Can you say everything you want to say in 140 characters or less? Or maybe the real question is should you try to squeeze everything you want to convey to another person in only 140 character or less? For texting, twitter or other social media it is appropriate to say as much as possible in as few words as possible, but for professional email communication being thorough and brief is essential.  Email is the most frequently used form of communication we often forget that is still a business communication and we need to remember simple email etiquette guidelines to follow to ensure that we are always projecting the image we wish to communicate.

Be professional.

The way our global economy is structured, email may be the primary form of communication for you. Often you may never meet the person face to face that you deal with daily via email, so ensure all communication sent represents how you want others to see you and/or your company. The emotions behind an email are often misinterpreted, so be wary of sending negative or bad news via email.  Remember that your tone can’t be heard in e-mail. Have you ever attempted sarcasm in an e-mail, and the recipient took it the wrong way? E-mail communication can’t convey the nuances of verbal communication. In an attempt to infer tone of voice, some people use emoticons, but use them sparingly so that you don’t appear unprofessional. Also, don’t assume that using a smiley will diffuse a difficult message.

 Be concise and to the point.

Although it is important to be concise and to the point, don’t confuse this with writing fragmented sentences and leaving out important details. Emails should be a way to convey needed information efficiently. There is a balance that you have to be aware of at all times. If your email is too long, then people will just skim over the email and may miss important details, but if it is too short you often leave people to infer or assume information which can lead to potential problems and miscommunication.

Don’t leave out the message thread.

When you reply to an email, be sure to respond to the latest message in the chain and do not remove the prior messages. This keeps the entire chain or thread intact making it much easier for everyone to understand the entire situation. If this practice is not followed, it requires others to have to piece emails back together, you may hear this called ‘Defragging’ an email.  When you fragment an email it makes it harder for everyone to keep their mailbox cleaned up because they have to work to “defrag” the email to have just one email with the latest chain.  

READ completely before replying – answer all questions and pre-empt further questions.

One mistake people make when replying to a message especially when they are in a hurry is to skim the email and respond without fully understanding what the other person is asking. If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further e-mails regarding the unanswered questions, which wastes time and causes frustration. Moreover, if you are able to pre-empt relevant questions, your customer will be grateful and impressed with your efficient and thoughtful customer service. Remember having good internal customer service is just as important as good external customer service.

Answer Swiftly.

People send an e-mail because they wish to receive a quick response. Therefore, each e-mail should be replied to within at least 24 hours and preferably within the same working day. If the email is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them. 

Email is Not Private.

Sending an email is like sending a postcard. If you don’t want your email to be displayed on a bulletin board, don’t send it. Moreover, never make any libelous or discriminating comments in emails, even if they are meant to be a joke. Email is considered company property and can be retrieved and examined at anytime. Also, once the email is out in cyberspace you don’t know what other people will do with it like accidently forwarding to the wrong person. So, always keep content professional and never write anything in email that you wouldn’t let your boss read.

Read the email before you send it.

Reading through an email prior to clicking send can prevent embarrassing spelling and grammar mistakes. It also allows you one more chance to ensure the message is effectively worded to avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments. Often when we are in a hurry or multitasking we will think we typed something or it made sense in our heads but when reread you will see that it is an incomplete thought.

Use a meaningful subject.

The subject should indicate content and purpose. You should not use “Hi” or “From Susan.” It should be meaningful to you and your recipients.  This will help you and your recipient to keep your inbox organized and easy to find relevant emails through the search method.

Think about Reply vs Reply to All before you click.

If everyone in the message should be aware of your response, click Reply to All. If only the original sender should receive your response, click Reply. Using the wrong method can cause frustration and potential embarrassment to you if you are transmitting information that you don’t want others to know.  Additionally, beware of the content prior to Forwarding a message. Reread the entire chain to ensure that the message is appropriate to forward to someone outside of the original group prior to sending.

Take care with abbreviations and emoticons.

It is best to avoid using abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh out loud) because the recipient might not be aware of the meanings, and the use of such is generally not considered professional. The same goes for emoticons, such as the smiley . If you are not sure whether your recipient knows what it means, it is better not to use it.