E mail Protocol 12 Simple Rules to Stay Connected
Electronic mail is a quick, easy, and convenient way to
instantly link up with people around the globe. To ensure
our messages don’t confuse or alienate others, it’s important
to practice basic e-mail etiquette. Here are twelve simple e-
mail rules to keep you connected and make sure every
communiqué is clear, polished, and professional. Rule #1 – Be concise. Follow the KISS rule (keep it short
and sweet). Get to the point in a clear manner. Keep
paragraphs short - three or four sentences at most. If you
find you need to send an e-mail that is longer than a few
short paragraphs, revise the message or consider picking up
the phone or paying a personal visit instead. Rule #2 – Watch your words. Before sending any e-mail,
check your message. Ask yourself, “What is my purpose for
sending this e-mail?” Anger, enthusiasm, and anxiousness
are all emotions that can trigger an itch only an immediate
heated reply can scratch. Always consciously choose your
words and be sure every communiqué accurately and clearly
conveys your message. Be careful about what you say and
how you say it because your words can come back to haunt
you. Words, especially the written word, can live and be
remembered forever. Don’t say something in the heat of the
moment that you can’t take back. Rule #3 – Follow a format. Every correspondence you send
is a reflection of you and your organization. Therefore, at a
minimum, each e-mail needs to have these elements – a
greeting, a skipped line before and after each paragraph, a
closing or call for action, and a signature (which identifies
you and provides alternate ways to contact you). Rule #4 – Spell check. While spell check can accurately
check for misspellings, it won’t recognize all errors. Before
you hit the send button, check every e-mail for spelling,
punctuation, and grammar. An e-mail filled with multiple
errors is not only difficult to read and understand; it tests the
patience of the recipient, who may decide your message has
no value and simply is not worth reading. Rule #5 – Send messages to your outbox first. Disable the
“auto send” feature in your e-mail software and, instead,
have messages sent to the “outbox” first. This gives you a
second chance to review your e-mail for content and intent.
If your e-mail is a reply, you will now be able to reread the
original message to be sure you didn’t misunderstand the
message. When in doubt, seek clarification before
responding. As a rule, always wait at least 24 hours before responding to
a heated e-mail. This is often enough time to cool off and
think clearly. Reread the message and ask yourself if you
misinterpreted the e-mail. If so, at least now you can hit
“delete” instead of “send.” Remember to always
communicate with integrity and respect. Rule #6 – Avoid writing in all caps. Text written in all caps is
hard on the eyes and is difficult to read. More importantly,
all caps in an e-mail SCREAMS at the reader. Better to write
in upper and lower case. If you need to draw attention to a
word, consider using bold or italics for the emphasis. Rule #7 – Reply to all sparingly. When you respond to a
mass e-mail (a message sent to multiple recipients), determine
whether everyone listed needs to receive your reply. If a
reply to the sender only is sufficient and appropriate, hit the
“reply” vs. the “reply to all” button to cut down on multiple
and unnecessary mail. Rule #8 – Stay current. Just like voice mail, be sure to keep
your auto-reply message up-to-date. An outdated auto-
reply is as bad as dated voice mail – information that serves
no purpose. Rule #9– Office e-mail is never personal. Unless you own
the company, any e-mail sent via your office computer is the
property of the employer and is subject to their purview.
There is no such thing as personal e-mail at work. Be aware
and watch what you say because every message represents
you and the organization. Rule #10 – Stay organized. Attempting to save every e-mail
creates clutter. Get in the habit of saving only necessary e-
mails and discarding the rest. Be sure to delete messages
from your inbox, deleted, and sent message boxes. This will
cut down on the clutter and free up much needed computer
space. Review periodically so you don’t feel overwhelmed at
the sight of months’ or years’ worth of messages. If your
box is full right now, commit to reviewing at least 15
messages from each box daily until you are all caught up.
Also, be sure to regularly back up all mail boxes, just in case. Rule #11 – Answer e-mail. I can’t tell you how many times
I’ve sent an e-mail requesting specific information only to
receive a reply with half, if any, of my questions answered.
This now requires sending a second message to get the
necessary answers. When responding to an e-mail with
multiple questions, type your response right next to the
questions in a different color font than the original message.
This clearly shows your reply and enables the reader to
easily match the response to a question and ensures you
have answered all of the sender’s questions. Rule #12 – Be patient. With the proliferation of text
messaging, PDAs, and Blackberrys, many people send an e-
mail and expect an on the spot response within moments of a
message being sent. It’s unreasonable to expect others to
drop everything to instantly cater to your every whim.
When sending e-mail, be patient and allow a reasonable
amount of time to pass before you expect a reply. Electronic mail can open up doors to you from around the
world. Apply these twelve simple e-mail rules and your
messages will be clear, concise, and always connected.
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