E-mailing is probably the most common (and dare we say oldest) method of communication used in our professional lives. Since the birth of the internet, organisations, and individuals alike have relied on emails as a stellar method of communication.
Regardless of the stage that you’re at in your career - and regardless of whether you use other communication platforms such as Slack or Teams, emailing will be pretty prevalent in your day-to-day life!
But, email etiquette can be a difficult one to navigate, we believe for three key reasons:
#1 things can be easily misconstrued over a written message
The tone of voice can generally be difficult to read over an email. Especially if you’re dealing with someone who isn’t a natural wordsmith or doesn’t have the ability to express themselves in a way that conveys a positive but firm tone. Additionally, everybody can interpret a written message in a thousand different ways depending on their mood and how their day is going.
#2 Other communication platforms can be seen as “casual” which can then translate into your emails
Slack, Teams, and other instant messaging platforms have been a godsend for many organisations. A lot of the time, these platforms can be very productive for teams who need help with the formalities or even the back-and-forth nature of emails.
But, the casual tone that many of us can adopt over instant messaging platforms can unfortunately bleed into how we communicate via email. When dealing with different clientele, it can be hard to switch tones and structure your messages to come across in the right way - especially if you’re used to dealing with instant messaging platforms more than email.
#3 Being busy can result in overwhelm and error
Have you ever logged on and felt “the fear” at the number of emails in your inbox? Us too. Being busy can not just cause overwhelm, but it can lead to errors in emails, which can be detrimental if the industry and clientele you deal with require a certain level of professionalism and communication.
All of these things may sound menial, but email etiquette is a real thing and can create a lot of difficulties in the workplace. There have been multiple articles online (see here, here, and here for some quick examples) whereby email etiquette has come under scrutiny.
Here’s our 4-step easy formula to follow to improve your email etiquette:
Use a clear subject line
This sounds obvious, but highlighting exactly what the contents of the email are (as well as potentially marking it for high importance) will enable the recipient to understand quickly how they can rank the email, and thus, respond to it.
Be concise and clear - remember whom you are talking to
It’s very important to always triple-check with yourself whom you’re talking to and realistically, how you should address them. If you’ve always had a casual tone with someone - don’t worry about trying to be too formal with them.
However, if you’re dealing with a new prospect or someone who you have no prior relationship with, keep it professional, concise and clear. Use bullet points if you need and try to avoid casual language or overuse of exclamation marks/smiley faces.
Finish with an action
What is the purpose of the email? What do you want to happen? If it’s a group email and only one person needs to action, make sure that you mention them to ensure that it’s made clear!
Check for spelling and grammar
And finally, make sure that everything is spelt correctly and formatted properly. Use a grammar tool such as Grammarly or your e-mail provider’s spellchecker to ensure that everything is perfect before you hit “send”!
