In research summer school its not only about research but a whol personal developme

1. @kaimrc_edu
1

2. Email Etiqu
ette
Dr. Taghree
d Justinia
12 June 201
2

3. Write a meaningful subject line
0 Give the message an appropriate Subject / Title. Never send it with a
blank Subject field.
0 E-mail messages without a subject may not be opened because of a
fear of viruses and especially note that it is very easy to forget to
type this important information.
0 Keep the subject concise and clear.
0 Avoid such headings as: ‘Good News’, ‘Hello’, ‘Message from Ahmed’.
These headings are common in messages containing viruses.
0 Recipients should be able to scan the subject line in order to decide
whether to open, forward, file, or trash a message.
0 Remember your message is not the only one in your recipient's
mailbox.
0 Before you hit "send," take a moment to write a subject line that
accurately describes the content.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 3

4. Recipients
0 The order of recipients should follow chain of command and
seniority; the most senior being first.
0 When recipients are on the same level of command, priority goes
to the receiving department. For example, if you are sending an
email to a colleague on your same job level, you copy your
immediate superior and that of the person you are emailing. You
first copy that person’s superior followed by yours.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 4

5. Greeting and message body
0 Always begin your email with a considerate salutation.
0 Address the recipient with their appropriate title and include
their name.
0 Start with a clear indication of what the message is about in the
first paragraph.
0 Give full details in the following paragraph(s).
0 Make sure that the final paragraph indicates deliverable, tasks,
time line or due date. (E.g. Please let me have your order by the
First of June).
0 Any dates requirement should be clarified in clear format.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 5

6. Organization
0 If you have a lot of questions or action items, consider
numbering them (and presenting them in order, most important
first.).
0 Write what you want your reader to do after reading your
message;
0 Answer a simple "yes" or "no" question?
0 Invest time and effort to help you solve a problem?
0 Listen to you as you vent, and give advice where appropriate?
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 6

7. Focus on a clear message, helping the reader to prioritize
0 If your message requires more than one response, consider starting off
by saying "I am submitting the report for Project X, and I have a question
about Project Y.”
0 Combine the subject line and the opening paragraph to focus on a single
action item.
0 Number your points to ensure they are all read.
0 If the points are substantial enough, and the topics are of interest to
different sets of people, split a longer message up into separate parts so
the various stakeholders can delete, respond, file, or forward each item
individually.
0 File your emails in case the information becomes important later.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 7

8. Avoid attachments
0 Use attachments sparingly and as needed only.
0 Instead of attaching large PDF or Word files, you can just paste the key
information into the body of the e-mail message.
0 When possible, post large documents / forms / announcements on the
intranet site or in shared folders
0 Try to reduce the number of steps your recipient will need to take in
order to act on your message.
0 If your recipient actually needs to view the full file in order to edit or
archive it, then of course sending an attachment is appropriate.
0 In the main message, make sure you refer to any attachments you are
adding and of course make extra sure that you remember to include the
attachment(s).
0 When using an attachment, make sure the file name describes the
content, and is not too general; e.g. 'message.doc' is bad, but 'QA Report
2011.doc' is good.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 8

9. Identify yourself clearly
0 When contacting someone new, always introduce yourself. Try to
include your name, occupation, and any other important
identification information in the first few sentences.
0 If they are unfamiliar with your organization or department; state
briefly where you work.
0 If you are following up on a face-to-face contact, you might appear
too timid if you assume your recipient does not remember you; but
you can leave your contact information in your signature.
0 When contacting someone outside your own organization, you
should write a signature line that includes your full name, telephone,
fax and other important contact information.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 9

10. Be concise and to the point-Be Kind
0 Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. Try to keep your sentences
to a maximum of 15-20 words.
0 Remember that reading an e-mail is harder than reading printed
communications and a long e-mail can be very discouraging to read.
0 Review your email before you click "Send.”
0 If you find yourself writing in anger, save a draft and go get a cup of coffee.
Write it, revise it, print it out and scribble on it, do whatever you need in
order to get it out of your system. Just do not hit "Send" while you are still
angry.
0 Do not pour gasoline on a fire without carefully weighing the consequences.
Many ‘email wars’ were started because someone sent an angry email.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 10

11. Replying and Forwarding
0 Only copy recipients in your emails who absolutely must be included.
0 Be careful who are you forwarding or replying messages to. Many miscommunicated
messages were started by someone who hit "reply all" instead of "reply."
0 Use BCC ("blind carbon copy") to send information to very large groups. It is annoying
and does not look good when you receive an email with a page-long list of recipients.
0 At the same time, it is unprofessional (and maybe deceiving) to send a BCC when
sending email to a small group of recipients. Be careful and mindful when using this
feature.
0 It is good form to ask the sender before forwarding a personal message. If someone e-
mails you a request, it is perfectly acceptable to forward the request to a person who
can help -- but forwarding a message in order to ridicule the sender is unprofessional.
0 As a rule, only forward what is absolutely necessary to forward.
0 Be tolerant of other people's etiquette blunders. If you think you've been insulted,
quote the line back to your sender and add a neutral comment such as, "I'm not sure
how to interpret this... could you elaborate?”
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 11

12. Proofread
0 When writing an email, use the same consideration and attention that
you would to an official memo. Emails can be saved, printed and used as
official documentation later on by you or any of the recipients. Think
about this before you click ‘send’.
0 Take time to make your message look professional. Use proper spelling,
grammar & punctuation by using the spell checker. It is also important
for conveying the message properly.
0 E-mails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can
sometimes even change the meaning of the text.
0 If you are sending a message that will be read by someone higher up on
the chain of command (a superior or professor, for instance), or if you're
about to mass-mail dozens or thousands of people, take an extra minute
or two before you hit "send".
0 Show a draft to a close associate, in order to see whether it actually
makes sense.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 12

13. Keep your message readable; structure, layout & format
Do not assume privacy
0 Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph.
0 Use standard capitalization and spelling, especially when your message
asks for some action.
0 Do not write in CAPITALS. Avoid using exclamation points. Avoid fancy
typefaces; do not depend upon bold font or large size to add nuances.
0 When addressing someone senior, always use formal format and
professional language.
0 E-mail is not secure; a curious hacker or malicious criminal can
intercept your emails.
0 Do not send anything over e-mail that you would not want posted --
with your name attached -- in the break room or outside your door.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 13

14. Respond Promptly
0 If you want to appear professional and courteous, make yourself
available to your online correspondents even if your reply is, "Sorry, I'm
too busy to help you now," at least your correspondent will not be
waiting in vain for your reply.
0 Each e-mail should be replied to within at least 24 hours and preferably
within the same working day.
0 If the email is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have
received it and that you will get back to them.
0 If you know you will be on leave; use the ‘Out of Office Reply’ feature
with a clear message of the dates that you will be away and who can
cover any inquiries on your behalf. Leave that person’s contact
information.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 14

15. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions
0 An email reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further
questions.
0 If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will
receive further e-mails regarding the unanswered questions, which will
not only waste your time and your customer’s time but also cause
considerable frustration.
0 Moreover, if you are able to pre-empt relevant questions, your recipient
will be grateful and impressed with your efficient and thoughtful
customer service.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 15

16. Distinguish between formal and informal situations
0 Do not use informal language when your reader expects a more formal
approach. Always know the situation, and write accordingly.
0 When you are writing to a friend or a close colleague, it might be ok to
use smiles, abbreviations and nonstandard punctuation and spelling;
but absolutely not for professional and work-related correspondence.
0 When addressing someone senior, always use formal format.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 16

17. Do Not
0 Do not overuse the high priority option
0 If you overuse the high priority option, it will lose its function when really needed
0 Even if a mail has high priority, your message will come across as slightly
aggressive if you flag it as 'high priority.
0 Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT
0 Avoid these types of words in an email or subject line.
0 Only use this if it is a really urgent or important message and be careful who the
recipient is.
0 Do not leave out the message thread
0 When you reply to an email, you must include the original mail in your reply, in
other words click 'Reply', instead of 'New Mail’.
0 Do not forward chain letters
0 Do not forward chain letters. We can safely say that all of them are hoaxes. Just
delete the letters as soon as you receive them.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 17

18. Do Not
0 Do not request delivery and read receipts
0 It is best not to use this feature unless absolutely necessary. This will almost
always annoy your recipient before he or she has even read your message.
0 If you want to know whether an email was received it is better to ask the recipient
to let you know if it was received.
0 Do not ask to recall a message
0 A recall request would look very silly; send an email to say that you have made a
mistake. This will look much more honest than trying to recall a message.
0 Do not copy a message or attachment without permission
0 Do not copy a message or attachment belonging to another user without
permission of the originator.
0 If you do not ask permission first, you might be infringing on copyright laws.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 18

19. Organization
0 Consider chain of command when sending to and copying others. Would
you normally directly correspond with them in official memos? If not,
then consider whether or not you have the authority to correspond with
them directly or to copy them in your emails.
0 Staff members should CC the person they are reporting to according the
organizational chart.
0 Staff members should communicate with their corresponding staff
members (i.e. admin assistants to admin assistants) and should not
address a senior staff member directly.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 19

20. Signature
0 Always conclude your email with a polite closing (i.e. Regards, Best
regards).
0 Include a signature in all your official emails.
0 Include your contact information in your signature.
0 Avoid using email “stationary” in formal work email.
0 Avoid using multi colour or multi font signatures.
0 Avoid using superficial phrases in your signature like “smile and the
world will be happy” or other remarks.
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 20

21. Questions?
12 June 2012 Email Etiquette 21