Basic Email Etiquettes

• First impressions do happen over email.

• Increases professionalism.

• Having email etiquettes get to the point faster as compared to poorly written emails.

• Proper use of words creates an overall good impression.

Why is email etiquettes important?

To/Cc/Bcc :

To : Specific person or department. Cc means carbon copy of your mail. Used in scenario when you have to keep your superiors in loop. Bcc means Blind carbon copy. Recipients will not be able to see

whom all the email has been sent to.

Do not mark "Cc" or "Bcc" to those who are not connected with the business related to the subject matter.

Recipients

Try to use subject line that has meaning and purpose of mail.

• Clear and concise, it should to be related to the topic of the email.• Failure to do so could mean being deleted.

Greetings : • Americans: use Hi • Europeans: use Hello • Asians: use Dear To be more formal we could use Dear Mr. /Ms. followed by Last name or Full name. One should not use Dear Mr. /Ms. followed by First name alone.

We should not put '/' in greetings like Hi X/Y. Instead we should say Hi X and Y .

Subject line and greetings

The mail should have a Pyramid Structure i.e. it should contain: 

• Situation: What is the current situation? • Action items: What you expect from the reader of the mail to-do. • Information: The information you want to give to the reader .• Conclusion: Conclude with a Thank You. 

The font of mail should be Verdana, Arial or times and font size should be 9.5 or 10. Avoid fancy font. Do not write in “CAPITALS”. It looks as if you are shouting. This might trigger an unwanted response.

For writing use only Black or Blue color. For highlighting purpose make the word bold. Avoid using Red color as Red signifies danger, so use it when urgent.

• Do not use Italics font to write official mails.• Always conclude every email by writing your name, address, phone number and

your email address. This way, recipients get the information on multiple means of contacting you in case they do not wish to communicate with you only through emails and wish to use other means. This information is also useful to the people to whom your email might be forwarded.

ADDRESSING YOUR EMAIL

• Pay attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation.Run spell and grammar check option in your outlook or Microsoft Word.• Be clear and concise . • Start with why you are emailing. • Do not use all caps, it appears to be similar to shouting. • Avoid using color and font schemes.Importance of punctuation:“A woman without her man is nothing" "A woman, without her man, is nothing." "A woman: without her, man is nothing." Punctuation is powerful hence use wisely.• Correct sentence formation and avoid emotions. []• Do not use abbreviations (unless they are absolutely universally

understood)• Respond in timely manner.

Content

• For requesting something we should not use can, instead we should use may/could.

• Avoid writing 'Please find the attached file' because the reader does not have to find or search for the file in the mail it's already there. Instead write 'The file has been attached for your reference'.

• Avoid sentences like 'As per your mail' because 'per' is used only with units like per Kg etc. Instead write 'According to your mail'.

• We often write 'Please revert back'. Instead write 'Please revert'. • When a bulk mail is sent do not reply to all. Instead reply to the concerned person or to a specific department. As your reply may not be of any importance to others and it would be a waste of time for them.• If there is reply to a specific mail more than 3times. ALERT: It’s time to pick your phone and speak rather than dragging the mail any further.• Avoid sending large attachment; Instead use websites like www.sendspace.com

and there are many others.

Avoid

• Respond in a timely matter. • Double check spelling and grammar, always rely on spell check. • Make sure you have actually attached your documents .• Email is a form of communication and becomes a written record ,hence

tone and attitude should be polite.• Make sure to be sincere and thank those who take time to respond and

give you information .• A well written email can quickly impress a potential employer .

Summary

Niya Sharma