Remember the letter writing sessions we used to have in school? In par with those, have come up a new chapter in English classes called e-mail writing. It may seem that letter and e-mail is conceptually same but in reality, there is a lot of difference. Other than the fact, that letter is a physical copy and e-mail is an electronic version – there are several other differences in the style, kind, form and method of writing an e-mail.
Following right e-mail etiquette before hitting the ‘send’ button ensures a good time for the receiver and also conveys your good persona. To get improved with e-mail writing, follow the listed ten tips and you will surely experience an improvement in your e-mail communication skills:
Grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation
The hard and fast rule to be absolutely correct in grammar, vocabulary and punctuation usage applies to any English writing and no different stands e-mails. From the subject of the e-mail till your sign off – take care of what you write. If required write the e-mail in a simple word document and put it on a grammar tester, before sending off. Wrong use of grammar is the first blunder that you can do in an e-mail and it can actually disinterest your recipient.
Going crisp and compact in the body of the e-mail
E-mails are not meant for everyday communication. E-mails are drafted in formal occasions to let know your recipient anything important or worth a concern. Hence, put what you want to convey in brief and send it off. Do not unnecessarily stretch your e-mail as it simply bores the ones who get it. Top to toe, you should try writing a compact e-mail such that your purpose of communication is solicited.
Re-defining your Subject for the e-mail
It is the ‘subject’ of the e-mail that your receiver reads foremost. Draft it such that alone the subject line interests your reader and them thereafter, open the e-mail. A very long subject line or those filled with jargons does not fall under the bracket of healthy e-mail etiquette. Also, the subject line should hint what the e-mail consists of. Do not put your entire e-mail content in the subject space, as that is really unaccepted.
Arrange your inbox
A smart way to deal e-mails starts with arranging your inbox. While there are predefined folders in the e-mail box, more can be created with different names as you require. Put every e-mail in the right folder of your inbox and you will see the task is so easy. Also, if ever you have to find out an old e-mail, this practice makes the task easier.
Cross checking before sending off
Once done with writing the e-mail, do not hit the ‘send’ button. Read your e-mail repeatedly for two – three times and then click the ‘send’ button. When reading your e-mail start from the subject till where you have signed off. While reading ensures two things – your English has high standards and what you intended to convey in the e-mail is done. If the English content or intention of the e-mail is incorrect – the outcome can be drastic.
Adding attachments
It is such a common habit to forget to do right attachments in the e-mail. Some write in the body that there is an attachment following and yet forget to attach the needful. This simply reflects your illiteracy over e-mail etiquette. If you are well experienced and learned about the same, do not miss to make the right attachments in the e-mail. In case, you are doing attachments do mention about the same on the body of the e-mail.
Learn difference between Cc and Bcc
Mistakes over Cc and Bcc by e-mail senders are common but this is very simple to understand. Cc implies in case of multiple recipients, everyone can see who all the e-mail has been sent to. Bcc meaning blind carbon copy does not show who all received the e-mail expect the sender’s details. So, when sending the same e-mail to many recipients by right to pick Cc or Bcc.
Addressing the recipient
When writing an e-mail, often senders are confused how to address the receiver. This specially happens if the e-mail is being sent to an unknown receiver. Also, even if you may know the designation of the person you are writing to, but you are unsure about their gender. For such uncertain cases, it is safe to write ‘Hello Sir/Ma’am’. In case you know the receiver by name and personally, the address can be ‘Dear *name*’.
Stick to formal English language
As mentioned earlier, e-mail is not like telephonic conversation. It is an official communication and hence the language used should be formal enough. Use of colloquial or slang language is barred in e-mail ethics. Be picky in using the right kind of English while drafting an e-mail, as it advocates your literacy level.
