E-mail Etiquette Smith Management Group
Dec 23, 2014
E-mail EtiquetteSmith Management Group
"There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact
with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four
contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we
say it."
- Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)
Smith Management Group
Use Cc:• Don’t expect a
response• Only those who
need to know• Remove contacts
that don’t need to see your response
• Overuse will cause your email to be ignored
Use Bcc:• Protect Privacy• When contacts do
not know each other• Email addresses
are hidden – good for large groups
• Check your motives! Can be considered unethical
Use To:
• Those you expect to read & respond
• Those you are specifically addressing
Start with the End.
Make your most important point first, then provide detail if necessary.
CAUTION! Reply to AllThe default response should be to reply only to the sender.Before you reply to everyone, make sure that everyone needs to know.
Smith Management Group
Down-Edit your replies
• Shows Respect for Other’s Time
• Gives Clarity to your Response
• Removes Clutter
• Keeps Conversation on Track
Provide “If-Then” Options
• Avoid back-and-forth emails• ‘If you complete this, then let me know.• I can meet at 2pm; If this will not work, then
please let me know 3 times that will work for you.
Don’t “copy up” as a means of coercion.
• Try another form of communication
•DON’T WRITE IN ALL-CAPS•Use Spell Check
•Don’t Avoid Personal Contact• Don’t use Colored Fonts
•Don’t send when tired or mad•Don’t send it if you wouldn’t say
it•Use Proper Punctuation
•Don’t answer e-mail after 6pm•Remember, it’s not private!