UNIT 2: EMAIL ETIQUETTE STRUCTURE 2.1 Objectives 2.2 Introduction 3.3 Dos in Email Etiquette 4.

4 Donts in Email Etiquette 5.5 Some Useful Tips 2.6 Let us Summarise 2.7 References 2.8 Answers

2.1

OBJECTIVES

This Unit will help you to : understand what is meant by email etiquette know the dos and donts of business email writing see if your email is written effectively

2.2

INTRODUCTION

Etiquette, as we have seen in some earlier units, refers to certain behavioral patterns that are polite and correct. In particular, when using the email for business purposes, we need to follow these rules to meet those we send emails to on a common ground. We now have business dealings with people from all parts of the globe. As mentioned in the Culture Sensitization units, global economy, global culture, global etiquette is important for us if we have to succeed in our businesses today whatever the business may be. Do you remember what has been covered in Unit 1 of this block? We have learnt extensively about business email writing. Let us now see how we can sum up on the etiquette to be followed and how certain things are allowed and how certain others are not. When we understand the dos and donts of email writing in business, it helps us to maintain a professional attitude and tone in all our correspondence related to business. Often, etiquette to be followed in email or on live chat is referred to as NETIQUETTE meaning etiquette to be followed on the net. 172

Every business email you send can be considered an important step forward in your career. The most obvious thing is that emails can be documented; so, be very careful with the kind of emails you compose and send. Good manners cost nothing; use them and see how much you can actually gain! 2.3 DOS IN BUSINESS EMAIL WRITING Always check the email address of the person you are writing to before you hit the send button. Some email addresses may go to those other than the ones you intend even if you make a small mistake like missing a - or a . in an email address. If the email address is jj.kk@sendmymail.com and you type jjkk@sendmymail.com, your mail could reach the wrong person.

When sending the same message to many people, take care to include names that are relevant; sending it to everyone on your name list can cause problems. While sending mails to those who only need to be informed, see that you type their email addresses in the space provided for Cc and not in the space provided for To. Try to avoid using Bcc as much as you can. Use this option only when the people on the list do not know each other and you want to respect their privacy as each person who receives this mail will only the names reflected in this option see his or her name and not the whole list. As far as possible, try to fill in the subject line after you compose your email. Avoid long sentences in the subject line. Remember, the subject line is like a pointer, it is not the message itself. Keep it SMART. Decide to whom you are sending the mail. Then, use the appropriate greeting or opening salutation. You definitely cannot address your boss as Hey buddy. Divide your message into paragraphs with a line space in between each paragraph. Make each point clear in a separate paragraph. Follow a logical flow through your message. Once your message is completed, take time to close it with a proper salutation. Put in your name, designation, office address, and telephone number. Check your message for correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. 173

Use capital letters to begin a new sentence. Use capital letters for all proper nouns even if they occur in the middle of a sentence. For example, The meeting will be held on Wednesday next week. Check to see whether you need to use a question mark or a full-stop and use them accordingly. Be careful with words that sound alike but are spelled differently. Examples: stationary, stationery; prinicipal, principle; won, one; know, no; there, their; meet,meat, mete; rein, rain; where,wear; and so on. Check if all the necessary details have been given in your message. Check for logical flow of thought. Check to see if your sentences are simple and clear. Take care with the way you express humor or sarcasm as email cannot convey intonation as can be conveyed in speech. Your message can be misunderstood. Always maintain a professional tone in your business messages, even if you are replying to a rude one. Use positive language. Once your message is complete, choose the most important point to frame your smart subject line. When you send attachments see that you use a version that the recipients computer supports. For example, if you zip a file and send it as attachment and your recipient can receive such an attachment. Read and respond to your emails regularly. The very purpose of using the email option is lost if you do not do so. Organize your mail box delete unwanted mails immediately so that your mail box is not blocked. As a result, you could miss out on receiving some important mail. Save all important mail in organized folders. (Unit 1 deals with creation and maintenance of folders) Always remember that the emails you send can be forwarded to others; be careful that you do not write or disclose anything that is confidential in an email, it can easily become public knowledge.

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Glossary Mete: to punish someone Principal: the person in charge of a school or college Principle: moral rule or basic idea Proper nouns: names of specific people, places, animals, etc., for example, Mohan; Delhi; Tommy. Rein: a long strip of leather used to control a horse Salutation: greeting Sarcasm: when you say the opposite of what you mean to insult someone or show them that you are annoyed Stationary: not moving Stationery: things that you use for writing like pens, pencils, paper etc.

2.4

DONTS IN BUSINESS EMAIL WRITING Do not start a mail abruptly. Take the time to greet the person. Do not use a vague subject line. Do not sign off as service desk or something equally vague use your name. Do not clutter your sentences together in one long paragraph. Do not capitalize every word; it is considered shouting in netiquette. Do not use only small letters. Do not use ambiguous language. Do not allow any other person to access your email account if they send something offensive, then you could be held responsible for what they send. Do not change the wordings of any message that you are forwarding. Do not reply if you are angry mails once sent cannot be recalled and you may later regret what you have written in anger. Do not clutter your messages with unwanted words and phrases. Do not put all the points together into one paragraph. Do not send useless forwards to everyone you know people are busy and they may not want to waste time reading useless mails Do not send any confidential matter 175

Do not use fancy fonts Do not use either very small font size or very large Do not keep all the mails that you receive Do not write long drawn messages in your email Do not use jargon, slang, sms language or short forms in business email Do not use a demanding or rude tone Do not let your ego come in your way of professional behavior Do not delay replying to mails Do not attach unnecessary files, picture, or documents Do not forward chain letters like these send this message to 7 other and your wish will come true Dont send or reply to spam mail

Glossary Abruptly: in a rude and unfriendly manner Ambiguous: having more than one possible meaning Clutter: to fill a place with things in an untidy and badly organized manner Spam: unwanted emails like advertisements etc., Vague: not clear

2.5

SOME USEFUL TIPS Check the email addresses carefully before sending your email. Keep your messages short. Make your email look and sound good. Review and check your messages before sending them. Use the reply button if you are replying to a message on the same topic. Include a proper greeting and closing to all your mails. Make sure to avoid using language that is suited to your great 176

grandparents time.

Use positive language if you want positive results. Use active voice to make your messages sound like you are writing to a person. Use a conversational tone. Make sure that your message is factually CORRECT, TO THE POINT and CLEAR.. Be considerate to the other persons feelings. Read your mails regularly. Prioritize your mails according to their order of importance or urgency. Delete all unwanted messages. Create folders and transfer important messages to them. Set up the auto-reply function if you are unavailable for a long time. Remember how you write is more important than what you write. Whether your customers are small or big it does not matter; treat them equally. Smile in your emails which means use a friendly tone. Never rush to answer a mail, especially when you are angry. Do not send sensitive or indiscreet messages. Be cautious do not reveal personal details like your password or credit card details in your email Choose a password that is easy to remember Use smileys [:-)]only in personal emails if you want to never in business email. 177

Glossary Cautious: taking care to avoid risks or danger Indiscreet: saying things which should be kept secret Smiley: an image used to show emotions like ;-( A closing note: Remember using Email in business does not allow you to take the liberties you would take while writing personal Email. Email is a quick way to communicate, do not make it a confusing and elaborate process by using unfamiliar short forms and by not using proper grammar and punctuation.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 1 1. Correct the following: Dear radhika, Thank you for your mail. I will be arriving in pune on the 24th of this month. My flight number is S5 308 and it is expected to land there at 18:20 hours. Could you please come to the airporte to pick me up as this is the first time that I am visiting pune. Thank you, geetha. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ _ 2. My mailbox is full. All my new mails are bouncing back. Please tell me what to do. I have mails from my colleagues, reminders of meetings that are over, project reports and discount offer mailers. How do I make space in my mail box? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 178

__ 3. I wrote this mail to my colleague and he has sent an angry reply. Can you find anything wrong with it? If so, please correct it for me. Hi rakesh. I want to remind you that you have not sent your project update as yet. We have passed the dead line and you must realize that your laziness is affecting all of us. I will be forced to report this to the manager. Cant you be more responsible? I dont like this kind of behavior. You are irresponsible and careless. You better send the report today. Govinda ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ _

2.6

LET US SUMMARISE

In this unit, we have learnt: That there are many things that we need to keep in mind while composing a business email. That there are certain things that we need to avoid in business emails. Some useful tips for good business email writing. REFERENCES

2.7

www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/communications/gotemail-manners-see-these-dos-and-donts.aspx www.businessemailetiquette.com

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2.8

ANSWERS
1. The message has to be formatted properly and checked for grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Dear Radhika, Thank you for your mail. I will be arriving in Pune on the 24th of this month. My flight number is S5308. The expected arrival time is 18:20 hours. Could you please come to the airport to pick me up as this is the first time that I am visiting Pune. Thank you. Geetha 2. You could organize your mailbox by creating folders. Important mails from colleagues can be transferred to a Mails from Colleagues folder. Similarly, projects reports can to transferred to the Project Reports folder. You could delete mails which are reminders for meetings that are over and you could also delete discount offer mailers. 3. The mail is very rude. You could be more polite and professional. You also need to format and word you mail properly like this Hi Rakesh, Our dead line to submit the project report was the 15th of this month. Today is the 23rd and we are yet to send it. Could you finish it and send it today as otherwise we both will have to answer the manager. We need to be more responsible and keep to the dead lines. Thank you, Govinda

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