Email Etiquette in Three Simple Steps
It’s the beauty of email: fast, simple, direct and you never get someone’s voicemail. But there’s a bit more to emailing than just point-and-shoot. There’s email etiquette that’s cause for confusion and enough to make your head swim. In this day and age of digital communication, what ARE the rules for email etiquette? Do I have to respond to everyone who emails me, every time? The answers might surprise you, but here’s my take on the world of email etiquette. It doesn’t have to be a conundrum – it’s email, for Pete’s sake!
Email Etiquette Tip 1: Be Concise
Don’t fire off a lengthy prose masterpiece for your business communications. Save those for the writing contests and updating your mom. Email should be short, concise and respectful of the receiving party’s time. How do you do it?
- Ask one question per email (but don’t send six emails with one question each in rapid succession!)
- If you must ask multiple questions, use bullet points and preface the list with: “I have X questions for you.”
- If you have a deadline, provide that.
Email Etiquette Tip 2: Indicate if You Need a Reply
I get HUNDREDS of emails each day – there’s no way I can respond to everything and email communication threads have to end somewhere. Don’t feel obligated to respond to every single email in your inbox. Here’s my list of rules for what needs a reply and what doesn’t:
- When someone asks a question or asks for something
- When they’re said something really nice and I would like to thank them
- When someone has shared something with me and I found it interesting
- When I need to confirm something.
Aside from that, it’s a case-by-case basis. Use your best judgment but every “thank you” doesn’t require a “you’re welcome!”
Email Etiquette Tip 3: Say Thank You
Whether you add it to your signature line or type it in at the bottom, show your appreciation for your recipient’s time. You’re glad they’re reading your email! It’s that simple.
Now – do YOU have any email etiquette adds for this list? I’d love to hear them!
Related posts:
- Multitasking Makes Me Mad! Three Ways to Stop the Madness
- Work-Life Balance: Who’s Owning Who?
- How to Escape Your Comfort Zone . . . With Ease
- Working From Home: Three Rules
- The Best Business Investment You Can Make: Step 2
Won't you join me every week in my regular newsletter? I'll arrive in your 'in' box twice per week- every Monday and Thursday with a 2-minute Influence It! tip, a pertinent article and some coaching advice unique to women. Join me on this journey of bringing the power back to women and influence!
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Hi Karen,
Glad I stumbled on this post. Your comment in #1 about telling the person “there are x questions” will solve my problem. Often I do break emails into one question each, but then the receiver gets inundated. However, if you leave more than one in an email you run the risk of them only answering the last one or the first one.
Loved that suggestion!
Amy