Tips for Better E-Mail, Part 16: Keep It Strictly Business

Personal e-mails during business hours provide evidence of not doing your job. The fact is, your company owns everything in its computers. Act wisely about e-mailing family and friends.


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Coming Soon! The Art of E-Mail Writing by Philip Vassallo, also through First Books: http://www.firstbooks.com/.

Tips for Better E-Mail, Part 15: Be Nice!

Do not demean, harass, or threaten readers or subjects of your message. Readers of business communication assume that the sender took the time to write thoughtfully. Use e-mail as a tool for clear communication—not a weapon for demoralizing.


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Coming Soon! The Art of E-Mail Writing by Philip Vassallo, also through First Books: http://www.firstbooks.com/.

Tips for Better E-Mail, Part 14: Forward Helpfully

Help your reader understand forwarded e-mail. A reference to the part of a forwarded message to relate it to your purpose and your readers’ needs will quicken the communication process. Mention why you have forwarded the message.


To purchase your copy of The Art of On-the-Job Writing by Philip Vassallo, click here: https://www.firstbooks.com/product_info.php?cPath=14&products_id=144

Coming Soon! The Art of E-Mail Writing by Philip Vassallo, also through First Books: http://www.firstbooks.com/.

Tips for Better E-Mail, Part 13: Copy Prudently

Many people do not always need updates about every business issue. Keep them in the loop only if your message serves their business purposes. Transmit group messages sensibly. For instance, use the blind copy feature when transmitting group messages to spare your readers the wasted time of scrolling past the entire list of recipients. And don’t copy everyone!


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Tips for Better E-Mail, Part 12: Attach with Care

Attaching lengthy unsolicited documents can frustrate your readers by requiring them to print numerous pages—many of which they might not need. Use non-electronic means of transmitting lengthy documents when the situation calls for it. Attach documents thoughtfully.


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Tips for Better E-Mail, Part 11: Act Maturely

In case you haven’t already heard …

WRITING IN ALL UPPER-CASE LETTERS LIKE THIS IS UNIVERSALLY UNDERSTOOD AS SHOUTING.

writing in all lower-case letters, as in, "i will see ricardo ramirez next july in philadelphia at the american suppliers conference," implies that the writer is rushed or sloppy.

Prove your reader awareness by applying the standards of capitalization when writing e-mails that you think might be read across or outside your organization.


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Tips for Better E-Mail, Part 10: Do It Now

Reading e-mail and saving it for a later response is not a bad thing—unless you find yourself doing it constantly. Handle whatever e-mail you can only once. Each time you return to an e-mail doubles your time on it. Read, reply, file, done.

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