Career Article 127:
Email Ease

By Tamara Dowling, CPRW

We know how to operate our email program. But do we take email as seriously as we do any other business correspondence? There is protocol for email writing just as there is for letters or any other communication. Here are some guidelines.

Be conservative about who you send your emails to. Only send it to those that the matter directly affects. Ask yourself, is this information useful to this person? Is this level of detail appropriate for this person, or should I send them a summary when everyone's input is gathered and we have come to a conclusion?

Send the email "To" the person or people that you are asking for an answer or action, and be specific about what you are asking of whom. Send a courtesy copy (cc) to those who need to be aware of the request but are not asked to act upon it or respond to it.

Send "Thanks in advance" rather than after you receive an answer. This reduces clutter and saves time for the recipient.

Spell check and review grammar of your emails before sending, just as you would with a letter.

Don't send an email written in anger. Save it as a draft. Return to it later for editing, after you have cooled off.

Double check that you have properly attached documents to avoid sending a second message.

Check messages frequently - at least three times a day. Immediately respond, delete, forward, or save to a folder as appropriate. The more you leave sitting in your Inbox, the bigger the chore to gain control again. It is also easy to lose track of an important action item, or message, if you do not keep it organized.

Keep your messages brief; aim for one screen shot or less.

Avoid all capital letters in your message. All 'caps' in an email is the equivalent of shouting.

Just like any type of written message, be aware that it could be forwarded to others or saved indefinitely. Be prudent in what you decide to write in an email.

Don't reply to a group list email unless you want to send your message to the entire group. Depending on the email program, your email reply may be sent to the entire list. Instead, forward your message to the sender. Just copy the sender's email address from the header area. Some group list messages are in Information Only format and a response is not permitted.