Wednesday, March 6, 2013

10 Strategic Email Etiquette Rules

As we continue to juggle our daily tasks at work and at home, it gets more and more difficult to find enough time to answer all the emails we receive each day. Whether, it is business or personally related, knowing the skills to create an effective email are essential-both for better communication and for increased productivity. Knowing some basic email etiquette rules will serve you well. They will help you create more effective email. Start with these 10 email etiquette rules:

1. Avoid using email for topics that are too personal and may be misunderstood.

2. Do not use email to voice your differences with another person. It will only create more tension for both parties. Try to resolve any uncomfortable issues by talking to that individual personally.

3. Analyze the tone of your emails. Make sure that you don't sound angry or irritable - if you are, it would be better to pick up the phone and if you're not, you will escalate a disagreement.

4. Always make an effort to be nice when composing your email. It creates a positive response from the receiver.

5. Check the email trail before forwarding. Avoid sending unintended messages, especially if you are calling your boss or a client a jerk.

6. Use appropriate subject lines when sending an urgent email. Make sure the receiver knows when you expect a response.

7. Avoid using acronyms or unrecognizable abbreviations in your emails. If your email is intended for business or is work related, don't use short cuts that you may use in a text message. Doing so is very unprofessional and it may cause confusion.

8. Write short and concise email messages. You don't want the receiver to groan when they see a lengthy email - they may never read the whole thing. Anything longer than a 3 X 5 index card is a good reason to pick up the phone.

9. Slow down when creating your messages. Carefully construct your email and edit it before sending it to the recipient. Sometimes we have to slow down in order to speed up and a poor email now may cause you a lot of extra time later.

10. Think before you press the send button - every email you send is part of your resume. Start to use these email etiquette rules now. You may be surprised about the change in response from your regular email contacts.

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