2. Ask Yourself
Do people respond to your emails in the way you want them to?
Or do they seem to ignore them, or miss important information?
3. Effective Emails
This presentation will provide some email writing guidelines
that will:
1. Make you look more professional.
2. Make it easier for your clients to understand and respond to
your email.
3. Keep you and your company out of trouble.
4. Common E-mail Mistakes
10 common e-mail habits that waste time and cause
problems:
1. Vague or nonexistent subject line.
2. Changing the topic without changing the subject.
3. Including multiple subjects in one note.
4. Sending before thinking.
5. Inadvertent replying to all.
6. Omitting the context of a reply.
7. Shooting the messenger.
8. Misaddressed recipients.
9. Displaying addresses of recipients who are strangers to each
other.
10. Replying vs. forwarding.
5. Talking Points
Talking Points:
1. Addressing
2. Subject Line
3. Message Text
4. Signature Line
5. Attachments
6. Style
7. Confidentiality and Security
8. Managing Email
6. Addressing
Limit to who really needs to know.
Make it clear in text who has action and who is info addressee.
Use BCC to protect Email addresses unless everyone knows each
other.
Watch Reply All.
Use address book with mail groups & validate often.
• Avoid typing addresses free hand; many addresses are similar; watch auto fill.
• Send the same message to multiple recipients by editing message as new or
cutting and pasting.
Make sure “forward” does not embarrass sender.
• Get permission if in doubt.
• Never “diss” sender in forward or reply.
Fill in addresses last to avoid sending an incomplete Email by
mistake.
7. Subject Line
Headline (think newspaper).
Grab Attention.
Summarize message.
Make it easy for recipients to search your Email and find it later.
Don’t “Reply All” to a message without changing subject.
Avoid using vague subject lines.
• Ex: "Meeting," "Update," or "Question"
If your message is one of a regular series of emails, such as a
weekly project report, include the date in the subject line.
If your message needs a response, you might want to include a call
to action.
• Such as: “Please reply by November 7”
8. Message Text
Keep the message focused and readable.
Keep it short.
Break into paragraphs; skip lines between.
Use short sentences and active voice.
Use plain text editor, not MS Word.
Avoid fancy typefaces.
Write in standard professional English with Capitalization and
correct spelling.
• Don’t try to impress.
• Avoid chat speak, e.g., Gr8 & emoticons,
Don’t type in All Caps – like yelling.
Avoid !!!
Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT.
Proofread & spell check.
9. Message Text
Quote back selectively when replying to long messages.
• “Yes, I agree.” is useless without context.
• Avoid replying line by line in an argumentative manner.
For URL links use SNIPURL to shorten long URLs or enclose in < >.
• Free service http://snipurl.com
Identify yourself clearly to cold contacts.
• Hello, I am… The reason I am writing…
• Hello, “Name” suggested I contact you…
Respond Promptly.
• Apologize if you don’t.
• Interim reply when too busy.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
10. Message Text
Self-edit, every time.
• Don't just write and click "send."
• Reading your message multiple times can help you trim down your messages
and make them more understandable.
Always remember that - in most cases - recipients aren’t going to
sit down and read your entire message.
They need you to show them where, why and how they should take
action.
11. Attachments
Use sparingly.
Cut and paste relevant parts of attachment into text of Email.
Use links for large files (www.sendspace.com).
12. Signature Line
Be careful with HTML formatting because your signature may not
appear for everyone.
Always include your phone number in plain text just in case the
signature doesn’t appear to certain clients.
13. Style
Threads
• Multiple replies can get out of hand, but continue them to maintain the thread.
• When they start to drift start a new thread with explanation.
Forwarding stuff, e.g., chain letters
• Avoid; annoys most people.
• If you must forward, strip out addresses and use BCC to hide your address list.
• Do not copy a message or attachment without permission.
Chill out!
• Avoid sending a hostile reply to an angry Email.
• Wait 24 hours.
• Write, but don’t send.
• Don’t reply at all and let them wonder.
• Offer to speak by phone or in person; Email is not a good tool for “clearing the
air.”
14. Style
Leave no record of sensitive or emotional responses.
Never say in Email what you wouldn’t say in person or would not
like to defend in court.
Once you hit “Send” you have lost control of the Email.
• You can never be certain that it was erased from all locations.
• Think of all Emails as Permanent.
15. Confidentiality & Security
Protecting yourself
• Delete browser history, cache, cookies and passwords after using a public
Internet connection.
• Logout and close all Apps after using a public Internet connection.
• Don’t conduct company business on non-secure personal computer.
• Back up your Email.
• Install a good security software on your computer.
• Never share account info, even with family.
• Use strong passwords.
16. Managing Your Email
Organize Emails into folders.
Keep a copy of all sent Emails.
Review and clean out folders periodically.
• Good for rainy day or slow day at work.
Declare Email bankruptcy:
• Inbox clogged with overdue responses.
• Send Email to all correspondents apologizing for not replying and asking them
to resend important Emails.
• Delete all old messages in Inbox.
• Then check your inboxes daily.
Use separate Email channels for separate communities:
Professional
Business
Family and friends
Hobbies and interests
Use “out of office” agent when away.
