I recently attended a really great Email and Business Writing workshop.  Although it sounds like the least entertaining way to spend your day, it was really worthwhile.  At the end of the day when the presenter offered us two options: a.) Leave now or b.) Stay for an additional 30 minutes of grammar tips; you’d be surprised to find out that the majority of us stayed to listen to his impromptu lecture.  Even though I’d love to share every tip I learned that day, it would be entirely too much to write in one blog so here are a few pointers for composing effective business emails that I think are very useful that you may find surprising.

• Abbreviations are Okay to use in emails.
• ‘Emoticons’ however, are never acceptable in a business email.
• ‘Regards’, ‘Kind Regards’ or ‘Best Wishes’ are appropriate closing lines.
• Have a good subject line – 53% of people only read the subject line!
• Try to always answer swiftly, but keep in mind that 48 hours is an acceptable response time for business emails.
• Avoid ALL CAPS – this is considered shouting in the email world and will most likely send the wrong message to the reader.
• You should use 16 words or fewer per sentence.
• You should always read an email out loud before you send it.  Sometimes it even helps to print out the email and read the ‘hard copy’ before you push send.
• You should never ‘Reply-All’ unless your response is needed for the entire email group to read.
• Stationary backgrounds are taboo in the corporate world.

In my opinion, here are the 4 most beneficial tips I learned that day for writing a Business Email:

• Write for the reader, not for the writer.  Consider other people’s ‘styles’ when writing an email.
• Create a Response (not a reaction) – always see your readers face before you respond.
• Business Casual – write like you would talk to another professional in person.
• Use the DUA Method when composing the email.
  • Do – What do you want the recipient of the email to ‘Do’ with the provided information?
  • Understand – What do you want the reader to ‘Understand’ about the information?
  • Attitude – How do you want the reader to feel after given the information?

Hopefully a few of these pointers will be useful in your everyday workflow.  Check back soon for more Business Email etiquette tips!

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