E-mail etiquette is such a popular topic these days, there’s been entire books written on the subject. Sure, most of us know that writing in ALL CAPS is the equivalent of SHOUTING over e-mail. And yes, some people still do it. If you’re one of them, please stop. I’m begging you. But there are so many things people do wrong over email. Most of us think we’re pretty good at getting our “tone” across in writing. The fact of the matter is, it’s a lot more difficult than we think. Because of that, e-mail communication can actually cause a lot of misunderstanding, confusion, and frustration. In real terms, that can mean lost dollars and angry clients in the business world. Below are 5 mistakes I’ve personally made. I hope that, by bringing these to light, I can help prevent some of you from making the same mistakes. And, as always, I ask you to add on your personal e-mail etiquette mistakes in the comments section. Go ahead – share and unburden yourself!

 

1.  Taking an overly familiar and too casual tone.

 

Example: Hi Mark, I wanted to schedule a meeting for you with James next week. How does Thursday look for you? Let me know when you can. Thanks! Take Care, Chrissy.

 

Ok, that’s fine if you’re friends with Mark. If you’re not and Mark is a client or business associate, this is way to informal and it just makes you look very unprofessional. Try sprucing it up a bit, especially if you are initiating the e-mail conversation. Once you see how they respond, you can mirror their style.

 

Example: Dear Mr. Smith, I’d like to schedule a meeting for you with James Edwards in the near future. He has some time available on Thursday. Please let me know if this would work for you and, if so, what time you would like to meet. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you for your time. Most Sincerely, Christine Scivicque.

Reply: Hi Christine, Thursday is fine. Please put me down for 2:00. Thanks! Mark

Reply: Hi Mark, Thanks for the quick reply! Thursday at 2:00 is perfect. We’ll see you then. Chrissy

 

2.  CC’ ing too many people (or the same person too many times).

 

Only CC the people who really need to know what the email is about. You don’t want to flood your boss’s inbox with things he’s not really concerned about. When I first started, I wanted to show my boss that I was doing what he asked me to do so I always sent him a copy of my emails. Then, the responder always hit “reply all” and before he knew it, he was getting multiple emails that had no action required for him. Eventually, he was totally annoyed with seeing all my correspondence and I had to stop. I only do it now for critical things that he may need to know I’ve corresponded on or things he has to take action on.

 

3.  Trusting the computer SPAM filter.

 

My computer, like most, throws random email into the junk file at its own discretion. I’ve found important messages in there months after they were sent. It’s like the Bermuda Triangle for email. I check it every day now without fail. There is just too much chance for huge problems to ensue. If you have a SPAM filter, which I think we all do at this point, sometimes the computer is just not smart enough to know what’s junk and what’s not. Double check it. There’s no harm to it.

 

4. Sending Email Instead of Talking.

 

Be careful not to fall into the trap of sending email instead of having a real face to face conversation. Building strong social networks at work is important and it just can’t be done over email. As my boss says, “Wear out the carpet!”. That means,  don’t be shy about going to visit people’s offices with your questions. Talking face to face gets the point across much easier and much faster most of the time. Send it in email if you need a paper record of the conversation. Otherwise, talk and get to know your co-workers. It makes work more fun and it improves communication immensely. Likewise, if you find yourself writing a page long email to a client, stop and pick up the phone instead.

 

5.  Sending the right email to the wrong person (and vice versa).

 

Watch out for that “auto-fill” feature that fills in the address of the person the computer thinks you’re sending a message to. Computers are dumb. Don’t forget that. But if you don’t double check the computer, you’re dumb too.

 

 

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