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 Why, you ask? Because the primary caveat in communicating
effectively is that what you “hear” is more important than what I
think I’ve said.
We have four generations actively engaged in the workplace, and our
workplace is indeed global. A baby boomer is easily turned off by
undue familiarity, as are individuals from countries more formal
than the United States.
Mallory Fix, who teaches English as a Second Language at the
University of Pennsylvania, says, “Email etiquette does vary across
the globe, especially in ways to address the receiver, the
directness of the message, and the closing.”
Here are the concerns this columnist hears most often:
Always use a salutation and a closing. Based on your relationship,
only you can decide whether deference dictates a “Dear Professor…”
or “Good morning, Dr. Weber.”
One colleague of mine received an email greeting from a student of
“Hey, Lou,” and then proceeded to ask him for a reference. Bad idea!
For your career’s sake, make sure you get the name and title right.
In the situation above, the man was a full professor, entitled to
more than a modicum of respect. Furthermore, his first name was
Dennis!
Avoid trendy abbreviations and be careful of emoticons. They may be
misunderstood and thus not clearly convey your meaning.
Don’t confuse email with texting or IM. Email is more formal than
that. Use complete sentences, correct grammar, correct punctuation,
and capitalization. Yet subject lines should be as efficient as a
tweet, concisely stating what’s important and relevant.
Make sure your subject lines distinguish you from a hacker or a
scammer by being current and germane. For example, “Change in
Tuesday lunch meeting.”
If a subject changes, change the header! Remember that email is no
place for stream of consciousness ruminations, so be direct, clear,
and succinct. Respond in full sentences.
When you have a long list of comments, put them in a single Word
document attachment, or number the points so that the recipient
knows you got everything. When there is a succession of emails,
indicate “1 of 4,” for example.
No time to respond fully to a long email? Reply to the sender that
you received the email and indicate when you will be responding.
Nothing is more discouraging than feeling ignored.
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Just because something can be forwarded doesn’t mean it should be.
Remember, too, that a recipient can forward your email, and you have
no control at that point.
Patience is a virtue. Not every email gets delivered. This happens
more frequently than we would like to admit. Offer people the same
grace that you would like to receive on email responses.
Pick up the phone if you don’t hear back after a couple of tries.
It’s not fair to assume that, for example, your email must be
treated as top of the list, especially dealing with attorneys and
physicians.
Sometimes postal mail and faxes arrive at an office before your
email. Unless it’s an emergency, responses should be taken in order.
Remember that the person reading your email has only the words on
the screen. Now think about how much our tone of voice impacts our
message, so beware of sarcasm. Consider, for example, how many ways
we can interpret even the simple word, “please.”
For me, the “E” in email represents two essential reminders. First:
edit, edit, edit to be sure all your facts, grammar and punctuation
are correct. Second: Email is eternal. Just ask Hillary Clinton.
(Mary M. Mitchell has written several books on the subject of
etiquette, now in 11 languages, most recently "The Complete Idiot's
Guide to Modern Manners Fast Track" and "Woofs to the Wise". She is
the founder of executive training consultancy The Mitchell
Organization (www.themitchellorganization.com). The opinions
expressed are her own.)
(Editing by Michael Roddy)
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