E-mail etiquette: Eight tips for writing better e-mails

Almost everyone has committed an e-mail blunder at least once: forwarding a message to someone who wasn’t suppose to be copied, forgetting to attach files promised in the e-mail text, quoting a lengthy e-mail just to affix a one-line comment to the end—the list goes on and on.

Since e-mail is part and parcel of our daily work and personal lives, it pays to know what proper e-mail behavior is, so you can avoid embarrassing gaffes in the first place. Here are eight rules of e-mail etiquette to keep in mind:

On E-mail Content

Write out your sentences. Text speak, or TXTSPK, evolved for SMS messaging, a technology in which space is a premium and longer messages cost more money. Don’t make the mistake of treating e-mail like you do your text messages. Spell out your words and flesh out your sentences. If you need to use abbreviations, stick to common ones like “BTW,” “OMG,” and “LOL,” and make sure to use these sparingly and in casual e-mails only. Text or L33T speak not only makes you look less competent and professional, but will give your recipients a harder time understanding your message.

Reply in the same language. When replying, use the same language as the person who e-mailed you. This provides less opportunity for misunderstanding, and it’s the polite thing to do, as it is in face-to-face conversation. Also reply in the same tone as the e-mail originally sent to you. If the original message is casual, then your reply should be casual, but if the language is formal and businesslike, yours should be the same.

Keep it simple, but be thorough. Don’t send your recipients a novel to read through. Because e-mail is a quick and convenient medium, message contents should be brief. For multiple points or items, use bullets. Don’t beat around the bush. Don’t beat a topic to death. Always be sure your recipient understands what you want of him or her, but don’t leave any vital information out. Use the three Cs of writing e-mails and other business communication: be clear, concise, and complete.

When replying, quote but don’t overquote. It can be hard to figure out what part of an e-mail you are referring to when you reply; this is especially difficult in long e-mail threads with a lot of back-and-forth sending and multiple recipients. To make it easier for your recipients, quote the relevant parts of the e-mail you are replying to, and make sure your comments correspond to the quoted sections. Never simply quote the whole e-mail in your reply, then tack your comments to the bottom.

• will remember this.. guilty of some rules.
  by inluv_at17 on 2010-01-31 20:46:18
• guilty! guilty! guilty me!
  by beck19 on 2010-02-01 18:17:50
• this is a must read for everyone. even if i'm pretty careful about emails i still learned something new with these guidelines.
  by lali on 2010-02-01 19:33:24
• Good thing i read this before I sent the email that I'm composing right now. Thank you. Glad to know this.
  by krismotinezo on 2010-02-02 11:13:01
• These are helpful tips. I'll surely follow them.
  by prettylass8831 on 2010-02-18 10:38:10
• from now on, i will do this! :)
  by angeLmina on 2010-02-19 00:33:41
• ooops, guilty din ako dyan. hehe :D
  by cream_puffs on 2010-02-19 09:20:01
• such a timely article, I shared this with my team - not only being careful on what you send but it impacts the image of our group - being professional.
  by longing on 2010-02-19 13:23:11
• May I add one more thing that bothers me? Those forwarded emails that is so long because it was forwarded so many times and you realize that the message is at the deep bottom of the email. grr..
  by anggeh on 2010-02-19 15:05:27
• ^ to add to the frustration is that the message is only 1/10 long.
  by anggeh on 2010-02-19 18:45:15
• thanks for the info...
  by Aizen on 2010-02-23 00:57:34
• this can help with me!
  by mamaii26 on 2010-02-26 13:06:46
• I hate receiving text speaks in my email as well so I definitely won't do that. I only use it when chatting with my close friends
  by chinky_baguette on 2010-03-03 12:36:17
• Great reminders..
  by lala on 2010-03-08 21:23:37
• love the tips. if you don't mind. i will copy this and will send to some of my officemates. this will be very helpful.
  by katiyay on 2010-03-13 19:37:29
• Me, I always forget to attach. I always remember just after hitting the send button.
  by deejay on 2010-03-15 16:11:12
• i use email a lot and i must say i am guilty of committing of some rules. this is really helpful. thanks ms liana-smith bautista.
  by claire on 2010-03-17 13:01:02
• Naku, I don't like overquotes. Sometimes the email's too long and you no longer know which part you should be reading na.
  by deejay on 2010-03-17 22:24:59
• I agree also with not using text speak. Even when I text, I don't use it unless I want to keep my messages very short.
  by deejay on 2010-03-18 15:28:22
• Thanks for these pieces of advice.
  by SHIRLEY LIM on 2010-04-08 19:57:19
• this tips will help me to improve my writing better e-mails.
  by Teresa on 2010-05-01 03:13:06
• thanks for the detailed guideline FN!
  by january on 2010-05-20 19:09:49