EMAIL GUIDELINES In a conversation, there is some minimum of shared context.

. You might be in the same physical location, and even on the phone you have, at minimum, commonality of time. When you generate a document for paper, usually there is some context embedded in the medium: the text is in the proceedings of a conference, written on a birthday card, or something similar. With email, you can't assume anything about a sender's location, time, frame of mind, profession, interests, or future value to you. This means, among other things, that you need to be very, very careful about giving your receivers some context. Your correspondent won't have normal status cues such as dress, diction, or dialect, so may ma e assumptions based on your name, address, and ! above all ! facility with language. You need to be aware of when you can be sloppy and when you have to be meticulous. "mail also does not convey emotions nearly as well as face!to!face or even telephone conversations. It lac s vocal inflection, gestures, and a shared environment. Your correspondent may have difficulty telling if you are serious or idding, happy or sad, frustrated or euphoric. #arcasm is particularly dangerous to use in email. $nother difference between email and older media is that what the sender sees when composing a message might not loo li e what the reader sees. Your vocal cords ma e sound waves that are perceived basically the same by both your ears as your audience's. The paper that you write your love note on is the same paper that the ob%ect of your affection sees. &ut with email, the software and hardware that you use for composing, sending, storing, downloading, and reading may be completely different from what your correspondent uses. Your message's visual 'ualities may be 'uite different by the time it gets to someone else's screen. Thus your email compositions should be different from both your paper compositions and your speech. &e sure to write an appropriate and specific sub%ect in the sub%ect line so that the recipient nows what to expect. (or example: )*roduction Team +eeting , --nd $pril. instead of )+eeting./ or "mail "fficiency 0onference, &angalore $ug 12!13. instead of a plain ."mail "fficiency 0onference.. +a e it brief and precise It need not be a complete sentence yet should convey the essence of the mail. (lag the message or indicate it in the sub%ect line by typing )456"7T/ before your sub%ect

8eep it #hort, 0risp 9 0lear #tic to one topic if possible Try and eep it to about 1: lines ;about half a computer screen< Try to eep your line length at => characters or less. If your message is li ely to be forwarded, eep it to 3> characters or less #pecify the response you want ?o not use emoticons or smileys 5epeat any vital information from the #ub%ect line in the message body 0reate an @elevatorA summary *rovide a table on contents on the first screen of your email If you re'uire a response from the reader then be sure to re'uest that response in the first paragraph of your email 0reate headings for each ma%or section ?eliver the news up front )We are unable to order new computers this 'uarter due to budget cuts./ $void blaming statements )I thin it will be hard to recover from this, but what can I do to helpB/ $void hedging words or words that sound ambiguous !Intents and purposes !*ossibly, most li ely !*erhaps, maybe +aintain a positive resolve You should briefly state the history of the problem to provide context for your reader "xplain the attempts you made previously to resolve the problem #how why it is critical for the problem to be resolved by your reader Cffer suggestions on ways you thin it can be resolved or how you are willing to help in the matter. *lease call me at any time if I can be of help to you *lease let me now if you need more information I'm available to answer your 'uestions at: ;phone number< Than you again for contacting me. I will call you next Wednesday to see if I can answer any other 'uestions (laming is a virtual term for venting or sending inflammatory messages in email. $void flaming because it tends to create a great deal of conflict that spirals out of control. (lame fights are the e'uivalent of food fights and tend to affect observers in a very negative way. What you say cannot be ta en bac D it is in blac and white

)I am so sic and tired of all the crap that goes on in this office. Eaya is the most annoying person that IAve ever nown and she hardly ever gets her wor done in a timely manner and IAm tired of watching her do nothing. &esides that, every time I try and get help $%ay %ust acts li e there isnAt a problem. I am #C 0FC#" TC G4ITTI76H I swear that if someone says another thing to me I am out the door honestly. The procedures in here are only for certain people and the rest are favorites. $s a matter of fact, I donAt even thin this problem can be solved until Eaya is fired./ "mpathiIe with the senderAs frustration and tell them they are right if that is true If you feel you are right, than them for bringing the matter to your attention "xplain what led to the problem in 'uestion $void getting bogged down by details and minor arguments If you are aware that the situation is in the process of being resolved let the reader now at the top of the response $pologiIe if necessary &efore you send an email message, as yourself, )would I say this to this personAs faceB/ 0alm down before responding to a message that offends you. Cnce you send the message it is gone. 5ead your message twice before you send it and assume that you may be misinterpreted when proofreading There are times when you may need to blow off some steam 5emember your audience and your situation before sending the email. Jow you say it is as important as what you say Tone is the 'uality in your writing that reveals your attitude toward your topic and reader. Tone comes from your choice of words, the structure of your sentences, and the order of the information you present. Why is tone so important in "mail writingB &ecause email lac s the formatting of print, and the body language of in! person communication, the words themselves carry more feeling. $nd because email messages are read 'uic ly, an inappropriate tone can distract your reader and obstruct your message. It's easy for email writers to let their tone slip from professional to edgy or sarcastic. "mail emboldens writers to express thoughts they would never say to a reader's face. $nd email is written 'uic ly then sent. +ost email writers don't review their messages as carefully as they should. When they do review messages before sending, they're loo ing at the content, not the tone. &ut tone is important. $ flippant tone that the reader doesn't find funny can damage a relationship as well as progress on a company pro%ect.

When writing an email, if you can't be nice, wait. Wait an hour if you're irritated, an afternoon if you're angry, and a day if you're furious. (or many reasons, it's never appropriate to lose your cool in email: "mail is easily forwarded so the recipient can share your email with lots of readers. (lames beget flames. If you use an angry tone in email your reader will probably answer in anger. While the tone escalates, the wor isn't getting done and a colleague or client is lost. ?on't write in a tone you'd be uncomfortable sharing with your boss. 5emember that well!chosen words create a personal, professional tone in email. You can't rely on emoticons !! such as this smiley : ! < !! or abbreviations !! &TW for by the way ! to set the tone in your email. 0hoose words because they carry meaning to all readers, some of whom may not understand emoticons or abbreviations. The greeting in your email establishes your relationship to your reader. +ost writers of business email begin their messages with .Ji. or .Jello. followed by the recipient's first name: .Jello, (red.. #ome writers begin the message with the first name only. .?ear. is still an acceptable greeting in email, not merely a vestige of outdated .print. culture. If you're writing an email message to a group, use the group name in the greeting. ?on't begin your message .Ji, guys. or ."verybody.. Though this extremely casual greeting may sound friendly, it is actually %ust vague. Try .?ear Feadership Team. or .Jello, Interns.. $ more specific greeting sets a focused tone to the message and lets readers now right away who the message is for. ?o write a closing for your message. &eside ma ing it easier for your reader to find the end of the message, the closing seals the tone and serves as a final reminder of the main point or re'uested outcome. Try an action!oriented closing such as .Than s for sending me the proposal draft,. or .I'll call you on Tuesday to schedule the meeting.. Cr go for a gracious closing: .Than s for your help,. .&est regards,. or .I loo forward to meeting you.) To ma e your email writing personal, address your reader directly. 4se the pronoun .you.. Write: .You may use the "xecutive Jealth 0lub on wee ends.. $void: ."mployees may use the "xecutive Jealth 0lub on wee ends.) 4se the pronouns .I. and .we. when referring to yourself or your organiIation. To ma e your email writing personal, address your reader directly. 4se the pronoun .you.. Write: .You may use the "xecutive Jealth 0lub on wee ends.. $void: ."mployees may use the "xecutive Jealth 0lub on wee ends.) Write: .I discovered that our mail room cler s were throwing away most of the promotional fliers.. $void: .It was discovered that most of the promotional fliers were being thrown away.. Write: .&ecause you used the product incorrectly we will not refund your money.. $void: .+annheim

+anufacturing cannot refund your money because the product was used incorrectly.) $ctive voice ma es your email tone clearer and more direct. $ctive voice ma es the .doer. in the sentence clear. When you write in the active voice your email tone won't sound bureaucratic the way passive voice does The beginning of an email message sets the tone and emphasiIes content for the message. #et a direct tone by communicating the most important information first. &ut what if the most important information is bad news: a cut in funding, a re%ected application, the immediate transfer of the hardest!wor ing person in the departmentB Will leading with the bad news damage your toneB The answer is no. "ven when the main point of the message is bad news, you must lead with it. &urying the bad news somewhere in the middle or end of the message is harmfulD readers may miss it or misinterpret its importance.