Whether you are writing a business email or a personal email, there are proper rules of etiquette to consider before you send an email. Please consider the tips below on proper email etiquette.
Make sure your email includes a meaningful greeting and closing.
Always end your emails with closings like Sincerely, Best regards, or Thank you while starting your emails with greetings like Hello or to Whom it may concern.
When writing an email, read it out loud to check spelling and ensure that it has the correct tone.
- If emailing a request, be sure to include all details and information that is necessary
- Use proper sentence structure and punctuation.
- Create meaningful subjects to your emails
- Do not type in all caps. This can be seen as shouting.
- Do not send large attachments via email. Most major email providers do not allow single messages that exceed 20 MB in size.
Replying to email:
- When you reply to an email, stick to the same subject and place your response at the top.
- Don't delete the content sent to you (unless there is something inappropropriate or unnecessary for your recipient to see). If you delete it, you force the person you write to dig up his/her prior email to see what you're responding to. Don't waste people's time.
- Do delete unnecessary forwarding code and text that is irrelevant to the content. Again, don't waste people's time
FONT STYLE AND SIZE / UPPER AND LOWER CASE:
- Avoid fonts that are so stylized that they are difficult to read.
- Don't use all capitals. It's the email equivalent of SHOUTING and people don't like it.
- Very large fonts can also seem like shouting.
- By the same token, don't use all lower case letters.
- Be judicious about color and bold. For job search correspondence, don't use it. For correspondence letting people know about an event, it can be used very judiciously.
YOUR SIGNATURE BLOCK:
The terminology "signature block" evolved from hard copy correspondence on which a handwritten signature is a must, followed by your typed name. Of course, in email, there is no handwritten signature; the term just refers to the block of information that closes your email.
Include one in business correspondence outside your own office or department. It should give your full name and full contact information, including mailing address, email address and phone number(s
