Email Etiquette

8/3/2011
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COMMON PERSONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL EMAIL RULES
THE AMERICAN CENTER
13 JULY, 2011
YUKI KONDO-SHAH
MIRIAM SCHIVE
Email Etiquette
Email Vocabulary
 CC – Carbon Copy
 BCC – Blind Carbon Copy
 Reply All
 Forward
 Delete
 Archive (Gmail)
 Folders/Labels
 What email client/company do you use?
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Composing a Formal Email
 Have a neutral email address:
Example: lazygurl28@yahoo.com (BAD!)
Example: minh.nguyen@yahoo.com (GOOD!)
 Always begin with a “Dear Mr. / Ms. / Dr. ____,” or
if recipient is unknown use “To whom it may
concern”.
 Be sure to address the person correctly – check the
spelling of their name, whether they are a man or
woman and use the appropriate salutation.
Composing a Formal Email
 Introduce yourself in the first paragraph and tell the
recipient why you are writing:
Example: “My name is Yuki Kondo-Shah and I am
writing to you today to apply for the [position] at
[institute].”
 Be concise and short: Generally, 3-5 sentences per
paragraph and no more than 5 paragraphs in an
introductory email.
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Composing a Formal Email
 Avoid abbreviations or acronyms, when possible.
 Never use slang (informal speech).
 Conclude the email with the appropriate ending:
Example: “Sincerely,” or “Respectfully,” or “Best
regards,”
 Sign with your full name.
 ALWAYS be sure to spell-check your email before
sending.
What is the problem with this email?
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1. Sending before you mean to:
• Sending incomplete emails looks sloppy and careless
• Avoid the problem by entering the recipient’s e-mail
address only when your e-mail is ready to be sent!
What is the problem with this email?
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2. Forgetting a Greeting
 Example: “Can you send me the report by 5pm
today?”
 Email is casual, but you do not want to be rude.
 Simple pleasantries do the trick.
 Say “Hi” at the start of the message and “Thanks” at
the end.
 Be sure to use the recipient's name.
 Be polite yet brief with your courtesy.
What is the problem with this email?
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3. Forgetting the attachment
 Example: “Sorry, I forgot to include the attachment.”
 If your e-mail includes an attachment, upload the file
to the e-mail before composing it.
 This eliminates the embarrassing mistake of
forgetting it before hitting “send,” and having to send
another e-mail saying you forgot to attach the
document.
4. Forwarding Useless Emails
 Forwarding email can clutter inboxes and increase
spam.
 Whether it is a silly joke or a heartwarming charity,
there is never a time to share an e-mail forward
using your work e-mail.
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5. Underestimating the importance of the subject
line
 The subject line is your headline.
 Make it interesting, and you’ll increase the odds of
getting the recipient's attention.
 Our inboxes are cluttered; you need to be creative
and direct to help the recipient cut through the noise.
 You should consistently use meaningful and
descriptive subject lines.
 Examples:
 Application for P.A. Position at CSIS – Yuki Kondo-Shah
 Inquiry about Volunteer Positions with ICG
What is the problem with this email?
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6. Using incorrect subject lines
 Change the subject line if you’re changing the topic
of conversation.
 Better yet, start a new e-mail thread
7. Not putting an e-mail in context
 Even if you were talking to someone an hour ago
about something, remind them in the e-mail why you
are writing.
 In this multi-tasking world of ours, it is easy for even
the sharpest minds to forget what is going on.
 Example: “Dear Miriam, thanks for lunch today. It
was great to get your ideas about Thursday’s
program. I have some additional questions that I
want to ask you…”
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8. Hitting Reply ALL unintentionally
 This is a biggie.
 And it is not just embarrassing; depending on what
you wrote in that e-mail, it can ruin your relationship
with a co-worker or even your boss.
 Take extra care whenever you respond so you do not
hit this fatal button.
 Example: My classmate at Harvard emailing the
class to complain about a professor…and the
professor was included in the “reply all” response
9. Relying too much on e-mail
 No one is sitting around staring at their inbox
waiting for your e-mail.
 If something is urgent, use another means of
communication.
 A red “rush” exclamation point does not compare to
getting up from your desk and conducting business
in person.
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10. E-mailing when you’re angry
 Do not do it. Ever. Recall buttons are far from a
perfect science, and sending a angry e-mail is often a
catastrophic mistake.
 It sounds cliché, but the best thing to do is sleep on
it.
 Save the message as a draft and see if you still want
to send it the next morning.
11. Appropriate Auto-Reply Use
 Not at home? Not even at the office?
 Inform people about your absence (and when you
plan to return) so they do not get nervous, frustrated
or angry as their messages are not answered quickly.
 Ex:
 “Thank you very much for your message. I will be out of the
office on official work travel until August 26
th
. I will not have
regular access to my email. For urgent matters, please contact
Miriam Schive at (202)-xxx-xxxx or schivems@state.gov.”

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