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Table of Contents

Introduction ..........................................................v

Using E-mail and Instant Messaging Effectively 7

Lesson 1 ................................................................................................... 8

Guidelines for Effective E-mail Messages.................................... 8

Rules of Etiquette for Writing E-mail Messages ............................. 8

Lesson 2 ................................................................................................. 14

Elements of E-mail Messages......................................................... 14

The Correct Use of the Elements in an E-mail Message ............. 14

Lesson 3 ................................................................................................. 18

Keeping E-mails Concise.................................................................. 18

Guidelines for Writing Concise E-mail Messages......................... 18

Lesson 4 ................................................................................................. 26

Guidelines for Instant Messaging Etiquette.............................. 26

Basic Rules of Etiquette for Instant Messaging............................ 26

Addressing and Redistributing E-mail ............... 33

Lesson 1 ................................................................................................. 34

Addressing and Flagging E-mail Appropriately ........................ 34

Best Practices for Addressing E-mails.......................................... 34

Lesson 2 ................................................................................................. 46

Best Practices for Replying to E-mails ....................................... 46

Lesson 3 ................................................................................................. 61

Best Practices for Forwarding E-mails ....................................... 61

Forwarding E-mails ....................................................................... 61

Remove forwarding symbols ........................................................ 62

Include a personal comment or a greeting ................................... 62

Remove previous addresses to protect people's privacy ............. 63

Lesson 4 ................................................................................................. 64

Copying an E-mail Over Someone’s Head .................................. 64

Poor Copying Practices ................................................................ 64

Managing Your E-mail........................................ 67

Lesson 1 ................................................................................................. 68

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Time Management and E-mail ........................................................ 68

Managing Your Time with E-mail.................................................. 68

Managing your business e-mail .................................................... 68

Keeping personal e-mail separate ................................................ 70

Keep your inbox as empty as possible ......................................... 72

Eliminate sources of unnecessary e-mails ................................... 72

Establish separate business and personal e-mail accounts......... 73

Ask personal contacts not to e-mail your business account......... 73

Designate a time for handling personal e-mail ............................. 74

Lesson 2 ................................................................................................. 75

E-mails: Keep or Delete? .................................................................. 75

E-mails You Want to Delete.......................................................... 75

E-mails that don't require storage, a reply, or follow-up ............... 78

E-mails that are no longer required .............................................. 78

E-mails that are not work-related.................................................. 79

Spam............................................................................................. 79

E-mails with garbled subject lines................................................. 79

E-mails from unknown senders, with suspicious subject lines..... 79

Lesson 3 ................................................................................................. 80

Organizing Your E-mail...................................................................... 80

Folders and Filters for Your E-mail ............................................... 80

Ensure all your folders serve a purpose ....................................... 85

Create folders based on action items ........................................... 85

Create folders based on subjects ................................................. 85

File sent items into folders relating to their purpose..................... 86

Be precise about your filter terms ................................................. 86

Use filter terms specific to your e-mail folders.............................. 86

Ask your senders to use specific words in their e-mail subject lines...................................................................................................... 86

E-mail received related to the parks' history article ...................... 88

Current e-mail system................................................................... 89

Current e-mail system................................................................... 91

Estate agency's e-mail system ..................................................... 93

Using folders ................................................................................. 94

Using filters ................................................................................... 94

Organize your mailbox .................................................................. 95

Lesson 4 ................................................................................................. 96

Using Search to Find E-mail Information.................................... 96

How to Find Lost E-mail Information............................................. 96

Searching ...................................................................................... 96

Table of Contents

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Built-in sorting ............................................................................... 97

Making a direct request................................................................. 97

Glossary ................................................................................................. 99

EEB/1110 v

IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction The E-mail Essentials for Business course consists of 3 modules as follows: Using E-mail and Instant Messaging Effectively Addressing and Redistributing E-mail Managing Your E-mail The first module of this course covers the basic requirements for using e-mail to communicate effectively. Specifically, you will be introduced to tried-and-true guidelines for e-mailing effectively, fundamental elements every e-mail should contain, and the importance of keeping e-mails concise. The course also covers the etiquette associated with using instant messaging programs as an extension of e-mail. . Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:

• recognize appropriate usage of basic rules of etiquette for writing e-mail • recognize various ways each element of an e-mail message might be

handled for a given scenario • recognize which guidelines to use to keep e-mail concise, given an

example • recognize appropriate usage of basic rules of IM etiquette

The second module of the course covers the techniques for addressing and redistributing e-mails appropriately. Specifically, you will be introduced to the best practices for deciding who to send e-mails to, and how to flag e-mails appropriately. The course also covers proper etiquette for forwarding e-mails and using reply and reply all. Finally, the sensitivities of copying an e-mail over someone's head are addressed. Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:

• recognize best practices for addressing an e-mail in a given scenario • recognize best practices for replying to an e-mail in a given scenario • recognize best practices for forwarding e-mail • recognize examples of when it's inappropriate to copy an e-mail over

someone's head

The third module of the course introduces techniques for managing e-mail effectively. Tips for using folders and filters to organize e-mails for increased efficiency are addressed, and guidelines on what e-mails are OK to

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immediately delete are also covered. The course also provides direction on how to recover important information should you lose an e-mail.

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to: • recognize best practices for managing your time through effective e-mail

management • identify examples of e-mail you should delete from your inbox • use folders and filters to organize your e-mail • find lost e-mail information in a given scenario

You may use this manual to review and highlight important concepts as you progress through the course.

Enjoy your course!

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Using EUsing EUsing EUsing E----mail and Instantmail and Instantmail and Instantmail and Instant

Messaging EffectivelyMessaging EffectivelyMessaging EffectivelyMessaging Effectively The first module of this course covers the basic requirements for using e-mail to communicate effectively. Specifically, you will be introduced to tried-and-true guidelines for e-mailing effectively, fundamental elements every e-mail should contain, and the importance of keeping e-mails concise. The course also covers the etiquette associated with using instant messaging programs as an extension of e-mail. The following lessons are covered in this module: Lesson 1: Guidelines for Effective E-mail Messages Lesson 2: Elements of E-mail Messages Lesson 3: Keeping E-mails Concise Lesson 4: Guidelines for Instant Messaging Etiquett e

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LessonLessonLessonLesson 1 1 1 1

Guidelines for EffectivGuidelines for EffectivGuidelines for EffectivGuidelines for Effective Ee Ee Ee E----mail mail mail mail

MessagesMessagesMessagesMessages

Rules of Etiquette for Writing E-mail Messages

tatistics show that today's employees spend as much as 40% of their work hours just dealing with e-mails. In fact, e-mail has become the main communications tool

in many businesses. Yet many companies have no fixed e-mail policies, and their employees don't always know what is and isn't appropriate in the e-mails they write.

An e-mail might secure a contract, explain exactly how a task must be performed, or ensure everyone understands what to expect in a project. But the same e-mail written without regard for etiquette can give a poor impression of you and your company. This is one important reason to ensure your e-mails are written effectively. Using proper e-mail etiquette reflects a professional image.

E-mail etiquette is also important for ensuring your messages are correctly understood. A badly composed e-mail can lead to misunderstandings and frustration, and waste precious time.

E-mail messages are text based, so they're easier to misinterpret than speech. Visual clues like body language,

S

Using E-mail and Instant Messaging Effectively

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eye contact, and notions are missing. So to ensure your messages are properly "heard" and understood, you need to take the time to ensure they communicate exactly what you want them to.

Ultimately, writing clear, professional e-mail messages will enhance your reputation and success.

Basic rules of etiquette

E-mail is sometimes regarded as a casual or informal method of communication, and it's quick and easy to use. However, correct etiquette is vital to ensure your mails are professional and convey the right impression.

To use e-mail effectively, you should follow seven basic rules:

• always monitor the tone of an e-mail – Often in speech, the speaker's tone tells you how a statement should be interpreted. For instance, a sarcastic tone can reverse the usual meaning of a phrase like "That's wonderful." Tone isn't something you can convey easily in text. So when writing e-mails, you should bear this in mind and tailor your messages to avoid ambiguity. To indicate more subtle nuances of tone in a message, it may be appropriate to use emoticons. These are icons you create using keyboard characters – a smiling or frowning face, for example – to convey mood. Emoticons are useful to convey a sense of human interaction even though you're not communicating face to face.

• avoid using inappropriate formatting – It's important to avoid inappropriate formatting like all uppercase


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letters, bolding, or underlining. The way you format text in an e-mail can impose meaning. Generally, you should use plain, sentence-case text in business e-mails. This keeps the tone neutral and professional, and lets readers focus on the content of your messages.

• use proper composition – Reading from a computer screen can be a strain. So it's important to make an e-mail message as easy as possible for the reader to follow. To make the e-mails you write clearly understood and professional, ensure that you use the proper composition. This involves structuring messages so they flow logically and your points are appropriately spaced out. Also, avoid grammatical errors. Incomplete sentences and spelling or punctuation errors don't just look unprofessional, they can also make a message harder to follow.

• answer e-mails you receive within a reasonable time to prevent lags in communication – You should answer e-mails you receive within 24 hours, if not by the end of the working day. Failing to respond promptly is discourteous. Also, the longer you leave a response, the less relevance it's likely to have.

• answer all questions in e-mails you receive – When responding to e-mails, it's also important to answer all questions posed. Ideally, you would also anticipate questions the recipient will have and answer these up front. This prevents a lot of back and forth e-mailing.

• create a signature for your e-mails – When writing business e-mails, you may be required to add a signature to your messages. A signature contains your contact information and is automatically added after the


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body of any e-mail message you send. Creating a signature for your e-mail messages adds a professional touch and makes it easier for recipients to contact you. A signature should include your name, position, the name or logo of your company, and your full contact details. Then people who receive your e-mail message can, for example, choose to phone or fax you in response.

• proofread your e-mails – You should proofread the message. This way, you can spot and correct any errors before you send it. You should always proofread your e-mail message with the recipient in mind.

Effective e-mail messages reflect a professional image and communicate clearly and efficiently. Following the basic rules of e-mail etiquette can help ensure you use e-mail effectively. These rules include monitoring the tone of e-mail messages, avoiding inappropriate formatting, using proper composition, creating an e-mail signature, and proofreading messages before sending them. They also include answering e-mail messages you receive within a reasonable time and ensuring you answer all questions posed in these messages.


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�Job Aid

The Seven Rules of E-mail Etiquette

Instruction: Use this job aid to review the seven basic rules for good e-mail communication.

To use e-mail effectively, you should adhere to seven basic rules:

• always monitor the tone of e-mail messages – Ensure you use a tone that's appropriate for the person you're addressing and the purpose of a message. Write clearly and unambiguously to prevent accidentally implying a tone that's inappropriate. In informal messages, you may use emoticons to convey mood.

• avoid inappropriate formatting – Avoid using uppercase letters and underlining or bolding text. This is unprofessional and may be interpreted as aggressive.

• use proper composition – Check that points flow clearly and logically, and that messages don't contain basic errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

• answer messages you receive within a reasonable time – Answer e-mail messages you receive promptly, within a maximum of about 24 hours.

• answer all questions in e-mails you receive – Ensure you check what information has been requested


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and provide this in a single response. Also anticipate additional information that may be required and include this to help prevent the need for "back and forth" correspondence.

• create a signature for your e-mails – Configure a signature for all your e-mail messages that includes your full name, position, and contact details, to make it easier for recipients to contact you.

• proofread your e-mails – Check e-mails once you've written them and correct any errors, instead of sending them immediately.


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LessonLessonLessonLesson 2222

Elements of EElements of EElements of EElements of E----mail Messagesmail Messagesmail Messagesmail Messages

The Correct Use of the Elements in an E-mail Message

very e-mail you write should include specific elements. Using these correctly, as well as applying the basic rules of e-mail etiquette, will help ensure the e-mail

messages you write are professional and effective.

Any e-mail you write should include five elements:

• a From field – Most e-mail applications automatically enter your e-mail address in the From field, which displays to message recipients. In some e-mail applications, you can also set a From field to display when you're composing an e-mail and specify what it must contain. If you enter a nickname, this may look unprofessional and your recipient may not recognize an e-mail as being from you. The name in the From field is what will display to the people who read your e-mail messages. So it's important to ensure your full, correct name is entered in this field.

• a subject line – In an e-mail, a good subject line may mean the difference between a mail being opened or ignored. It's important you use a subject line to make it clear what your message is about. This will make its relevance clear to the recipient. You should also keep

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the subject line short so it's easy to read and doesn't get cut off in the recipient's inbox. Ideally, aim for at most five to seven words. If a correspondence develops, you should remember that the subject line in a response you write may need to be updated to reflect a change in focus.

• a greeting – Once you are happy with the subject line, you're ready to open your message with a greeting that acknowledges the person you're addressing. Generally, it's best to avoid being too informal if you're unsure how to interact with someone. But the way this person chooses to sign off her own e-mails to you can be a good indication of how she would like to be addressed.

• a message body – The message body is the real content of an e-mail. So far, all your effort has gone into framing this message in the most appealing and professional way. In the message body, it's important to apply the rules for e-mail etiquette. For your e-mail message to be understood and well received, you need to ensure it's written clearly and logically, without inappropriate formatting or errors, and using the required tone.

• a closing – The last element in an e-mail is the closing. It's important to wrap up the points you've presented and to end in a way that's consistent with the tone of your message. You can use phrases like "Best wishes," "Warm regards," "Thank you for your time," or "I look forward to hearing from you" to make a message seem less abrupt and demanding. In a slightly more formal message, you might use "Best regards" or "Sincerely."


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Any e-mail should include five basic elements – a From field, a subject line, a greeting, the message body, and a closing. Using each of these elements appropriately, based on the context for a message will help ensure you communicate effectively and professionally.


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�Job Aid

Basic E-mail Elements

Instruction: Use this job aid to review the basic elements all e-mail messages should include and guidelines for their correct use.

The five basic elements all e-mail messages should include, and guidelines for using them correctly, are as follows:

• From field – This field should contain the full name of the sender, with initial letters capitalized.

• subject line – The subject line should summarize the purpose or content of the message succinctly, using a maximum of five to seven words.

• greeting – This should reflect the desired tone of the message, based on the appropriate level of formality in your relationship to the recipient. It identifies the recipient by name and provides a courteous opening.

• message body – The body should comply with the basic rules for e-mail etiquette. It should convey the appropriate tone, avoid inappropriate formatting, and use proper composition, and be written clearly and concisely.

• closing – This signifies that a message is ending and should use a tone consistent with that used in the message body.


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Lesson 3Lesson 3Lesson 3Lesson 3

Keeping EKeeping EKeeping EKeeping E----mails Concisemails Concisemails Concisemails Concise

Guidelines for Writing Concise E-mail Messages

-mail is used extensively throughout the modern business world – and the number of e-mails we are sending and receiving grows every year. Average

employees spend as much as 40% of their work days using e-mail. So the last thing anyone wants is to be swamped with too many overly long e-mails. This is a good reason to keep your e-mails concise.

You might be tempted to add detail when you're writing an e-mail message. But it's almost always better to be brief and to the point. Keeping a message concise saves time for both the sender and recipient.

It also prevents recipients from being overwhelmed with information, making it more likely they'll respond. And writing clearly initially reduces the need for back and forth clarifications via a number of e-mails.

You can apply several guidelines to help you keep your e-mail messages concise:

• convey a single core point in an e-mail – An e-mail message should convey only a single point. So you need to decide what it is you actually want to communicate and you need to keep a tight focus on

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that single issue. This will help keep your messages concise, easier to write, and easier to read. If you need to communicate several points, you should consider making each point in a separate e-mail message.

• get to the point of an e-mail quickly and don't los e focus – Remember that when people are busy, they want to know what you're trying to communicate as quickly as possible. To get to the point, it's important to avoid irrelevant information. A simple greeting is usually all that's required before getting down to business. If you overdo pleasantries and small talk, you run the risk of losing the reader's attention.

• avoid overly long sentences to keep things clear and simple – Messages become more focused and easier for readers to read when you avoid long sentences and use short, simple ones instead. As a rule of thumb, you should try to keep each sentence to a maximum of 15 to 20 words. If you're struggling to do this, you probably need to refine or break down your ideas before expressing them.

• use bullet points to make related items easier to read – Bulleted lists won't always be appropriate, but using them to group related points makes each of the points stand out. This encourages the reader to respond to each point. It also helps in keeping text concise. And because bulleted lists incorporate more white space than straight paragraphs, they're easier to read.

• limit the use of "thank you" e-mails to reduce unnecessary correspondence – If someone has gone out of his way to do you a favor, it would obviously be


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rude not to thank him. In most business interactions, however, people are just doing their jobs. Thank you messages then just waste both their time and yours. Also, if you really feel someone has gone beyond the call of duty, a hand-written card or a phone call may be more appropriate.

• try to fit the full message in the preview pane to ensure it's not too long – Research shows that the longer e-mail messages are, the more likely it is that they'll go unanswered. One way to control the lengths of your messages is to ensure they fit completely within the preview pane in your e-mail application. If necessary, send more than one message to cover related but separate points

• don't attach unnecessary files to your e-mails – You should never attach unnecessary files to your e-mails. Attachments are a common source of computer viruses. And large file attachments take time to download and to read. If you have to attach files to e-mails, you should ensure that you have an up-to-date virus scanner installed on your system so that you don't send viruses to your customers or colleagues in an attachment. You should compress the files and generally try to limit the total file size of the e-mail to under 2 MB.

Keeping e-mail messages concise saves time for the sender and recipients. Strategies for doing this include ensuring that each e-mail you send conveys only a single main point, getting to the point quickly, avoiding long sentences, and using bullet points where appropriate. You should also limit use of "thank you" e-mails, ensure the messages you write


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fit in the preview pane, and avoid attaching unnecessary files.


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�Learning Aid

E-mail Invitation

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the practice question about keeping e-mails concise.

Dear John,

As a valued client, we always welcome your involvement in our organization's charitable events. You have supported us over the years. Many of our staff feel they know you personally. Your charitable donations have also helped improve the lives of many.

We'd be delighted if you could attend our annual charity dinner. It's due to be hosted at the local convention center, August 12. Tickets cost $175 per person.

Included in the ticket price is a complementary parking voucher, a four-course meal, wine for each guest, live musical entertainment, a program for the evening, and a souvenir booklet.

This year we will be expanding our focus so the funds raised benefit a wider range of deserving charities, although with the same emphasis we had last year, on meeting the needs of children.


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I hope you'll be able to attend and look forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes

Nathan Bishop


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�Learning Aid

E-mail Query

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the test question about keeping e-mails concise.

Hi John,

I would like to discuss some problems we've been having with our network and also ask you about the possibility of upgrading three of the older machines being used by my department. Recently, we have been unable to access the Internet for extended periods. Also, Tom, Richard, and Sally have experienced agonizingly slow performance from their computers. I personally think they all need more RAM.

I have attached a log of the interruptions in our Internet service. I have saved it as a .txt file to reduce file size as you suggested in your memo last week. Please let me know when you can repair the problem with the network and when you will be able to upgrade the three computers I mentioned.

Thanks

Colin Smith


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�Learning Aid

E-mail Request

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the test question about keeping e-mails concise.

Hi John,

Glad to have you back from the conference. I hope you had a good trip. As I recall, you're a big football fan. Let me know if you missed this week's game because I've got a recording for you if you want it. Hope no one has told you the score yet. ;-)

Now that you are back, we should decide on a time to meet and go over your impressions of the conference. I would like to get your impressions of how our business model compares with that of other organizations in the industry, likely developments that we can expect in the future, the most likely areas for development, and any risks you may have identified.

Let me know if there's a time that will suit you to meet and go over these points.

Sincerely

Colin Smith


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Guidelines for Instant Messaging Guidelines for Instant Messaging Guidelines for Instant Messaging Guidelines for Instant Messaging

EtiquetteEtiquetteEtiquetteEtiquette

Basic Rules of Etiquette for Instant Messaging

nstant messaging, also known as IM or chat, has taken a firm place alongside e-mail in the modern office environment. Increasingly, business people use it to stay

in touch or conduct quick back and forth discussions of issues.

Instant messaging allows for effective and efficient communication, with immediate receipt of an acknowledgment or reply. Some instant messaging applications have additional features, such as webcam support, which means you can see, as well as talk to, the other party.

Typically instant messaging conversations are short and on a single topic. Some common functions of instant messaging include:

• asking quick questions or clarifications

• coordinating and scheduling tasks

• arranging spontaneous meetings, and

• touching base with colleagues

I


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As with e-mail, it's important to use instant messaging carefully in a business environment. Most of the rules of etiquette for using e-mail apply equally to instant messaging. This is because both involve text-based electronic communication. For example, it's important that an instant message is logically and clearly composed, and easy for readers to follow.

But e-mail and instant messaging aren't the same. So instant messaging has some rules and conventions all of its own. The primary difference between instant messaging and e-mail lies in the fact that instant messages happen in real time. Unlike e-mail, the response to an instant message cannot wait until later. Those who've messaged you will expect some response or action almost as soon as the instant message has been sent.

There are five basic rules you should follow to use instant messaging effectively.

• respect the status indicators – Your instant messaging software will let you know if a contact is ready to accept your messages. If someone is offline or has a "Busy" status indicator on her account, you should avoid trying to contact her.

• ensure the messages are appropriate – You should remember that instant messages you send can be saved and kept, or even distributed to other people. They can also be read by others who are near the computer of the person you believe you're addressing. So it's important


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to ensure the messages you send are appropriate for a business environment.

• include a greeting before jumping into a conversation – Just as you would when meeting someone face to face, you should always start your interactions with a greeting. This lets the person you're contacting know that you're starting a conversation. It's less abrupt than jumping straight into your message.

• send a message all at once – If you have something to communicate in an instant message, it's best to take the time to write it in full and then send the message all at once. Breaking what you want to communicate into several shorter messages could confuse the recipient, who may try to respond to each message before receiving the next one. If there will be a delay while you compose a message, however, you should let the person on the other end know. This will prevent the person from thinking you're simply not responding and prepare him to expect a longer message after an interval.

• don't stay logged on if you're not at your computer – If you are not going to be responding to your messages then you should be sure to log off. If you don't log off, contacts will keep sending messages. Not responding will seem rude. It is also possible that others will read your messages while you are out.


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Instant messaging is a useful tool in a business environment. In some ways, it combines the advantages of e-mail and face-to-face conversations. Ultimately though, it's effective in business only if you write clearly and professionally, and abide by the accepted rules of etiquette. Alongside e-mail, instant messaging is now widely used in the workplace. It's useful for quick exchanges, similar to those that occur in face-to-face conversations. It differs from e-mail in that correspondence happens in real time. The rules of etiquette for e-mail apply equally to instant messaging. In addition, it's important when using instant messaging to respect the status indicators of contacts, ensure message content is appropriate, start with a greeting, send the full content of a message all at once, and log off before leaving your computer.


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�Job Aid

Rules of Messaging Etiquette

Instruction: Use this job aid to review the five rules for using instant messaging effectively.

To use instant messaging effectively, you should follow the same basic rules that apply for using e-mail.

In addition, it's important to adhere to five rules specific to instant messaging:

• respect the status indicators of contacts – Status indicators show whether someone is ready to accept an instant message. If a contact indicates that they do not wish to be disturbed, respect this. If an issue is particularly urgent, you should consider contacting the person by telephone.

• ensure that your instant message is appropriate – Your message should not include content that would be inappropriate or embarrassing if it were read by people other than the intended recipient. Remember that communication via instant messaging is not necessarily private, and that anything you say can be kept and forwarded to others. You should avoid offensive or derogatory language, and keep messages professional at all times.


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• include a greeting before jumping into a conversation – Just as you would if you were beginning a face-to-face conversation, you should greet the person you're addressing. As well as being polite, a greeting acknowledges your contact and prepares this person to enter a conversation.

• send a message all at once – Avoid breaking a single message into separate parts because this may make the message confusing. Rather take a bit of time to complete an initial message or reply, and then send the full message at once. However, it's important that you inform your contact to expect a delay in response if you need time to compose your message.

• don't stay logged on if you are not at your compute r – Remember to log off the instant messaging service whenever you need to leave your computer. If you don't do this, contacts may get the impression that you're simply ignoring their messages.

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Addressing andAddressing andAddressing andAddressing and

Redistributing ERedistributing ERedistributing ERedistributing E----mailmailmailmail

The second module of the course covers the techniques for addressing and redistributing e-mails appropriately. Specifically, you will be introduced to the best practices for deciding who to send e-mails to, and how to flag e-mails appropriately. The course also covers proper etiquette for forwarding e-mails and using reply and reply all. Finally, the sensitivities of copying an e-mail over someone's head are addressed.

The following lessons are covered in this module: Lesson 1: Addressing and Flagging E-mails

Appropriately Lesson 2: Best Practices for Replying to E-mails Lesson 3: Best Practices for Forwarding E-mails Lesson 4: Copying an E-mail Over Someone’s Head

MMMoooddduuullleee


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AddAddAddAddressing and Flagging Eressing and Flagging Eressing and Flagging Eressing and Flagging E----mail mail mail mail

AppropriatelyAppropriatelyAppropriatelyAppropriately

Best Practices for Addressing E-mails

-mail is the most widely used form of business communication today. About 70% of computer users spend an hour or more each day dealing with e-mail,

and most business people receive about 34 e-mails a day. But almost half of those e-mails are irrelevant to the recipient.

The content of your e-mails, and critically, the recipients you include, can affect your work, your work relationships, and your organization as a whole.

Addressing e-mails

Pre-addressing your e-mails is risky for two main reasons:

• they're too easy to send – Unlike writing a letter, it takes only a moment to send an e-mail, and it will arrive almost immediately at its destination. But if you send an inappropriate or unprofessional message, the effects could be longer lasting. It's far better to take your time to review an e-mail message carefully than to regret sending a message once it's too late.

• they may contain angry replies – Most angry e-mails – up to 80% of them – are written as replies and sent

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Addressing and Redistributing E-mail

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on impulse. To avoid this, the first thing you should do when you start a reply is to delete any addresses in the To field. If you hit Send too early, the message won't go to the recipient. You should add the address only once you've finished composing and reviewing your message to ensure it has the proper tone.

Once you've finished checking your e-mail, you're ready to address it. There's more than one field you can use to do this, and each of the fields has a different purpose.

To field

Often a business message is relevant to more than one recipient. The direct recipients are people who must act on your message or respond directly. Their addresses must go in the To field of your e-mail.

Cc field

The next address field is the Cc, or Carbon Copy, field. You use the Cc field to copy someone from whom you don't need a direct response. Other recipients will be able to read the addresses you add to this field.

The most important point about the Cc field is to use it sparingly. Always ask yourself why you're copying someone. Is this necessary, or will it just add to the number of e-mails this person has to read?

You should use the Cc field for two reasons:

• to keep recipients informed, allowing them to track discussions – The Cc field is most often useful for keeping people informed. This enables them to follow


36 EEB/1110

discussions and monitor situations, without being directly involved.

• to keep recipients visibly in the loop regarding discussions – Keeping people visibly in the loop means you keep other, direct recipients informed that someone else – a manager for example – will read thee-mail you send them. Visibility can also be used for the wrong reasons. This is known as copying over someone's head.

Recipients you include in the Cc field should know why you're copying them based on the type or context of the e-mail.

Bcc field

Bcc stands for "Blind Carbon Copy." You use this field to copy people without the knowledge of the other recipients. Using the Bcc field protects the address and privacy of the recipient, but it's also a way of keeping something hidden. So, to prevent any possible dishonesty, many companies discourage using the Bcc field.

People often regard their e-mails as private, even when they don't specifically say so. So always ask yourself, "Is it absolutely essential to involve others by copying them secretly?" If you really have a good reason to do so, you could either use the Cc field or e-mail other recipients separately.

It is appropriate to use the Bcc field when it's essential to protect the privacy of a recipient. It can also prevent a direct recipient from adjusting his response because he knows who you've copied.


EEB/1110 37

Flagging e-mails

How you set the status of an e-mail determines the flag it gets in the recipient's inbox. E-mails are automatically assigned a normal priority when they're created. E-mails can also have a High Priority or Low Priority flag:

• Using the High Priority flag often helps to get your e-mail noticed and read in a business environment where people receive and attend to many e-mails daily. You should not overuse high priority flagging. It is only useful for urgent e-mails that may require immediate action.

• The Low Priority flag is useful for sending an e-mail that is not urgent or is casual. This is a "when you can get around to it" kind of e-mail, or something not directly related to work.

It's risky to pre-address an e-mail before writing it because e-mails are so easy to send and because it's easy to send an angry e-mail before you've had a chance to calm down and review it. When addressing an e-mail message, you include recipients from whom you require a direct response or reaction in the To field. In the Cc field, you include those who must be kept visibly in the loop or who need or expect to be copied on the message. The Bcc field enables you to copy a message to a recipient without the knowledge of other recipients. It should be used sparingly and only when you need to protect the identity and address of a recipient. By default, an e-mail message displays to recipients with a normal priority level. However, you can flag an e-mail that requires urgent attention as having a high priority. You can lso flag a casual, unimportant e-mail as having a low priority.


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�Job Aid

Addressing and Flagging Best Practices

Instruction: Use this job aid to review e-mail addressing and flagging best practices.

Addressing e-mails

Using the address fields appropriately will help ensure that you send e-mails only to the people who need them, and that recipients understand why you've mailed them.

You use the To field

• when you're sending a message directly to one or more people, and the names must be visible to all recipients, or

• you expect a direct response from the recipient

You use the Cc field

• when it's really necessary and important for one or more recipients to receive copies of an e-mail you send

• when it will be clear to recipients why you've chosen to copy them

• when someone must be kept visibly in the loop of a discussion, or


EEB/1110 39

• when someone requires the information in an e-mail but doesn't need to respond to it directly

You use the Bcc field

• only when it's necessary to protect the privacy of recipients' addresses and identities, but when it's important they receive copies of an e-mail you send, or

• when your motives for using the Bcc field are appropriate

Flagging e-mails

By default, an e-mail you send has a Normal priority status. However, you should flag certain e-mails:

• Flag e-mails that require urgent responses as High Priority.

• Flag casual or unimportant e-mails as Low Priority.


40 EEB/1110

�Learning Aid

Customer Complaint E-mail

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the test questions about a customer complaint e-mail.

Mr. Chetty, a valued corporate customer, has called to express anger over poor service and to inform you that he's planning on switching hotels. Your customer services manager, the marketing manager, and the hotel's general manager are all concerned about this.

The hotel has an internal policy of not revealing upper management's e-mail addresses to customers. In this case, the customer services manager has asked to be kept visibly in the loop. The marketing manager and general manager have asked just to be kept informed.


EEB/1110 41

�Learning Aid

Switchboard E-mail

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the test questions about a switchboard problem.

Your company's switchboard has been down for three days and customers have started complaining by e-mail that they can't get through to you. One of your technicians, Frank, has tried everything possible to resolve the issue internally. He has now realized that the problem lies with the telecommunications provider.

As the IT manager, you're responsible for resolving any communication issues, so you e-mail your contact, Gina, at the telecommunications company. Frank has already been in regular contact with Gina to try and resolve the issue. Frank needs to be kept visibly in the loop.

Your company's managing director and sales manager have both asked to be kept privately informed


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�Learning Aid

Accountant E-mail

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the practice question about the performance of a junior accountant.

The accountant's poor performance has become a serious problem that is negatively impacting the company. You instruct her manager to e-mail the accountant about this issue.

The company has an information policy requiring that the manager of the Human Resources Department be kept visibly informed about all performance-related issues. This manager is also responsible for filing performance-related correspondence. Managers and vice presidents must also be kept informed, but without revealing this to the direct recipient.


EEB/1110 43

�Learning Aid

Delivery E-mail

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the practice questions about a delivery problem.

Your stock manager has reported that a delivery of specialized boxes is missing 205 units. The boxes are urgently needed so that you can pack a shipment of fragile goods for an important customer. This isn't the first time the packaging company has made a mistake with a delivery, and you're already considering switching to a different packaging company. You e-mail the manager of the packaging company about the missing units.

The stock manager needs to be kept visibly in the loop because he personally counted the stock and reported the issue. Both your colleague in the Customer Service Department and your manager have also asked to be kept in the loop.


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�Follow-On Activity

E-mail Addressing and Flagging

Instruction: Use this follow-on activity to assess whether you've applied the best practices for addressing and flagging e-mails in messages you've received and sent.

Instructions for use: To use this tool, review a selection of the messages in your inbox to determine if the senders applied the best practices for addressing and flagging e-mails. Then review a selection of messages in your Sent Items folder to check if you've applied the best practices. As you review each e-mail, consider the questions in the table.

E-mail review of inbox

Question Response

Do you think the e-mail was sent in anger or impulsively?

Yes

No

Does the To field contain only the direct and necessary recipients?

Yes

No


EEB/1110 45

E-mail review of inbox

Question Response

Does the Cc field contain only those recipients that need to be kept visibly in the loop or require information in the message?

Yes

No

Have you been included in the Bcc field inappropriately?

Yes

No

Did the senders flag the e-mails appropriately with the appropriate priority status – High, Normal, or Low?

Yes

No

E-mail review of the Sent Items folder

Question Response

Have you used the Bcc field sparingly and appropriately?

Yes

No

Have you flagged your e-mails with the appropriate priority status – High, Normal, or Low?

Yes

No

Use this follow-on activity to check e-mails you send in future.


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Best Practices for Replying to EBest Practices for Replying to EBest Practices for Replying to EBest Practices for Replying to E----mailsmailsmailsmails

Replying to E-mails

he way you reply to e-mail messages can have a major impact on your work and business relationships.

To ensure you reply to an e-mail message appropriately, you should always:

• edit the addresses in the Cc field to ensure you copy only people who require the information you include in your response

• update the subject line to keep the e-mail current and ensure recipients can identify what the message covers and find it easily in their inboxes, and

• include the original thread to keep a record of all the communication that has taken place before you send a response, including the original message and any previous replies; if no thread is included, recipients may have to search for and read other e-mails to determine what you're referring to

If you choose the Reply All option to create a response e-mail, your reply will automatically be addressed to all recipients of the original message. Although Reply All is a powerful feature, it is often used incorrectly. When you reply to all, you're assuming that everyone on the e-mail's original

T


EEB/1110 47

distribution list wants – or needs – to receive your response. This often isn't the case.

When using the Reply All facility, remember these best practices:

• avoid overusing it – replying to all is only appropriate if every recipient in the To and Cc fields needs to read your response

• Bcc recipients must avoid it, because replying to all will reveal their identity and the fact that they were secretly copied, and

• avoid it for personal messages of thanks or agreement – you should send "thank you" and "me too" replies to the direct recipient

When replying to an e-mail message, you should edit the addresses in the Cc field to ensure your response goes only to people who need to receive it. You should also update the subject line and include the thread of the e-mail below your reply.

It's important to use the Reply All feature correctly when responding to e-mails. You should avoid it especially if you were included as a Bcc recipient of an original e-mail. It also isn't appropriate to send messages of thanks or agreement to all recipients. These are better sent as personal, direct messages.


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�Job Aid

Best Practices for E-mail Replies

Instruction: Use this job aid to review the best practices for replying to e-mail messages you receive.

You can respond to an e-mail message you've received by using either the Reply or Reply All options in your e-mail application. In each case, you should follow certain best practices.

Reply

If you choose the Reply option, the address of the person who originally sent you the message will automatically be added to the To field of your response. Addresses of recipients originally included in the Cc field won't be added.

Best practices for using this feature are to

• add recipients to the Cc field only if they really require information in the response you send to prevent wasting other people's time

• edit the original subject line of the e-mail to reflect the content or purpose of your reply, so recipients know what your message relates to and can track it easily, and


EEB/1110 49

• include the original message – or "thread," if several people have already responded – in your reply so that recipients can put it in context

Reply All

If you choose the Reply All option, the addresses of all original recipients – from the To and Cc fields – will automatically be added to your response.

Best practices for using this feature are to

• use it only when the original sender and all the people in the original To and Cc fields really need information in your response

• avoid using it if you were included in the Bcc field of the original message as doing so will make it clear to all recipients that you were secretly copied with the original message, and

• avoid using it with e-mails designed just to thank or agree with the sender of an original message


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�Learning Aid

Training Reply

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the practice question about an IT training session e-mail.

Shawn is arranging IT training for staff members. He e-mails all employees who should attend, asking them to confirm their attendance. Shawn also includes the IT manager, Susan, in the Cc field to keep her informed of the IT training session.

Shawn's e-mail

From: Shawn

To: Ayana; Grant; Patrick; Susan

Subject: Training schedule

Hi,

The IT training is scheduled for next Monday at 2 p.m. Please confirm your attendance by Wednesday at the latest. I'll confirm the final date and time on Thursday morning.

Regards,

Shawn


EEB/1110 51

Shawn's colleague, Ayana, has a prior appointment that clashes with the schedule. She replies, asking Shawn to try to reschedule the training session.


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�Learning Aid

Disciplinary Hearing Reply

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the practice question about a disciplinary hearing e-mail.

Ayana suspects that one of her team members, Peter, is abusing company resources. She's reported this information to Sandra, the HR manager.

Sandra has set up a disciplinary hearing and e-mails Peter to let him know. She's included Ayana as a Bcc recipient to keep her secretly informed.

Sandra's e-mail

To: Peter

Bcc: Ayana

Subject line: Disciplinary hearing

Hi Peter,

Following our recent discussion, we're holding a disciplinary hearing to give you a chance to explain your actions. The hearing will be in the boardroom on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.

Regards,


EEB/1110 53

Sandra

Ayana replies, asking for more details about what will happen at the hearing.


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�Learning Aid

Delivery Reply

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the test question about replying to an e-mail about a late delivery.

Your courier company has lost a document that a customer, Kate, is waiting for. She e-mails you, demanding to know when the package will be delivered. Kate copies the sender of the documents, Etienne, and her manager, Stacey.

Kate's e-mail

To: [email protected]

Cc: Etienne; Stacey

Subject line: Important documents missing

Hi,

Your agent tells me that my package has gone missing. It contains original documents that my manager Stacey, absolutely must receive today. Please find and deliver the package urgently.

Regards,

Kate


EEB/1110 55

You reply, informing Kate that the company is doing all it can to trace the package.


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�Learning Aid

Late Delivery Reply

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the test question about a late delivery.

Tammy works for a courier service. She has received an e-mail from Pauline, a customer, about a late delivery. Tammy replies to Pauline's complaint and adds Jason, her manager, as a blind carbon copy recipient to the e-mail.

Tammy's e-mail

To: Pauline

Bcc: Jason

Subject line: Late delivery

Hi Pauline,

I would like to apologize for the late delivery. I'll get back to you as soon as I've finished checking the status of your order.

Regards,

Tammy


EEB/1110 57

Jason replies to Tammy, asking for the details of the complaint so he can investigate further.


58 EEB/1110

�Learning Aid

Project Reply

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the test question about replying to an e-mail about an incident at a project site.

As project manager for a construction company, you're carbon copied on an e-mail from your vice president, Bettina, to the customer, James, about safety incidents on site.

Bettina's e-mail

From: Bettina

To: James

Cc: Project manager

Subject: Site safety report

Hi James,

I'm pleased to report that so far there have been no safety incidents on site.

Regards,

Bettina


EEB/1110 59

Since receiving the e-mail, you've found out about a serious safety incident and feel Bettina should know about it right away.


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�Learning Aid

Catering Reply

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the test question about replying to a catering service.

You're organizing a conference and receive an e-mail from Suzie, the owner of a catering company, offering her services. There are no carbon copied recipients.

Suzie's e-mail

To: Conference organizer

From: Suzie

Subject: Conference catering

Hi,

I read in the press that you're organizing a conference for October. I run a reputable catering company and would like to bid for the catering contract. If you're interested, I will send you more information.

Regards,

Suzie

You reply to the e-mail asking for more information.


EEB/1110 61


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Forwarding E-mails

onsider why it's important to think before you forward an e-mail. If it's not useful to the people you send it, it will just add to the volume of e-mails they have to

waste time on. Even worse, what if the e-mail contained potentially offensive jokes or images? Forwarding it could upset recipients or possibly result in a scandal that damages your company's reputation.

Forwarding e-mails is a quick and easy way of passing information you get on to others. But it's also often abused. Many people forget that business e-mail is confidential. Carelessly forwarding a message can violate the privacy of your company and your colleagues. It can also expose private information like company e-mail addresses to those who shouldn't have access to them.

As a general first step, you should always ask the author of an e-mail if you may forward it to others. Before you forward an e-mail, the key question to ask yourself is "Why am I forwarding this information?" You should consider how valuable the information is to the recipient. If it isn't applicable to the recipient's work, you shouldn't forward it at all.

Kinds of e-mail you should never forward include Internet mass marketing e-mails, which are known as spam. They also include chain-letter e-mails, which typically offer

C


62 EEB/1110

rewards if you forward them or dire consequences if you don't. If an e-mail pressurizes you to forward it, it's a hoax. Often, chain-letter e-mails are made to sound urgent just as a way to keep them circulating.

Once you decide an e-mail is worth forwarding, you should always remember three best practices.

Remove forwarding symbols

When you forward an e-mail, some e-mail applications will place forwarding symbols, such as right-pointing arrows at the beginning of each line of the original message. You should always delete these symbols and other forwarding headers from an e-mail before you forward it because they make an e-mail confusing for recipients.

An e-mail is also more likely to be taken seriously if you've cleaned it up. If the message is worth forwarding, you need to communicate this to the recipient by making it easy to read.

Include a personal comment or a greeting

You should always add a personal comment or greeting above any message you forward. If you don't have the time to do this, don't forward at all. You should also explain why you think the information in the e-mail is relevant to the recipient.

You should also avoid forwarding messages to many recipients at once, because you can't include a personal comment to each recipient. The recipients might not know why you're sending them the information.


EEB/1110 63

Remove previous addresses to protect people's priva cy

By default, the addresses of previous recipients display in an e-mail you forward to other people. They're included in the message pane, immediately above the original message. To protect the privacy of other people who received or were copied on the e-mail, you should delete these addresses before forwarding the e-mail.

You may need to forward an e-mail to different recipients who don't know one another. In this case, you should add all the recipients' addresses to the Bcc field. This ensures you don't expose the recipients' addresses. So that you can send the e-mail, you add your own address to the To field.

You should forward an e-mail only to a recipient who actually needs the information it contains. Before forwarding, you should also clean up the e-mail message by removing forwarding symbols, adding a personal comment and introduction, and removing the e-mail addresses of previous recipients.


64 EEB/1110


Copying an ECopying an ECopying an ECopying an E----mail Over Someone’s mail Over Someone’s mail Over Someone’s mail Over Someone’s

HeadHeadHeadHead

Poor Copying Practices

t might not be immediately obvious, but "copying over someone's head" like this is a way to manipulate the manager. Although it might sometimes get you the results

you need, it won't make you any friends.

In the business world, especially within your own organization, you should always try to avoid using the Cc field to get results that you could better achieve using direct communication.

Before you copy people on e-mails, you need to consider carefully why you're copying them. Is it because they need to be kept informed visibly? That is the only good reason to copy someone. Copying someone for the wrong reason can seriously hurt your work relationships. It can make you appear self-serving and quickly turn a simple situation into a nasty personal attack.

One way to help determine if it's appropriate to copy a message to someone who has authority over your direct recipient is to question your motives. Some of the wrong motives for doing this include the following:

• self-promotion – It's inappropriate to copy an e-mail to someone just for self-promotion or to try to make yourself look good.

I


EEB/1110 65

• manipulation – It's inappropriate to manipulate someone into doing what you want by revealing your intentions to other recipients.

• humiliation – It's humiliating to a recipient if you copy others on an e-mail that reveals mistakes or disciplinary issues.

• duplication – Duplication involves copying a superior, such as a manager, as further proof of an issue that has already been documented. People often do this if they're trying to escalate an issue to get a result.

More than one motive might apply. For example, someone might send you an e-mail and copy other managers in order to humiliate you and manipulate you into agreeing to a proposal.

Copying over someone's head is an ineffective way to accomplish anything useful. It damages workplace relationships and is likely to turn colleagues against each other. It's also worth noting that unless the information is obviously important, many managers simply don't read e-mails they think have been copied over someone else's head.

If you have an issue with someone, the golden rule is to speak to this person directly rather than e-mailing him and copying his superior. Sometimes it takes courage to confront an issue face-to-face, but this is more professional and effective.

Usually, you avoid copying over someone's head. But there are some exceptions:


66 EEB/1110

• when you compliment a person rather than criticize

• when you copy with the main recipient's permission, or

• when it's required by a formalized work process

Copying over someone's head means sending copies of an e-mail message to recipients who have authority over the person you address directly. Doing this can often damage work relationships. Inappropriate motives for copying over someone's head include self-promotion, manipulation, humiliation, and duplication.

Generally, it's acceptable to copy over someone's head only if you're complimenting the recipient, have explicit permission to do so from the recipient, or the formalized work process permits you to do so.

EEB/1110 67

Managing YourManaging YourManaging YourManaging Your E E E E----mailmailmailmail

This course introduces techniques for managing e-mail effectively. Tips for using folders and filters to organize e-mails for increased efficiency are addressed, and guidelines on what e-mails are OK to immediately delete are also covered. The course also provides direction on how to recover important information should you lose an e-mail.

The following lessons are covered in this module: Lesson 1: Time Management and E-mail Lesson 2: E-mails: Keep or Delete? Lesson 3: Organizing Your E-mail Lesson 4: Using Search to Find E-mail Information

MMMoooddduuullleee


68 EEB/1110


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Managing Your Time with E-mail

anaging your e-mail effectively has several benefits. It ensures you have fast, easy access to work-related information when you need it; it facilitates

better time management; it helps you work more effectively; and it contributes to your and your company's overall efficiency.

Some best practices for managing your time through effective e-mail management relate to handling your business e-mail account and others relate to keeping your business and personal e-mail separate.

Managing your business e-mail

Two ways can help you to manage your business e-mail properly:

• keep your inbox as empty as possible – The fewer messages you have in your inbox, the less you have to deal with. Keeping your inbox free of clutter also makes it easier to spot the messages that require immediate attention.

• eliminate sources of unnecessary e-mails – Simply deleting unnecessary e-mails is only a short-term solution. A more permanent solution is to stop unnecessary e-mails from arriving in your inbox by cutting out the sources of these e-mails.

M

Managing Your E-mail

EEB/1110 69

One way to keep your inbox as empty as possible is to handle business-related e-mail as soon as you receive it. If you don't do this, e-mails might build up until your inbox overflows with more messages than you can cope with. You'll then waste time dealing with a large volume of messages.

You can keep your inbox relatively empty by regularly deleting junk e-mails and old e-mails that you no longer need. You can also sort incoming e-mail into different categories or subjects, each of which has its own folder in your e-mail client. From there, you can decide which e-mails need to be handled and at what time.

Handling incoming business e-mail involves determining the nature of each e-mail, so you know whether it needs immediate attention or not. You can also sort e-mail into different folders based on categories or subjects. From there, you can decide what to do with each e-mail. This should streamline your inbox, leaving it with just the relevant e-mail messages – those that you need immediately or that require a response.

Another way to make more efficient use of your e-mail account and working time is to eliminate any sources of unnecessary e-mails. If you're on e-mail lists or have subscribed to newsgroups, you may receive a lot of e-mails you don't really need. Product alerts and newsletters or e-zines can also fill up your mailbox. And despite assurances that your e-mail address will be kept private, subscribing to these services can leave you vulnerable to receiving more spam.


70 EEB/1110

It's best not to subscribe to services that will result in e-mails arriving in your business mailbox, unless you really need these to do your work. Usually, you can unsubscribe from a service by going to a web site or sending an e-mail. Even if you do need a service, you can often choose to limit the communications you receive. For example, you might specify you don't want to receive any promotional content, or opt to receive a daily digest instead of several individual messages.

Keeping personal e-mail separate

It's not just work-related e-mail messages that clog up business people's e-mail accounts. Often, a lot of work time is wasted on handling personal e-mails. Having many personal messages in your mailbox can make it difficult to spot important business messages.

If you receive personal e-mails at work, the first step to better management is to establish separate business and personal e-mail accounts. Separating these accounts keeps your business and personal e-mails – and lives – separate. It also helps make your work time more efficient. Your personal e-mail can be handled at another time – when you're not working.

Your company's e-mail program may support multiple inboxes. With your company's permission, you can then set up two separate accounts, each with its own e-mail address – one for business and one for personal e-mail. Remember though that your work hours aren't for spending on personal communication. Also, your company may be legally entitled to check your e-mail. If personal messages you receive are


EEB/1110 71

sensitive or may be offensive to others, they can lead to embarrassment or even disciplinary action.

Whether you set up a personal account at work or at home, the next step is to ask your personal contacts not to e-mail you at your business account. Explain that your business account is for work only, and all personal e-mails – especially forwarded e-mails – should be sent to your personal account. Doing this will help you manage the time you spend on e-mail at work. You can then focus only on business-related messages without distractions.

Another way to manage your work hours more effectively is to designate a time for handling personal e-mail. You can read, sort, and reply to personal e-mail outside of company time – before you start work, for example, or on your lunch break. This helps ensure you can stay focused when you need to get your work done.

Following established best practices can help you manage your work time and e-mail more effectively. To make e-mail easier to manage during work hours, you keep your inbox as empty as possible and eliminate sources of unnecessary e-mails. You also establish separate business and personal e-mail accounts, and designate a time outside your work hours for handling personal messages.


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�Job Aid

E-mail Management Best Practices

Instruction: Use this job aid to review the best practices for managing your e-mail.

There are two categories of e-mail that can be managed using established best practices.

For e-mail accounts used exclusively for business

Keep your inbox as empty as possible

To prevent e-mail build-up, handle business-related e-mail as soon as you receive it. In your e-mail client, set up folders for different categories of e-mail. Then sort incoming e-mail into the categories, move each new e-mail into the relevant folder, and decide which e-mails need to be handled, and at what time.

It also helps to regularly delete spam and old e-mails that you don't need anymore.

Eliminate sources of unnecessary e-mails

Unnecessary e-mail can come from e-mail lists, newsgroups, product alerts, and newsletters or e-zines. Subscribing to these services can clog up your mailbox, and leave you vulnerable to receiving junk e-mail, known as spam.


EEB/1110 73

If you are already subscribed to such services, you should unsubscribe, unless the service adds real value to your work performance. If you're considering subscribing to such a service, proceed with caution, subscribing only if you genuinely believe the service will assist your work.

Additionally, when using such services, choose communication options that are least demanding on your e-mail – such as a daily digest instead of individual messages.

For e-mail accounts used for business and personal e-mail

Establish separate business and personal e-mail acc ounts

To better manage your work time and e-mail, it's best to establish separate business and personal e-mail accounts. By restricting personal e-mail to a personal account, your work inbox receives messages that are strictly work-related.

If your company's e-mail program supports multiple inboxes, and your company allows it, you can set up a personal e-mail account – with its own e-mail address – on your work computer. However, it's best to be cautious when doing so because, by using company equipment for personal e-mail, your company may have legal rights to view your personal e-mails.

Ask personal contacts not to e-mail your business a ccount

Explain to your personal contacts that your business account is for work only and ask them to send all personal e-mails – especially forwarded e-mails – to your personal account. This helps you manage your working time, because your business inbox will receive only business-related e-mail.


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Designate a time for handling personal e-mail

Establish a set time, outside of company time, to read, sort, and reply to personal e-mail. For example, you could deal with personal e-mail before you start work, at break times, or at the end of the day. By sticking to set periods, personal e-mail is handled in its own time and does not interrupt your work whenever a new personal e-mail is received.


EEB/1110 75


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E-mails You Want to Delete

f your business inbox is filled to the brim with unread e-mails, you're not alone. But help is at hand. One of the best ways to solve the mailbox blues is to get rid of

anything not directly related to your job. Out of the large volume of e-mails most business people receive each day, it's usually the case that only a few messages are really important. In fact, studies show that after they're read once, up to 80% of e-mails are never opened again after a first glance.

So if you're feeling overwhelmed by too many e-mails, you should get a bit ruthless and delete anything unnecessary in your inbox when it appears. But do this cautiously, so you don't accidentally delete important e-mails. Doing this means the e-mails that do require your attention won't get lost in a cluttered inbox.

Generally, you should delete six types of e-mail:

• e-mails that don't need storage, a response, or follow-up – Many e-mails require a quick read but no further action from you. You should delete it as soon as you've read it. As well as keeping your inbox free of clutter, deleting e-mails that don't require storage or a response frees up valuable system resources. Regularly clearing the deleted messages from your e-mail account can boost system performance.

I


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• e-mails that are not required – E-mails that are not required any longer should be deleted immediately. However, be careful not to delete e-mails you may need for future reference. You might have to refer to project-related e-mails even after a project closes, for example. Or an e-mail may contain reference numbers or contact details that need to be filed.

• e-mails that clearly are not work-related – These types of e-mails clutter your e-mail account. It's especially important to delete them if they contain material that may offend colleagues at your workplace. One way to stem the tide of these e-mails is by asking senders to stop e-mailing these messages to you. If this fails, another option is to set your e-mail client automatically to delete messages from specified senders from your inbox.

• unsolicited junk e-mails, known as spam – The most obvious type of e-mail to delete is spam. These unsolicited advertisements or junk mail can flood your inbox, causing frustration and hampering productivity. You can usually identify spam by reading the subject line or the first few lines of an e-mail. These often tell you that the e-mail is an unsolicited promotional offer. The best approach is to delete spam as soon as it is received.

• e-mails with garbled subject lines – Sometimes people who send unsolicited e-mail use garbled subject lines, including special characters, to try to draw your attention. They hope that a confusing or tricky subject line might pique your curiosity, enticing you to open their messages. It's possible that once you do open the message, your computer will be infected with a virus.


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Rather than falling into the trap, you should delete these e-mails without opening them.

• e-mails from unknown senders with suspicious subject lines – These e-mails could be spam – or worse, they could contain computer viruses. So if a subject line appears strange to you and you don't know the sender, delete the e-mail immediately – without even opening it. If you're even slightly suspicious once you've already opened an e-mail, you should never open an attachment it may contain. Doing this can allow a virus or other malicious software to run on your computer.

One of the best ways to make your business e-mail easier to manage is to delete unnecessary messages from your mailbox. You should delete e-mails that don't require a response or contain information you don't need to store, e-mails you don't actually require, and e-mails that are not work-related. You should also delete spam, e-mails with garbled subject lines, and e-mails from unknown senders that have suspicious subject lines. You should keep e-mails that you need for future reference. These include project-related and administrative e-mails that contain reference numbers or contact details.


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�Job Aid

E-mails to Delete

Instruction: Use this job aid to review the best practices for deciding which e-mails to delete.

One of the best ways to clear your business inbox of unnecessary e-mail is to get rid of anything not directly related to your job. There are six types of e-mail that should be deleted.

E-mails that don't require storage, a reply, or fol low-up

You should delete e-mails that are quick to read and don't require storage, a reply, or a follow-up, because they clutter your inbox. By deleting them, you free up valuable system resources. You can also boost system performance by emptying your e-mail application's trash folder daily.

E-mails that are no longer required

You should immediately delete outdated meeting notices, newsletters of no real value, and other e-mails that are not required anymore. However, you should keep e-mails that you may need for future reference, like work-related e-mails, government correspondence, and certain personal e-mails.


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E-mails that are not work-related

You should delete e-mails that are clearly not work-related, such as jokes and mushy "friendship" forwards. This is especially important if these e-mails contain material that may offend some of your colleagues. You can either ask the senders of these e-mails to stop sending them or you can use your e-mail client's rules to automatically delete the messages from your inbox.

Spam

You should delete spam e-mails, which are usually unsolicited advertisements. You usually can identify spam by reading the subject line or the first few lines of an e-mail.

E-mails with garbled subject lines

Sometimes spam messages are sent with garbled or confusing subject lines, including special characters, to try to draw your attention. These e-mails might contain computer viruses and you should delete them without first opening them.

E-mails from unknown senders, with suspicious subje ct lines

E-mails from unknown senders with suspicious subject lines could be spam or contain computer viruses. You should never open attachments in these e-mails, because individuals with malicious intent often use attachments to infect your computer with viruses. If a subject line appears strange to you and you don't know the sender, delete the e-mail immediately – without opening it.


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Organizing Your EOrganizing Your EOrganizing Your EOrganizing Your E----mail mail mail mail

Folders and Filters for Your E-mail

o avoid being overwhelmed by e-mail, you should delete the e-mails you don't need. But what do you do with the remaining e-mail? How can you prevent your

important messages from turning into a pile of information that's not user friendly?

Using folders

To actively manage the important e-mails, you should categorize them based on what they relate to. The most effective way to do this is to use folders to organize your e-mail.

All e-mail programs include an Inbox and four other basic folders – one for outgoing, one for sent, one for deleted, and one for draft e-mail messages. These three folders form the basis of a system for organizing your e-mail. But to manage your e-mail more efficiently, you should create additional folders.

To make your e-mail easier to manage, your folders should follow certain guidelines:

• serve a clear purpose – Each folder should be named according to a purpose. The purpose shouldn't be so specific that the folder can be used to store only very few e-mails. But it also shouldn't be too general. Take care to create a balanced number of folders, according

T


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to your needs. Creating too many or too few will make it more complicated to organize your e-mail.

• are based on action items – It makes sense to create and name folders based on actions relating to your work cycle.

• are based on subjects – You name folders based on the subjects of the different kinds of e-mail you often receive.

Just as for incoming e-mail, it's important you organize e-mail you've sent and need to keep for future reference into folders. You can choose to move messages you've sent into the same folders you use to organize incoming messages, based on their purpose. Alternatively, you can create sub-folders within your Sent folder for each category of e-mail you send.

As well as using folders, it's important to avoid clogging up your mailbox with too many messages that are out of date. A folder is unlikely to be much use if it contains hundreds of old messages, even if there was a good reason why you kept these messages originally.

E-mail applications make it easier to keep this from happening. Instead of having to weed out old messages and store them somewhere else yourself, you can use an archiving feature to do this automatically.

The archiving feature tracks how old your e-mails and folders are, and how long it has been since you last modified them. Then, if you've enabled it, the archiving feature automatically moves items you no longer use into a separate storage folder.


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You can specify when an e-mail message in your mailbox is ready for archiving. You can also specify if and when you want the archiving feature to run automatically. But often, your organization's IT administrator will predetermine the settings for archiving e-mails.

Using filters

Using a clear set of folders to organize your e-mail makes managing your e-mail quicker and easier. But it defeats the purpose if you have to spend too much time sorting all the e-mail in your inbox and filing it in the right folders. This is where filters come in. Filters are rules you can set to route certain types of e-mail directly to the folders in which they belong.

You can specify which e-mails must be routed to a particular folder in several different ways:

• specify that all messages from a certain e-mail address must be routed to a relevant folder

• set any e-mail that includes certain words in its subject line or body to be routed to a folder on a particular subject, or

• route e-mails to folders based on who the message is addressed to

You can also use filters to avoid wasting time on spam and other unwanted e-mail. You can set up effective filters by following three main guidelines:

• use precise filter terms – It's important to use precise terms as the criteria for filtering incoming e-mail. Otherwise, e-mail can get misrouted, mixed up with


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unrelated e-mails, or lost. So be careful and accurate when specifying the terms to use in your filters.

• make filter terms specific to your e-mail folders – It's simple to filter e-mail based on the sender's e-mail address. But this isn't always an effective way to manage your messages – especially if you receive many e-mails from a particular person. If you base a filter on an e-mail address, all of this e-mail – regardless of its content type – will go to the same folder, which defeats the purpose of using filters. A better way to filter e-mail is to use filter terms specific to your e-mail folders.

• ask your senders to use specific words in their e-mail subject lines – A filter based on words you specify is effective only if you know e-mails you receive about a specific subject will actually contain these terms. The best way to make this happen is to ask those who e-mail you to use those specific words in their e-mails' subject lines. This technique is also useful for organizing e-mails into folders based on commonly repeated tasks.

One of the most effective ways to make your e-mail easier to manage is to organize it into relevant folders. Guidelines for doing this include ensuring that all folders serve a clear purpose and relate either to actions you must perform or particular subjects. You should organize e-mails you've sent and received into folders relating to their purpose.

You use filters to route incoming e-mail messages directly to particular folders, based on who sent them, specified words or phrases included in the messages, or who the messages were addressed to. To set up effective filters, you must be


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precise about your filter terms, use filter terms specific to your e-mail folders, and ask your senders to use specific words in their e-mail subject lines.


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�Job Aid

Folders and Filters Guidelines

Instruction: Use this job aid to review the guidelines for using folders and filters to organize your e-mail.

Guidelines for folders

Ensure all your folders serve a purpose

Each folder should have a definite purpose, which is neither too specific nor too general. You should create a balanced number of folders, according to your needs, because this makes it easier to organize your e-mail.

Create folders based on action items

Folders can be based on action items relating to your work cycle. If many of the e-mails you receive can be categorized according to the different stages of your work cycle, you create a folder for each stage.

Create folders based on subjects

Folders can be based on subjects, depending on the different kinds of e-mail you receive. For example, you can create a folder for each client or project you're working on, a folder for administrative-related e-mail, a folder for company events, and a folder for newsletters and subscriptions.


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File sent items into folders relating to their purp ose

If you need to keep a sent e-mail for future reference, you should file it in an organized manner – just as you file incoming e-mail. You can either move the sent item to the relevant folder in your folder system or you can create sub-folders within your Sent folder, and file sent items accordingly.

Guidelines for filters

Be precise about your filter terms

To avoid e-mail getting misrouted, mixed up with unrelated e-mails, or lost, you use precise terms for your filters. Filter terms should specifically and accurately describe the criteria you are trying to find in e-mails.

Use filter terms specific to your e-mail folders

Sometimes, it's not effective to set a filter based on the sender's e-mail address, because one sender may send you e-mail on many different subjects. To avoid all these e-mails going to a single folder, you create filter terms specific to your e-mail folders. For example, you can set a filter that routes all e-mail with the terms "Sick leave" or "Vacation" to your "Days off" folder.

Ask your senders to use specific words in their e-m ail subject lines

To make subject line filters effective, you need to ask those who e-mail you to use your filter terms in their subject lines. By using these specific terms, you're better able to organize e-mails from the same people according to the subject of the


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e-mail. This technique is useful when you work with different projects or where you receive e-mails related to commonly-repeated tasks.


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�Learning Aid

History Article on the City's Public Parks

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the practice question on the parks' history article.

E-mail received related to the parks' history artic le

As a writer for an online magazine, one of your current projects is an article on the history of the city's public parks. To this end, you've set up a folder named "Parks' history article" in your e-mail account. The folder contains a subfolder for each type of e-mail in the category, including "Research," "Edits," and "Meetings."

In relation to the article, you receive e-mails from your magazine's editor, an intern journalist who is assisting you with research, and senior colleagues. You also receive e-mails from environmental groups, members of the public, and the city's Parks and Recreation Department.

You've asked all who e-mail you about the article to use your project code "PH25" somewhere in the subject line or main body of their e-mails to help you filter your incoming e-mail to the correct folders.

You've also asked them to include a word indicating the purpose of the message in the subject line. The purpose categories are "Research," "Edits," and "Meetings."


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�Learning Aid

Medical Practice E-mail

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the practice question.

Current e-mail system

You're the office administrator at a busy medical practice. Several doctors work at the practice. Because of their busy schedules, you're responsible for handling all their e-mail centrally – so it arrives in your mailbox.

You also deal with all administrative areas of the practice, such as purchasing, financial records, and legal compliance. Because your inbox is usually filled with e-mails from patients, pharmaceutical companies, and others, you've recently set up a few folders to help you manage your inbox better.

Your mailbox folder structure is as follows:

• one folder per doctor, for all e-mails related to that doctor

• a folder for pharmaceutical company advertisements

• a folder for pharmaceutical companies' monthly product lists

• a folder for all e-mails from suppliers


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• a "General" folder for spam

All other incoming e-mail is stored in your inbox.

Every few hours, you manually sort your new e-mails, moving each e-mail to the relevant folder. Although your new system makes things slightly easier, you're still overwhelmed by the amount of e-mail you have to sort in your inbox.


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�Learning Aid

Award Sportswear E-mail

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the test questions.

Current e-mail system

You're an executive at Award Sportswear, a company that specializes in making its own label of casual sportswear. As part of your job, you send and receive e-mails from suppliers, customers, and the company's CEO.

You've set up some e-mail folders, which you've been using for years.

These folders are for:

• staff performance reviews from a previous year

• customer complaints

• customer compliments

• customer inquiries

• a subfolder in your Sent mail, called "Purchase orders placed"

• supplier relations


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You've always manually sorted your e-mail, but this has become increasingly difficult in recent months, as the company has become more and more popular.

Additionally, your inbox sometimes overflows with e-mail that relates to different aspects of your work. Examples of these include invoices, payroll-related e-mail, and monthly staff improvement tips from the CEO.

After learning about folders and filters, you decide to reorganize your mailbox, hoping you can make it more manageable. You want your mailbox to contain e-mails that are current and archive e-mails that are old.


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�Learning Aid

Estate Agent E-mail

Instruction: Use this learning aid to answer the test questions.

Estate agency's e-mail system

You're an independent estate agent, and rely heavily on e-mail to keep up to date with property sellers, potential buyers, local government agencies, and your professional association.

You've never taken much time to organize your mailbox, and have created just one folder, "Payments Received," to store records of payments received from buyers. This folder contains more than 300 e-mails, dating back three years.

It has become increasingly difficult to find important e-mails in your mailbox, so you decide to set up folders and filters, hoping they will help you manage your e-mail better.


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�Follow-on Activity

Organize Your Mailbox

Instruction: To use this tool, answer the questions about your mailbox and then use your answers to organize your e-mail using the recommended guidelines for folders and filters.

Using folders

• What folders do you have?

• Do you use them all?

• Which ones do you use the most?

• Are there any folders that are catch-all folders that could be split out more usefully?

• Do you file your sent items in specific folders?

Using filters

• Do you have a filtering system already?

• If so, what e-mail do you currently filter?

• What other e-mail do you receive that would be suitable for filtering?

• What filters and folders might you set up for that?

• Have you asked those who e-mail you to use your filter terms?


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Organize your mailbox

Now, use your answers to organize your e-mail. You can consult the job aid Folders and Filters Guidelines for guidance on setting up the most effective folders and filters.


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Using Search to Find EUsing Search to Find EUsing Search to Find EUsing Search to Find E----mail mail mail mail

InformationInformationInformationInformation

How to Find Lost E-mail Information

You can use three methods to find an elusive e-mail:

• searching – You can search for the e-mail by entering a key word or phrase you know it contains in the search feature of your e-mail program.

• built-in sorting – You can locate the e-mail using your e-mail program's built-in sorting feature, which lets you sort the e-mails in any folder into a particular order.

• making a direct request to the original sender – If you're really struggling to locate an e-mail, you can contact the sender directly and ask him to send you the information again.

Searching

The search feature, which comes standard with most e-mail programs, allows you to enter a word or phrase as a search criterion. For example, this could be the sender's name, the subject of an e-mail, or a phrase you remember was used in the body of the e-mail. When the search is complete, your e-mail application displays the results – a list of all e-mails that meet your search criteria.

Sometimes you may not remember an exact spelling that was used in an e-mail. This can make it difficult to enter a


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precise search term. One way around this is to use a character known as a "wildcard." This is a substitute for another, unknown character. It can be any symbol, but is most often denoted by an asterisk.

You can also use wildcards to specify that some part of your search term varies.

Built-in sorting

Your e-mail program's built-in sorting mechanism can also help you find a particular e-mail. In any given folder, most e-mail programs display e-mail in a list, which includes several columns. These columns display important information about the e-mail, such as the sender's name, the e-mail's subject, and the date the e-mail was received.

When clicking the column header, the e-mail program rearranges the e-mails according to the category of information you've clicked. You can then browse the rearranged list to find the e-mail you're searching for.

Making a direct request

A final way to find a misplaced e-mail is to contact the original sender and ask this person to resend the e-mail. If you've lost the sender's e-mail address or contact information, you may be able to use a search engine on the Internet or a directory to find it.

By searching for the person's name, as well as her company name and city or state, you should be able to get her main business contact details, if she's listed. However, you should confine your search to the person's professional details only.


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You should not try to find her home or personal contact details.

There are three ways to locate a misplaced e-mail – searching, built-in sorting, and making a direct request. You can use the search feature in an e-mail application to search for e-mails containing words or phrases you specify. Using built-in sorting enables you to sort your e-mail according to a specific category of information. This can make it easier to find a particular message. If these methods fail, you can contact the original sender and ask them to resend the e-mail.

Glossary

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GlossaryGlossaryGlossaryGlossary

A addressing The process of specifying who must receive a communication. In an e-mail, the To, Cc, and Bcc fields enable you to specify the addresses of recipients. archiving An e-mail feature that automatically moves e-mails and folders to an archive based on criteria you set, such as how old the items are and how long they've been in your mailbox without being modified. B Bcc Abbreviation for blind carbon copy, the address field in an e-mail you use to list one or more recipients who must receive a copy of the message you send a

primary recipient. Unlike entries in the Cc field, those you include in the Bcc field won't display to all message recipients. blind carbon copy See Bcc . C carbon copy See Cc. Cc Abbreviation for carbon copy, the address field in an e-mail that you use to specify recipients who must receive copies of the e-mail. These addresses will be visible to all other recipients. chain letter A hoax letter that instructs you to forward it, often promising a reward or


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benefit if you do and threatening consequences if you don't. composition Structure or layout, for example of text. It's important that e-mail and instant messages use proper composition. D digest A compilation of messages from an e-mail newsgroup, list, or other service – delivered to the subscriber in one e-mail message, as opposed to many individual messages. direct recipient A person to whom a communication is directly addressed. In an e-mail, the addresses of any direct recipients must be entered in the To field. duplication

In relation to e-mail communication, the practice of copying someone with an e-mail message you send a direct recipient when this is unnecessary. It may involve inappropriately copying a message over the direct recipient's head, for example to a manager. E e-mail etiquette The conventions that govern how e-mail messages should be used. emoticons Icons used in electronic, text-based communication to convey mood or tone. An example is a happy face icon. escalation Raising the priority of an issue, often by copying a person in authority with an e-mail you send a direct recipient.

Glossary

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F filters User-defined rules in an e-mail system that enable you to route certain types of e-mail directly to folders in your e-mail account, bypassing the inbox. flag A marker in an e-mail application that indicates the priority of an e-mail message. flagging To set the priority status of an e-mail using a flag . forward To send an e-mail you receive on to one or more new recipients. I inbox The folder that contains all received e-mails in a user's e-mail application. instant messaging A form of electronic communication in which

two or more people use the Internet to participate in a text-based "conversation." Once a user sends a message, it displays almost immediately on the recipient's screen. The recipient can then respond in real time. M manipulation The use of coercion or indirect pressure to achieve an outcome. In relation to e-mail, a person may copy a message over someone's head as a means to manipulate the direct recipient into doing what they want. P priority The status or importance of an e-mail. The priority of an e-mail can be set as Low, Normal, or High.


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R recipient In relation to e-mail, a person who receives an e-mail message. S self-promotion The act of promoting your own reputation or status. This is an inappropriate motive for copying an e-mail message to someone in a position of authority over the direct recipient you address. sender The person who sends a communication, like an e-mail. spam Unsolicited junk e-mail, such as product advertisements or mass marketing e-mails. subject line A title identifying the content or purpose of an e-mail message. It's entered

in the Subject field of an e-mail. T thread An original message and any replies. To The address field in an e-mail that you use to specify the addresses of direct recipients, who must respond or react directly to the message. tone The manner or style in which a communication is expressed. For example, a tone may be formal or informal. W wildcard A special character you can use in a search term to replace another, unknown character. Commonly denoted by an asterisk (*).

Notices

Copyright Copyright 2010 by Career Tech Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice

and does not represent a commitment on the part of Career Tech

Services.

Trademark Notices All product names and services identified throughout this book

are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective

companies. They are used throughout this book in editorial

fashion only and for the benefit of such companies. No such use,

or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement

or other affiliation with the book.

Disclaimer Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this manual.

While we take great care to ensure the accuracy and quality of

these materials, all material is provided without any warranty

whatsoever, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties

of merchantability of fitness for a particular purpose.

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