Brush up your e-mail etiquette with handy tips by Jimmie Wilkins
There have been volumes written on e-mail etiquette (Google "e-mail etiquette" if you want more and more and more), and I would hazard a guess that you could write your own book.
I wanted to share a few tips, thanks to Chemeketa Vice President Liz Goulard, Chemeketa Dean, Ron Bassett-Smith and an original author unknown, that we received at a recent meeting.
Some of them drew an "of course" from me. Others caused me to blush and rethink some of my own practices. Some helped me see that we don't all have the same expectations.
Still, each one caused me to seriously review this critical tool and its impact on my ability to communicate with colleagues, clients and family.
Don't use "Reply to All" as your default response. How critical is it that I'm included in your response? Consider sending the originator an e-mail that says "I didn't need to see this." It's sort of like sending junk mail back to the place it came from.
Proof your communication before sending to avoid needing to send it again, missing attachments, or having to send another e-mail to clarify something ambiguous.
Don't bother to write back to me to say "got it" or "thank you." I will assume you got it and that you are appreciative unless I hear from you. (This is a hard one for me still!)
Think about whether this communication is best done via e-mail or by phone or in person. If we're e-mailing more than three times about the same topic, it's time to walk over and see me. Most communication experts agree that communication is 55 percent nonverbal, 38 percent tone and only 7 percent actual words.
Don't overuse the high priority flag.
Keep e-mails to one screen and one subject whenever possible.
Use separate paragraphs, bulleted phrases and numbered lists to make your text easier to read.
Don't respond in anger. Save a draft and review it later or ask another person to look at it before sending. Conflict is seldom, if ever, resolved through e-mail.
Use CC's sparingly, only when you're sure the recipient really needs or wants to know.
Please avoid sending chain letters or other junk from the Internet. I get enough of that at home.
Be thoughtful about sending on communications that you have received from listservs. It helps if you provide some analysis of the information or a summary so that I don't have to try to guess why you forwarded it to me.
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