Email Etiquette Presentation

EMPLOYEE PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT TEAM

LCC - Professional Development Activity

 Why is email etiquette important?
2

 We all interact with the p

printed word as though
g it
has a personality and that personality makes positive
and negative impressions upon us.
 Without immediate feedback your document can
easily be misinterpreted by your reader, so it is
crucial that you follow the basic rules of etiquette to
construct an appropriate tone.

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 The elements of email etiquette
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 General format  Flaming
 Writing
W i i long
l messages  Delivering
D li i iinformation
f i
 Attachments  Delivering bad news
 The curse of surprises  Electronic Mailing Lists

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 General Format: The Basics
4
 Write a salutation for each  Use caps when
new subject email.
email appropriate.
appropriate
 Try to keep the email brief  Format your email for
(one screen length). plain text rather than
p
 Return
R emails
il within
i hi the
h HTML.
same time you would a
phone call.  Use a font that has a
 Check for punctuation,
professional or neutral
spelling, and grammatical look.
errors

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 General Format: Character Spacing
5

 Try
y to keep
p yyour line length
g at 80 characters or less.

 If your message is likely to be forwarded, keep it to

60 characters or less.

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 General Format: Lists and Bullets
6
When you are writing For example,
directions or want to 1) Place the paper in
emphasize important drawer A.
points, number your 2) Click the green “start”
directions or bullet your b
button.
main points. Another example,
• Improve customer
satisfaction.
• Empower employees.

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 General Format: Tone
7

• Write in a positive tone • Use smiles , winks ;),

“When you complete the and other graphical
report.” instead of “If you symbols only when
complete the report.
report.” appropriate.
• Use contractions to add a
• Avoid negative words that
begin with “un, non, ex” friendly tone.
or that
h end d with
i h “l
“less”” (don’tt, won’t
(don won t, can’t)
can t).
(useless, non-existent, ex-
employee,
p y , undecided). )

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 General Format: Addresses
 Avoid sending emails to
more than
h ffour addresses
dd
at once.
 Instead, create a mailing
list so that readers do not
have to scroll too much
before getting to the
actual message.
To:
maillist4@laredo.edu

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 Attachments
 When you are sending an
attachment tell your
respondent what the
name of the file is, what
program it is saved in,
in
and the version of the
program.
 “This
This file is in MSWord
under the name
“LabFile.”

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 General Tips for Electronic Mailing Lists
10

 Avoid discussing
gpprivate concerns and issues.
 It is okay to address someone directly on the list. Ex,
“Hi Leslie, regarding your question”
 Change the subject heading to match the content of
your message.
 When conflict arises on the list speak in person with
the one with whom you are in conflict.

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 When your message is long
11

 Create an “elevator” summary.

y
 Provide a table of contents on the first screen of your
email.
 If you require a response from the reader then be
sure to request that response in the first paragraph of
your email.
il
 Create headings for each major section.

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 Elevator Summary and Table of Contents
12
 An elevator summary  Table of contents
should have all the main “Thi email
“This il contains
i
components of the email.
“Our profit margin for the A. Budget projections for
last quarter went down the last quarter
5%. As a result I am B. Actual performance for
proposing budget the last quarter
adjustment for the C. Adjustment proposal
following areas…”
D. Projected profitability”

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Delivering Information About Meetings,
Orientations, Processes
 Include an elevator
summary and d table
bl off
contents with headings.
 Provide as much
information as possible.
 Offer the reader an
opportunity to receive
the information via mail
if the email is too
confusing.
confusing

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 Delivering Bad News

 Deliver the news up front.

 Avoid blaming statements.
 Avoid hedging words or
words
d th
thatt sound
d ambiguous.
bi
 Maintain a positive resolve.

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 Delivering Bad News
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Deliver the news up front: Avoid using “weasel words”
“W are unable
“We bl to order
d new or hedging:
computers this quarter “Our pricing structure is
g cuts.”
due to budget outdated.”
M
More examples
l off h
hedging
d i
Avoid blaming: are:
“I think it will be hard to Intents and p
purposes
p
recover ffrom this,
hi bbut Possibly, most likely
what can I do to help?”
Perhaps, maybe

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 Writing a complaint
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• You should briefly state • Show why it is critical for
the history of the problem the problem to be
to provide context for resolved by your reader.
your reader. • Offer suggestions
gg on ways
y
• Explain the attempts you you think it can be
made previously to resolved or how you are
resolve the problem.
problem willing to help in the
matter.

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 Writing a complaint
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Briefly state the history: Show attempts made by you
“Th current way we choose
“The h thus far to resolve the
issue:
officers for our
g
organization is not “I have offered two
alternatives for officer
democratic. As a result, selection that still involves
we have a popularity the votes of the members
contest that does not but both have been
always get us the best rejected by the executive
candidates.” board.”

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 Writing a complaint
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Show why it is important for your reader to get involved:

“This is a problem for two reasons. First, I am concerned that
the executive board no longer protects the interests of the
organization and that their actions are not in keeping with
the constitution of the organization.
Second, there have been a number of complaints from the
members who feel that their concerns and preferences are
not being addressed by the executive board, which
decreases morale and productivity.
productivity ”

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 Writing a complaint
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Ask for help and offer a resolution:

“Please let me know what other options I may have
overlooked. I am willing to meet with the department head
and the executive board to seek out a solution that is fair to
the members and is good for the business of the
organization. ”

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 Do not take your reader by surprise or press
them to the wall

• Do not wait until the end

off the
h dday to iintroduce
d a
problem or concern via
memo or email.
• Avoid writing a litany of
concerns that you have
been harboring for a long
period of time.

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 If you are an instructor:
21
 Be clear with your  If you have cut off times
students about whether for when you will respond
they can contact you via to email, inform your
email. students about those
 Tell them what kinds of times.
subjects you are willing to  Seek consent from
deal with via email in case students before discussing
you have some their emails in the
restrictions. classroom.

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 Flaming in emails
22
• Flaming is a virtual term • Flame fights are the
for venting or sending equivalent of food fights
inflammatory messages and tend to affect
in email. observers in a very
• Avoid flaming because it negative way.
tends to create a great • What you say cannot be
deal of conflict that taken back; it is in black
spirals out of control. and white.

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 Keep flaming under control
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• Before you send an email  Read your message twice
message, ask yourself
message yourself, before you send it and
“would I say this to this assume that you may be
person’s face?” misinterpreted when
• Calm down before proofreading.
responding to a message
that offends you. Once
you send the message it is
gone.

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 When you need to flame
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 There are times when you Here’s a way to flame:
may need to blow off Fl
Flame O
On
some steam. Your message
 Remember y your audience Flame Off
and your situation before
sending the email.

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 Responding to a flame
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 Empathize with the  Avoid getting bogged
sender s frustration and
sender’s down by details and
tell them they are right if minor arguments
that is true  If you are aware that the
 If you feel you are right,
right situation is in the process
thank them for bringing of being resolved let the
the matter to your reader know at the top of
attention the response
 Explain what led to the  Apologize if necessary
problem in question

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 When Email Won’t
Won t Work
 There are times when
you need to take your
discussion out of the
virtual world and make a
phone
h call.
ll
 If things become very
heated,, a lot of
misunderstanding
occurs, or when you are
delivering very delicate
news then the best way is
still face-to face.

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 For more information

 Contact the Employee

Professional Development
Team with any questions about
writing an email.
Email:
EmployeeDevTeam@laredo.edu

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 References:
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 Created by
y Stephanie
p Williams Hughes
g with
contributions from Angela Laflen.
 © Purdue University Writing Lab

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 Contributions from the following sources:
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 Angell, David, and Heslop, Brent. The Elements of Email

Style: Communicate Effectively via
 Electronic Mail. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley
Publishing Company,
Company 1994
1994.
 Bailey, Jr., Edward P. The Plain English Approach to
Business Writing. New York: University Press, 1990.
 Caudron, Shari. “Virtual Manners.” Workforce 79.2
(2000): 31-34.
 A asterisk
An t i k (*) along
l with
ith th
the authors
th names are printed
i t d on
the slides to indicate that the information on the slide was
taken from that pparticular source.

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