Top Ten Tips, Tricks, and Peeves in Email Communication

Lindsay Henning

BuCS

+What are your pet peeves…

Hmmm?

+Email Irritants

+What are your irritants…

① OMG/LOL

② Smiley faces

③ Spelling/Grammatical Errors

④ Going AWOL w/o Auto reply

⑤ Kisses

⑥ Terms of Endearment

⑦ Cheesiness

+To: CC:

BCC:

+Is there a difference?

TO:

CC:

BCC:

+Clear and Concise…

+What does that mean…

① Lead with your main point

② Cut the jargon

③ Use short, direct sentences

④ Read it aloud

⑤ Use spell check

⑥ Don’t overuse spell check

+7 Rules for Communicating Clearly and Concisely in Email

① Use the minimum amount of sentences

② State what you want right away

③ Write about only one thing

④ Leave out the humor and emotions

⑤ Use “If…then” statements

⑥ Review for ambiguity, clarity

⑦ Revise for conciseness

+Use (just) enough words…

Bullets work.

But if the list

Makes no

Sense in that

Format

It doesn’t help your communication…

+Manage this issue…

Save time and money by getting it right the first time

Don’t make the reader guess your meaning

Use enough words but not wordy

Read and proof before sending

+Editing and Proofing…

+What’s wrong with this picture?

+And this…

+Email Etiquette…

+Email Etiquette…

① Start Your Message with a Greeting

② Send to Appropriate Recipients

③ Use Descriptive and Meaningful Subject Line

④ Write Clear and Concise Message

⑤ Scan Attachments

+Email Etiquette…

⑥ Avoid Using Emoticons

⑦ Avoid Sending Forwards and Inappropriate Jokes

⑧ Use Email Signature

⑨ Respond to Emails in Timely Fashion

⑩ Know When to Email and When to Call

+First five…

① Thou shall use e-mail to convey only ideas and factual or logistical information, no emotions.

② Thou shall write the topic of your message on the reference or subject line.

③ Thou shall address the e-mail using the name of the intended person.

④ Thou shall use BCC for e-mails sent to groups.

⑤ Thou shall never ever forward a chain letter that states if you do or don’t do something within a certain time, your life will forever be changed.

+Last five…

⑥ Thou shall use ‘delivery receipt notification’ only when it’s imperative that you know if the intended recipient received it.

⑦ Thou shall use capitalizations, upper and lower case, and proper punctuation in e-mails as in all other written communications.

⑧ Thou shall close your e-mail message with heartfelt words that show that the sender is fully present.

⑨ Thou shall proofread your email messages before sending them.

⑩ Thou shall respond to emails within 24 hours.

+Top 10 Tips…

+Let’s build our list…

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