A site visitor writes: Is it acceptable to emphasize a point in an email with quotes? For example: The people on the Board are "elected" not appointed. Anything you can do to ensure your intent and the meaning of your comments come through as … [Read more...]
Email Etiquette in the Workplace
A site visitor asks... Hey, Judith: Thanks for the great site! Wanted to run something by you. Business Email etiquette is pretty broad. What do you think of email etiquette in the workplace being that now-a-days the workplace can be anywhere. … [Read more...]
How to Nicely Ask to Stop Forwarding to Your Business E-mail
I get asked this all the time! How do I nicely ask someone not to keep forwarding me jokes and non-business related e-mails to my business e-mail address? I think it is telling that folks ask me how to ask "nicely." I guess that reflects their … [Read more...]
Assuming Gender in E-mail
Well, you know what happens when you assume? Never assume anything when it comes to an e-mail. Assuming never leads to anything positive. If you are unsure; ask. For example, in the global environment in which we all are now playing, to assume if … [Read more...]
Arrogant Auto-responders?
A site visitor wrote... I was the recipient of yet another "email" faux pas, the automatic reply, one that has not been carefully checked before the "enter" key was struck, to whit: I sent an email requesting information for an article. I received, … [Read more...]
Cultural Business Email Etiquette?
A site visitor was curios and pondered: I belong to a global organization. Is there a source that gives cultural guidelines for sending e-mails to team members (or customers) of different elasticities and nationalities? Or, in our global … [Read more...]
When is a Joke Not a Joke?
A site visitor writes: I hit "reply" to a coworkers email in which I should have "forwarded" to another person. The reply wasn't negative in connotation but it did refer to the sender in a joking way (to me, anyway) as a "damn Yankee". I realized … [Read more...]