HR Solutions and Connections: Employee Newsletter

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AUGUST 2009—Writing it Right: Effective Email Etiquette

By: Janelle Bigler and Karen Beaudway

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Today, we find ourselves sending and receiving more emails than ever, and it can be information overload. With the importance of email in the workplace, it is useful to know how to send effective emails that won’t be confusing or sent straight to the trash. Here are some tips to make sure your emails are sent and read effectively.

1. Use proper grammar.
   Using proper grammar is not only more professional, but it makes your email easier to read. Capitalize only the necessary letters; using all-caps usually comes off as yelling. Remember to use proper punctuation and run spell-check. Avoid using the passive voice since it is harder to read. (“The team lead will assign responsibilities to each participant.” vs. “The responsibilities will be assigned to each participant by the team leader.”)
2. Be specific.
   Make sure you provide all the necessary information in one email. At best, vagueness is annoying. At worse, as it engenders distrust. Readers appreciate when they can do what you need them to do without needing to follow up or clarify your original email.
3. Get to the point.
   Only use emails for quick information; emails that are too long are viewed as work, and people frequently won’t spend the time to read them. Try to stick to the 25/80 rule (a maximum of 25 lines, and 80 characters in each line). Also, try keeping your sentences to 16 words or fewer to make it easier to read.
4. Choose your words carefully.
   Give your emails thought—once they are sent, they are usually irretrievable. Avoid sending angry emails that you will regret sending out. Save an email draft when you are responding to something that has upset you and reread it after you have calmed down. Be careful about using emotional language, sarcasm or humor in emails. The lack of body language, tone of voice, facial expression and context can affect the way your email is received.
5. Know when email isn’t appropriate.
   Sometimes, we need to communicate information of a sensitive nature—correcting or disciplining someone, denying a request, asking for money, conveying bad news, or other emotional situations. These circumstances can leave people feeling out of control or upset, and you should be present to gauge their reaction and respond appropriately. Email is impersonal and insensitive. An in-person discussion, or even a phone call, is a better method of communication in these circumstances.
6. Use an organizing system.
   The “MADE” system is a great way to quickly and effectively organize the information in an email.
   
   • M = main message. This is often the subject line.
   • A = the action the reader must take.
   • D = details the person needs to know.
   • E = evidence/enclosures.
   Not all emails will have details and evidence. A MADE-organized email might look like this:
   
   Subject: Schedule for the Fall semester needed by Friday.
   Body: The catalog for the Fall semester will be published on Monday. All classes must be entered in to the class registration system by no later than Friday, 5:00 pm. Each class entry should include a class title, presenter name, date, time, location, and short description. You can access the course registration system quick reference guide at for technical assistance.
7. Make sure your subject line is your message.
   The subject line is the most-read part of your email. (Often, it is the only part that is read before the user decides whether to read it now, save it for later or send it to the trash bin unopened.) Make sure your subject line is specific, and not a general topic. For example, don’t make your subject “Campus Event.” Instead title it “Meet and greet with new Dean, Friday at noon.”
8. Don’t be trigger-happy.
   Decide who really needs to know. Don’t flood people’s inboxes with emails that just “keep them in the loop.” Make sure only the active participants on a topic are on the email d-list. For example, if someone isn’t involved in the technical end of a project, don’t send them the email chatter about how the system is going to handle a particular variable. Once the details are worked out, just send out an email with the finalized decision. Be particularly careful about replying to all. If an email was sent to ten people, and you have a follow-up to one of the items, only reply to the appropriate people.
9. Avoid email chat.
   Know the difference between email and chat—email is writing and chat is talking. Don’t send unnecessary emails like “Thanks,” “Ok,” or “Will do.” They just take up space in a person’s inbox and don’t say anything important.
10. Reconsider sending an attachment.
    When possible, send hyperlinks or server locations in place of an attachment. Some people may not open the attachment if they are unfamiliar with the sender or are afraid of viruses. In addition, they can take up limited space in one’s email quota. If you must send by attachment, save in the smallest format.

These tips are just a few things you should consider when you are sending emails. Try to avoid email faux pas to make sure your emails aren’t destined for the trash bin.

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