too confidential, ask the IT Department to enable Information Rights Management (IRM) functions prior to sending to prevent the recipient from forwarding, copying and printing.
  • Proofread carefully.
  • Be sensitive with regards to tone of voice and using humor, or it will backfire.
  • Review before sending the e-mail if it’s pleasing or annoying to read.

   angry26  Don’ts

  • Opt for e-mail in dealing with matters wherein a phone call or a face-to-face conversation is necessary or more proper.
  • Include unnecessary recipients in the CC and BCC fields.
  • (For employers) Be unreasonable in restricting employees who send e-mail for personal reasons while at work. As long as daily productivity target is still being met while inserting a short break for e-mails to friends and family, there’s no need to panic. Be realistic.
  • Forget to back up or archive e-mails, particularly those with signed documents and other highly essential attachments.

 

Sources: The Huffington Post and Microsoft.com

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(10) Comments

  • BEA BERNICE M. VITTO January 20, 2015 @ 1:08 pm

    This blog is quite informative enough especially on our modern day. Sending e-mails are very efficient for every people especially those working in offices. E-mails are giving convinience to those who are working in offices due to insufficient time in going personally to other offices they need to coordinate with, but unfortunately there is a higher risk of having missed e-mails because sometimes people are too busy and having hard time reading their e-mail. So before sending e-mail inform these offices to make sure that you are about to send them an e-mail.

    Reply
  • MA. ENELYN G. CENTENO January 20, 2015 @ 1:34 pm

    The Do’s and Do’nts mentioned above is very helpful for us to create an effective email. Email is a form of communication which is a reflection of you. If we know the email etiquette (mentioned above) it will improves our public perception and persona and increases the chance of a prompt and comprehensive response. It’s not hard to maintain good email etiquette once you know what it is.

    Reply
  • VICTORIA C. CASTILLO January 20, 2015 @ 1:41 pm

    It is very rare that I communicate through
    e-mail. However, the topic is very informative, awakening to the fact that there are those who use “unacceptable” words that would leave bad impression to the reader. The subject will help me a lot when the time that i will use e-mail for my communication comes.

    Reply
  • Ericka Del Mundo January 20, 2015 @ 1:53 pm

    The internet has become a support to more complex and critical functions in our daily lives & it contributed significant contribution of great innovations which practically helps us in a more convenient way of living, but of course, it still has its good & bad influence in us. So its up to us how we generally apply it to our day to day activity.

    Reply
  • Rhoda M. Villaroz January 20, 2015 @ 3:57 pm

    Communication process became faster and more convenient with the advancement of technology. Communication via e-mail is one proof of it. Before the use of social media network such as facebook, instagram or twitter, e-mail is the one commonly use for communication with friends, families, colleagues and business clients. As a responsible e-mail user, one must really keep in mind the do’s and don’ts of using e-mail.

    Reply
  • Mona Bae S. Sape January 20, 2015 @ 4:01 pm

    A person, who displays proper etiquette while writing an email message, not only feels good about himself he also makes those around him feel important and respected. E-mail etiquette are important in social environment, as well as in a business setting. Displaying proper email etiquette will get you noticed and, obviously, being noticed is great in many aspects.

    Reply
  • Greta O. Guevara January 20, 2015 @ 5:20 pm

    This English E-mail Etiquette is a good guide for us in this when most communications are now done thru e-mail.
    Most important for me is “being sensitive to the tone of voice” used and courtesy words as we communicate.
    Backing up our emails and their attachments are equally essential.

    Reply
  • Jenette Rubico January 24, 2015 @ 8:30 am

    In this fast-paced world in which messages are now digitally transmitted and received, it is very important for us to have the proper etiquette on our emails like of those we practice when speaking with other persons. Since emails nowadays are essential, it is better to have the Do’s and Dont’s to guide us when having our emails..By having our emails composed straight to the point of idea, we can make it professional-sounding and creates a better horizon for the modern day mailing.

    Reply
  • Emma Claire P. Claveria January 27, 2015 @ 3:28 pm

    Indeed, the internet has made our lives a lot easier these days and so as with e-mails. This blog is an essential reminder to most of us in the corporate world to be always mindful of how to use and when to use e-mails properly. If I may add, most establishments now require e-mails instead of writing memos to reduce their solid wastes (e.g. paper).

    Reply
  • Rossine Masayes January 29, 2015 @ 8:25 pm

    3E’s: English E-mail Etiquette
    E-mail now a days plays a vital role in business world. Communication usually happened through email because of our busy schedule. Do’s and Don’ts must always be consider to impart properly, clearly and concisely your message to the recipient. Although it is just an email, let us communicate like we are communicating to the person face to face.

    Reply

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