Tips for Professional E-mail

— Mind Your Manners: Think of the basic rules you learned growing up, like saying please and thank you. Address people you don’t know as Mr, Mrs, or Dr Only address someone by first name if they imply it’s okay to do so.

— Watch Your Tone: Merriam-Webster defines tone as an “accent or inflection expressive of a mood or emotion.” It is very difficult to express tone in writing. You want to come across as respectful, friendly, and approachable. You don’t want to sound curt or demanding.

— Be Concise: Get to the point of your E-mail as quickly as possible, but don’t leave out important details that will help your recipient answer your query.

— Be Professional: This means, stay away from abbreviations and don’t use emoticons (those little smiley faces). Don’t use a cute or suggestive E-mail address for business communications.

— Use Correct Spelling and Proper Grammar: Use a dictionary or a spell checker — whichever works better for you. While you can write in a conversational tone (contractions are okay), pay attention to basic rules of grammar.

— Ask Before You Send an Attachment: Because of computer viruses, many people won’t open attachments unless they know the sender. Even that can be a mistake because many viruses come disguised in E-mail messages from someone you know. Before sending an attachment, ask the recipient if you may do so.

— Wait to Fill in the “TO” E-mail Address: Never fill in the “TO” E-mail address until you are completely through proofing your E-mail and you are sure that it is exactly the way you want it. This will keep you from accidentally sending an E-mail prematurely. In the past, I have accidentally clicked on the send icon, when I really meant to click on the attachment icon.