Top Ten Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Email

By Karen Leland and Keith Bailey

As more and more people are writing emails to supplement traditional forms of business
communication, an established etiquette is required to help insure that good manners are the
rule, rather than the exception in cyberspace.
The simplest way of checking your email before you send it is to ask yourself, !ow would "
feel if " recei#ed this message$ As with letter writing, writing email correspondence is
sub%ect to misinterpretation since there is no tone of #oice or body language for the reader to
take cues from. &ith email one hundred percent of the tone comes from the words you use
and how you use them. Below are the ten most common mistakes that are made when writing
emails, and their solutions'
Mistake 1: Thinking e-mail is good for everything
(on)t let con#enience blind you, sensiti#e issues, confidential information, pro#ocati#e
sub%ects and areas of conflict are %ust a few of the messages that should be off*limits to email
and dealt with #ia phone or face*to*face.
Mistake 2: Not writing e-mail from the reader's perspetive
+ould your message be misinterpreted$ +ould an innocent tongue*in*cheek remark be
misconstrued$ ,e*read all your e*mails and become sensiti#e to their tone and how readers
might interpret them.
Mistake !: "orgetting a#o$t the importane of eti%$ette
"t)s always a good idea, no matter how rushed you are, to create a positi#e impression by
using an opening and closing -for example, (ear .r. /mith or ,egards, 0oe Black1, correcting
sloppy grammar and spelling, using a clear and descripti#e sub%ect line, and not using %argon
and abbre#iations that might mystify the reader.
Mistake &: ''ing the world
2ften, people courtesy copy -cc1 others as a means of cyber*gossip or to #ent their
frustrations. This leads not only to traffic %ams in others) in*boxes, but in the worst case,
defamation, and in the best case, hurt feelings. &hen writing e*mail, only cc those parties that
are directly related to the situation or email message.
Mistake (: )elieving that an erased e-mail is gone forever
3#en if you delete an e*mail message from your in*box, it is retrie#able from the company)s
system, the recipient)s computer, or from the recipient)s company)s network. &ith technical
know how, e*mails can e#en be retrie#ed from your computer)s hard dri#e. Learn to think of
e*mail documents as permanent.
4
Mistake *: +iewing instant messages as less 'formal' than e-mail
The nature of ". or chat is similar to a con#ersation where both parties are responding to one
another in real time. Li#ing up to their name, ".s happen in the moment and, unlike e*mail,
they are reacti#e. The next thing you type depends on the message you recei#e. &ith their
rapid*fire speed it)s easy to forego discipline and make silly mistakes * such as making
assumptions that ha#e little or no facts behind them, promises that can)t be fulfilled or
disclosing pri#ate company information.

Mistake ,: Ass$ming people have time to read yo$r entire message
To be most effecti#e, whene#er possible, e*mail messages should contain all the most
pertinent and important data in the first paragraph. .ost of us ha#e a short attention span
when reading from a computer screen and if we think we know where the message is going,
it)s easy to sa#e time and mo#e onto the next message without ha#ing read the nugget of
information buried in the last paragraph.

Mistake -: Mismathing the sender's tone
2ne of the toughest aspects of writing e*mail is de#eloping a feeling of rapport * especially if
you don)t know the person with whom you are corresponding. &riters with a formal, no*
nonsense style usually like a similar response. 5or others who take a more chatty and
expressi#e approach to their emails, respond in kind.
Mistake .: /ak of a lear re%$est
6ou know how frustrating it can be to read and reread an e*mail and not know what the
sender really wants, "s it an 56" or do " need to do something$ 3mail senders take note7
specific requests are essential in email. .ake sure yours are clearly defined, ha#e a timeframe
attached to them and include any necessary background information. "f your email isn)t a
request label it an 56".
Mistake 10: Not re-reading #efore yo$ hit 'send'
As any contractor knows the rule is measure twice, cut once. By reading your e*mail o#er
before you send it you can catch and correct all sorts of mistakes before they get to the
recipient and possibly create a bad impression or put you and8or your company in hot water.
9
5ind the ten most common mistakes'
To' actng:scgtraining.com
5rom' %doe:scgtraining.com
++' 0ackie.colr:scgtraining.com, /te#e.bldr:scgtraining.com,
.olly.daut:scgtraining.com, Aron.sn:scgtraining.com
/ub%ect'/crew up;
" submitted my expense report last week and " still don)t ha#e a check back '*8 " always ha#e
problems rece#ing my chks on time; " know that you ha#e cutoff times and " usually make
them, so " don)t know what is happening$ "s there any way that you could notify people when
you don)t process thier reports on time$ +A< 62= +LA,"56 3>A+TL6 !2& 62=,
?,2+3// &2,K/$* as well as re#iew the policy that you ha#e regarding cutting checks
after the standard cut off times$ ")d like to get my check 5edexed to me. " reali@e that
T</TAA5L but there might be a better way to handle this;;;;;; !ow do you process checks
for dir.dep$ (o you ha#e the same cut off times$ +an you process last week)s expense report
and get it into my Account as soon as possible$ " really don)t want to ha#e to wait an extra
week on this if at all possible. ?lease ad#ise. ?lease don)t %ust me the typical ,T. accounting
response
;.using all capital letters
9.no opening or closing
A.unfriendly tone
B.sloppy grammar , spelling and punctuation mistakes
C.acronyms and abbre#iation
D.no clear request
E.confusing
F.no background information
G.unnecessary ++ of the posting
4H.unclear sub%ect line
A
/ome professionals get scores of e*mails a day. 5ollow these tips in order to gi#e your
recipients the information they need in order to act on your message sooner rather than later.
4. Write a meaningf$l s$#1et line2
22 3eep the message fo$sed and reada#le2
!2 Avoid attahments2
&2 4dentify yo$rself learly2
C. )e kind -- don't flame2
*2 5roofread2
E. 6on't ass$me privay2
-2 6isting$ish #etween formal and informal sit$ations2
G. 7espond 5romptly2
4H. 8how 7espet and 7estraint .
1. Write a meaningful subject line.
,ecipients san the s$#1et line in order to decide whether to open, forward, file, or trash a
message. ,emember ** your message is not the only one in your recipient)s mailbox. Before
you hit send, take a moment to write a sub%ect line that accurately describes the content.
/ub%ect' IBlankJ

"f you don)t put a sub%ect line on your e*mail, you are sending the message that your
name in the 5rom line is all your recipient should need in order to make it a top
priority. That could come across as arrogant, or at the #ery least, thoughtless. Take
ad#antage of the opportunity to get your recipient thinking about your message e#en
before opening it.
/ub%ect' 4mportant9 7ead 4mmediately99
&hat is important to you may not be important to your reader. ,ather than brashly
announcing that the secret contents of your message are important, write an informati#e
headline that actually communicates at least the core of what you feel is so important'
3mergency' All +ars in the Lower Lot &ill Be Towed in 4 !our.
/ub%ect' :$ik %$estion2
"f the question is quick, why not %ust ask it in the sub%ect line$ This sub%ect line is
hardly useful.
/ub%ect' "ollow-$p a#o$t "riday
5ractionally better ** pro#ided that the recipient remembers why a follow*up was
necessary.
/ub%ect' That file yo$ re%$ested2
"f you)re confident your recipient will recogni@e your e*mail address, and really is
expecting a file from you, then this would be fine. But keep in mind that many e*mail
pro#iders get scads of #irus*laden spam with #ague titles like this. The more specific
you are, the more likely your recipient)s spam*blocker will let your message through.
/ub%ect' 10 onfirmed for "riday222 will we need a larger room;
=pon reading this re#ised, informati#e sub%ect line, the recipient immediately starts
thinking about the si@e of the room, not about whether it will be worth it to open the e*
mail.
B
2. Keep the message focused and readable.
2ften recipients only read partway through a long message, hit reply as soon as they ha#e
something to contribute, and forget to keep reading. This is part of human nature.
"f your e*mail contains m$ltiple messages that are only loosely related, in order to a#oid the
risk that your reader will reply only to the first item that grabs his or her fancy, you could
n$m#er yo$r points to ensure they are all read -adding an introductory line that states how
many parts there are to the message1. "f the points are substantial enough, split them $p into
separate messages so your recipient can delete, respond, file, or forward each item
indi#idually.
Keep your message readable.
<se standard apitali=ation and spelling> especially when your message asks your
recipient to do work for you.
o "f you are a teenager, writing a quick gushing thx B ur help 9day ur grF may
make a busy professional smile at your gratitude.
o But there comes a time when the sweetness of the gesture isn)t enough. u want
ur prof r ur boss 9 think u cant spl$ L2L 7*1
8kip lines #etween paragraphs2
Avoid fany typefaes2 (on)t depend upon bold font or large si@e to add nuances.
.any people)s e*mail readers only display plain text. "n a pinch, use asterisks to show
KemphasisK.
<se standard apitali=ation2 All*caps comes across as shouting, and no caps in#okes
the image of a la@y teenager. ,egardless of your intention, people will respond
accordingly.
3. Avoid attachments.
To' All 4HHH 3mployees
5rom' 3ager 3dgar
/ub%ect' A helpful book e#eryone should read
********
!ello, e#eryone. ")#e attached a ?(5 that " think you)ll all find #ery useful. This is the
third time " sent it the file ** the #ersion " sent yesterday had a typo on page 9HE, so ")#e
sent the whole thing again. /ince some of you noted that the large file si@e makes it a
bit awkward, ")#e also attached each chapter as a separate document. Let me know what
you think;
Attachments'
Big !onking 5ile.pdf -ACD.B1
B!5 +o#er.pdf -9C.B1
B!5 +hapter 4.pdf -AC.B1
B!5 +hapter 9.pdf -9E.B1
I... J

2kay, raise your hands... how many of us would delete the abo#e message immediately,
C
without looking at KanyK of those attachments$
To' Bessie ?rofessional
5rom' .orris ?onsybil
/ub%ect' 3*mail tips ** a sub%ect for an office workshop$
********
Bessie, " came across a book that has lots of tips on streamlining professional
communications. !as anyone #olunteered to present at the office workshop next
month$ Let me know if you)d like me to run a little seminar -9o minutes$1 on using e*
mail effecti#ely.
Below, ")ll paste the table of contents from the book. Let me know if you want me send
you the whole thing as a ?(5.
Table of Contents
1. Write a meaningful subject line.
2. Keep the message focused and readable.
3. Avoid attachments.
4. ...!
3*mail works best when you %ust opy and paste the most relevant te?t into the #ody
of the e*mail. Try to reduce the number of steps your recipient will need to take in order
to act on your message.
"f your recipient actually needs to #iew the full file in order to edit or archi#e it, then of course
sending an attachment is appropriate.
"n general, attachments
take time to download -and check for #iruses1
take up needless space on your recipient)s computer, and
don)t always translate correctly for people who read their e*mail on portable de#ices.
4. Identify yourself clearly.
&hen contacting someone cold, always include your name, occupation, and any other
important identification information in the first few sentences.
"f you are following up on a face*to*face contact, you might appear too timid if you assume
your recipient doesn)t remember you7 but you can drop casual hints to %og their memory' "
en%oyed talking with you about ?(As in the ele#ator the other day.
3#ery fall, " get e*mails from badLboy9A4C:yahoo.com or
5uM@6k"tTy9HHH:hotmail.com who ask a question about class and don)t sign their real
names.
&hile formal phrases such as (ear ?rofessor /needlewood and /incerely 6ours, are
unnecessary in e*mail, when contacting someone outside your own organi@ation, you should
D
write a signature line that includes your full name and at least a link to a blog or online profile
page -something that does not require your recipient to log in first1.
. !e "ind. #on$t flame.
Think before you click /end.
"f you find yourself writing in anger, sa#e a draft, go get a cup of coffee, and imagine that
tomorrow morning someone has taped your e*mail outside your door. &ould your associates
and friends be shocked by your language or attitude$
2r would they be impressed by how you kept your cool, how you ignored the bait when your
correspondent stooped to personal attacks, and how you carefully explained your position -or
admitted your error, or asked for a reconsideration, etc.1.
(on)t pour gasoline on a fire without carefully weighing the consequences. &ill you ha#e to
work with this person for the rest of the semester$ (o you want a copy of your bitter screed to
surface years from now, when you want a letter of recommendation or you)re up for
promotion$
:;NO PK:;; P-K;

Qo ahead... write it, re#ise it, li#en it up with traditional Lebanese curses, print it out,
throw darts on it, and scribble on it with crayon. (o whate#er you need in order to get it
out of your system. 0ust don't hit @8end@ while yo$'re still angry.
5rom' +lair !addad
To' Ann 2. 6ing
/ub%ect' ,e' 2ngoing ?roblems with ?ro%ect
")m not sure how to respond, since at the meeting last week you told /ue that you didn)t
need any extra training, so " cancelled &ednesday)s workshop. " can ++ /ue in on this
thread if you like, since she)s the one who will ha#e to appro#e the budget if we
reschedule it.
.eanwhile, " can loan you my copies of the manual, or we can look into shifting the
work to someone else. Let me know what you)d like me to do next.
***2riginal .essage **
5rom' Ann 2. 6ing
" tried all morning to get in touch with you. +ouldn)t you find a few minutes in between
meetings to check your messages$ ")m ha#ing a rough time on this pro%ect, and ")m
sorry if this is last*minute, but ")#e ne#er done this before and " think the least you could
do is take some time to explain it again.

"f your recipient has %ust lambasted you with an angry message, rather than reply with a
point*by*point rebuttal, you can always respond with a brief note like this, which
E
4. casually in#okes the name of someone the angry correspondent is likely to
respect -in order to diffuse any personal antagonism that may otherwise ha#e
de#eloped1 and
9. refocuses the con#ersation on solutions -in this con#ersation, Ann has already
dug herself into a hole, and +lair has nothing to gain by %oining her there1
%. &roofread.
"f you are asking someone else to do work for you, take the time to make yo$r message look
professional.
&hile your spell checker won)t catch e#ery mistake, at the #ery least it will catch a few typos.
"f you are sending a message that will be read by someone higher up on the chain of
command -a superior or professor, for instance1, or if you)re about to mass*mail do@ens or
thousands of people, take an extra minute or two before you hit send. /how a draft to a
close associate, in order to see whether it actually makes sense.
'. #on$t assume privacy.
=nless you are (onald Trump, praise in p$#li> and ritii=e in private. (on)t send
anything o#er e*mail that you wouldn)t want posted ** with your name attached ** in the break
room.
E-mail is not se$re. 0ust as random pedestrians could easily reach into your mailbox and
intercept the en#elopes that you send and recei#e through the post office, a curious hacker, a
malicious criminal, or the 5B" can easily intercept your e*mail. "n some companies, the e*mail
administrator has the ability to read any and all e*mail messages -and may fire you if you
write anything inappropriate1.
(. #istinguish bet)een formal and informal situations.
&hen you are writing to a friend or a close colleague, it is 2K to use smilies '*1 ,
abbre#iations -"",+ for if " recall correctly, L2L for laughing out loud, etc.1 and
nonstandard punctuation and spelling -like that found in instant messaging or chat
rooms1. These linguistic shortcuts are generally signs of friendly intimacy, like sharing cold
pi@@a with a family friend. "f you tried to share that same cold pi@@a with a first date, or a
#isiting dignitary, you would gi#e off the impression that you did not really care about the
meeting. By the same token, don)t use informal language when your reader expects a more
formal approach. Always know the situation, and write accordingly.
*. +espond &romptly.
"f you want to appear professional and courteous, make yourself a#ailable to your online
correspondents. 3#en if your reply is, /orry, ")m too busy to help you now, at least your
correspondent won)t be waiting in #ain for your reply.
1,. -ho) +espect and +estraint
.any a flame war has been started by someone who hit reply all instead of reply.
F
&hile most people know that e*mail is not pri#ate, it is good form to ask the sender before
forwarding a personal message. "f 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 tacky.
=se B++ instead of ++ when sending sensiti#e information to large groups. -5or example, a
professor sending a bulk message to students who are in danger of failing, or an employer
telling unsuccessful applicants that a position is no longer open.1 The name of e#eryone in the
++ list goes out with the message, but the names of people on the B++ list -blind carbon
copy1 are hidden. ?ut your own name in the To box if your mail editor doesn)t like the
blank space.
Be tolerant of other people)s etiquette blunders. "f you think you)#e been insulted, quote the
line back to your sender and add a neutral comment such as, ")m not sure how to interpret
this... could you elaborate$
8ometimes E-Mail is Too "ast9
A colleague once asked me for help, and then almost immediately sent a follow*up informing
me she had sol#ed the problem on her own.
But before reading her second message, " replied at length to the first. 2nce " learned that
there was no need for any reply, " worried that my response would seem pompous, so "
followed up with a quick apology'
/hould ha#e paid closer attention to my e*mail.
&hat " meant to say was I"J should ha#e looked more carefully at my Ilist of incomingJ e*
mail Ibefore replyingJ, but " could tell from my colleague)s terse reply that she had
interpreted it as if " was critici@ing her.
"f " hadn)t responded so quickly to the first message, " would ha#e sa#ed myself the time "
spent writing a long answer to an obsolete question. "f " hadn)t responded so quickly to the
second message, " might not ha#e alienated the person " had been so eager to help.
**(Q0
G