5 Email writing etiquette tips

Even the most pleasant and well-meaning of us may seem like an idiot in emails. And, in fact, to write an email that expresses your personality can be a true art.

In a conversation you can adjust your tone of voice, your facial expressions, your gestures and your posture to express your mood. People are usually much more receptive to the way you say things, and not so much to what you say in them.

On the other hand, the mails "undress" the conversations. They are efficient, but they convert simple interactions into confusing misinterpretations. Without facial expressions and body postures that guide your message, people read every word you write as an indicator of your mood.

1. The Compulsive CC 

The trick to knowing when to copy someone is to treat your email as if it were a face-to-face meeting. The question then would be: "Is it necessary or helpful for this person to come to the meeting?" If the answer is "no", do not waste your time sending an email. As for "responding to everyone", simply avoid it. Even if someone else in the thread of the conversation does it, avoid joining and further disturbing your interlocutors. If you have something important to say, it's best to send a live (and private) mail to the original sender or let him decide if the group should know.

2. The quick reply

The best way to avoid being misunderstood when issuing a short answer is to talk about your intentions. Even replying with a "I'm a little busy now, but I'll read this mail calmly in a few hours" is much more professional than an "annotated", which will be interpreted as an expression of indifference.

3. Urgent Emails

The emails titled with "URGENT" show a complete lack of consideration by the receiver. If your mail is so urgent, pick up the phone and call that person. Even if an email is really urgent, describing it as such in the title is unnecessary and sets a strong and negative tone.

4. Excessive criticism

Sending frequently emails that tell people their mistakes is really annoying. Even if your intention is to offer constructive criticism, avoid that your emails contain a negative message. Since people can not hear your tone of voice, they will read the connotations of the words and create a tone in your head as they do. Negativity becomes especially negative when it is transmitted by mail.

5. The robot feel.

It's easy to think of email as something to be done on the run, but when you take this to the extreme, you may seem even inhumane. You would not go into someone's office and give him a report without any explanation, would you? Sending an email without an introduction may seem effective, but leaves a negative impression on the recipient (it will not go away soon).

The trickiest part of sending an email is getting certain people to interpret it just the way you want it. To get away with it, you must be sensitive and aware of your interlocutor. 

This means that you should take the time to put yourself in the shoes of the recipient of your message before pressing the "send" button.

What do you guys think ?