E-mail etiquette - How to send professional e-mails

Just coming back to you desk after lunch and decided to check your inbox to see how many emails you have received. An hour later, having selected those you should read, deleting the junk mail, replying to the most important one and filing others that you may want to work on later, you must wonder where your day has gone. It was like that when you arrived at work this morning, and tomorrow promises to be no different.

What is this e-mail explosion? Was there a point in time when people decided to use the Internet as their business communication tool of choice? Are there rules for managing messages and being a professional and polite user of electronic mail? There are, but not everyone has gotten the word.

Your e-mail is as much a part of your professional image as the clothes you wear, the postal letters you write, the greeting on your voice mail and the handshake you offer. If you want to impress on every front and build positive business relationships, pay attention to your e-mail and take on this 12-step programme to better e-mails.

1. Subject line.
Given the huge volume of e-mail that each persons receives, the subject header is essential if you want your message read any time soon. The subject line has to become the hook.

2. Make the subject line meaningful.
The subject line should be pertinent to your message, not just "hi" or "hello". The recipient is going to decided which e-mails deserve immediate attention based on who sent it and what it is about.

3. Change the subject line to correspond with the subject.
If you are writing to your web publisher, your first subject line may be "Web site content." However, as your site develops and you send more information, label each message for what it is, "contact info," "graphics," or "home page." Don't just hit "reply" every time. Changing the subject line will allow your publisher to find a specific document in his/her message folder without having to search every one you sent. If you change the subject all together, start a new message.

4. Personalise your message to the recipient.
E-mail is informal but still needs a greeting. Begin with "Dear Mr O'Sullivan", "Dear Jim", "Hello Mary", or just "Brian". Omitting to put in the person's name can make you and your e-mail seem cold.

5. Mind the tone of the mail.
When you communicate with another person face to face, 93% of the message is non-verbal. Remember, e-mail has no body language. The reader cannot see your face or hear your tone of voice so chose your words carefully. Put yourself in the other person's place and think how your words may come across in Cyberspace.

6. Grammar and spelling
E-mail correspondence is a representation of your and your employer. It is vital that you check that the content of the e-mail is correct, if you don't check that the e-mail is correct, then the reader will question the calibre of other work you do. Use proper capitalization and punctuation and always check your spelling. Please. It cannot tell whether you meant to say "from" or "form," "for" or "fro", "he" or "the."

7. Be succinct and clear
E-mail is meant to be brief. Keep your message short. Use only a few paragraphs and a few sentences per paragraph. People skim their e-mail so a long message is wasted. If you find yourself writing an overly long message, pick up the phone or call a meeting.

8. Think before forwarding
If a message was sent to you and only you, why would you take responsibility for passing it on? Too often confidential information has gone global because of someone's lack of judgment. Unless you are asked or request permission, do not forward anything that was sent just to you.

9. Sending sensitive correspondence
Once it has left your mailbox, you have no idea where your e-mail will end up. Don't use the internet to send anything that you couldn't stand to see on a billboard on your way to work the next day. Use other means to communicate personal or sensitive information.

10. Include your signature
Always close with your name, even though it is included at the top of the e-mail, and add contact information such as your phone, fax and street address. The recipient may want to call you to talk further or send you documents that cannot be e-mailed. Creating a formal signature block with all that data is the most professional approach.

11. Don't expect an instant response
Not everyone is sitting in front of the computer with e-mail turned on. The beauty of internet communication is that it is convenient. It is not an interruption. People can check their messages when it suits them, not you. If your communication is so important that you need to hear back right away, use the phone.

12. Completing the "to" line
The name or address of the person to whom you are writing is actually the last piece of information you should enter. Check everything else over carefully first. Proof for grammar, punctuation, spelling and clarity. Did you say what needed to be said? How was your "tone of voice"? If you were the least bit emotional when you wrote the e-mail, did you let it sit for a period of time? Did you include the attachment you wanted to send? If you enter the recipient's name first, a mere slip of the finger can send a message before its' time.

Hot tips for e-mails

· Business-like writing style
· Attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation
· Clear "signature block" with your full name, postal mailing address and return e-mail address
· Be careful about including quotations and sayings in your signature block. Obviously don't include anything that has potential to be offensive or misunderstood. Think about the impression your message sends to someone who doesn't know you, and be judicious.
· Don't use all capitals. It's the e-mail equivalent of SHOUTING and people don't like it.