E mail etiquette

E-mail EtiquetteSmith Management Group

"There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact

with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four

contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we

say it."

- Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)

Smith Management Group

Use Cc:• Don’t expect a

response• Only those who

need to know• Remove contacts

that don’t need to see your response

• Overuse will cause your email to be ignored

Use Bcc:• Protect Privacy• When contacts do

not know each other• Email addresses

are hidden – good for large groups

• Check your motives! Can be considered unethical

Use To:

• Those you expect to read & respond

• Those you are specifically addressing

Start with the End.

Make your most important point first, then provide detail if necessary.

CAUTION! Reply to AllThe default response should be to reply only to the sender.Before you reply to everyone, make sure that everyone needs to know.

Smith Management Group

Down-Edit your replies

• Shows Respect for Other’s Time

• Gives Clarity to your Response

• Removes Clutter

• Keeps Conversation on Track

Provide “If-Then” Options

• Avoid back-and-forth emails• ‘If you complete this, then let me know.• I can meet at 2pm; If this will not work, then

please let me know 3 times that will work for you.

Don’t “copy up” as a means of coercion.

• Try another form of communication

•DON’T WRITE IN ALL-CAPS•Use Spell Check

•Don’t Avoid Personal Contact• Don’t use Colored Fonts

•Don’t send when tired or mad•Don’t send it if you wouldn’t say

it•Use Proper Punctuation

•Don’t answer e-mail after 6pm•Remember, it’s not private!