September 2, 2010

Business E-mail Etiquette: Stop the Forwarding Form Letter

A Business E-mail Etiquette site visitor writes.... (and this is all the e-mail contained) "I need a form letter I can e-mail coworkers and business contacts to end forwarded jokes, etc." It is hard to ask folks to refrain from doing something we don't like when we are not communicating with courtesy or setting an example ourselves. This reflects … [Read more...]

Business E-mail: Thank You, You’re Welcome

With business e-mail, do you thank a contact or associate for sending you a thank you e-mail? Do you e-mail back "you're welcome" when they e-mail back that you are welcome? Believe it or not I get several e-mails every week wondering how to address responding to "thank you e-mails." These inquiries are from nice folks just wondering what is the … [Read more...]

Business E-mail Etiquette Means Picking Up the Phone!

It's easy to whip off an e-mail in the heat of emotion. It's also "safe" to make assumptions and to easily type accusations that are simply not true when hiding behind these screens. Many times this happens when one side or the other misinterprets the other side's intent or tone. Sometimes, as in a recent case that I personally was involved in, … [Read more...]

Who Should You To: or Cc: ?

When do you use the To: field or the Cc: field?  There really are no hard and fast rules. One of the words I use most here on this site is discretion -- and when to use the To: field vs. the Cc: field is all about discretion and the circumstances at hand. As a general guideline, use the To: field if you want to address several contacts for the … [Read more...]

Don’t Jump to Conclusions in Your Business E-mail

E-mail makes it so much easier to boldly accuse or jump to incorrect conclusions. I receive several e-mails every day containing comments or claims that I know the very same folks would not say to my face or that stem from them making an assumption that is not based on anything I actually did or said. Being behind these screens makes it so much … [Read more...]