Email etiquette keep it close @ hand

I received this via an email from a list that I subscribe at HP! So first of all it is not my ideas but as Good! as my own ideas! I think it is something that we really need to think a little bit about!

Email etiquette keep it close @ hand

1. Always think twice

Okay, you’re angry or upset. Write your e-mail. Save it. Read it. Go have a coffee. Read it again. Then ask yourself the big question – is it really worth sending? Chances are it isn’t.

2. Keep it clean

Remember that everyone will interpret things differently. Jokes, pictures and lewd comments can truly offend.

3. Empathize with the reader

Think of the things you don’t like to receive in an e-mail. For example, are people always shouting IMPORTANT things in upper case, using hundreds of abbreviations and emoticons, sending large attachments? If you don’t like receiving certain things, why send them to others?

(I sometimes get attachments that are word documents containing uncompressed screen captures, from people who work with computers! I always make sure the attachments are as small as they could be!!)

4. Check the 'send to' list before you send

Believe it or not, everyone doesn’t want to read your e-mail and you just might be sending your scathing thoughts about someone to everyone.

Tip: Draft your e-mail first – leaving who it is intended for in the To: line blank. If you accidentally hit “send” before you actually intended to, a prompt will remind you to input the recipient’s e-mail address. It’s a direct way to make sure your messages don’t go out before you want them to and gives you time to consider who really needs to be on the receiving end of the message.

5. Be polite

Whether at your desk or texting a message from your phone, saying ‘hello’ and ‘thanks’ in the introduction, anywhere throughout, or even waiting until the end of the message can make a huge difference.

6. Resist temptation

Yes, something was said. Yes, maybe you were criticized. Perhaps you were CC’d on an exchange between a colleague and your boss. How you respond next will say everything about you. Remember, once something is said, it can never be taken back.

7. See Point 1.

Tags: Email etiquette