Email netiquette

Since email is part of the virtual world of communication, many people communicate in their email messages the same way they do in virtual chat rooms or by SMS: with much less formality and sometimes too aggressively. It should be understood that an email is still a business letter and should be written with the same amount of care and professionalism.

By Riaan Grobler

30 Mar 2006

Writing is the major means of communication within an organisation. Some estimate that up to 30% of work-time is engaged in written communication. It is therefore absolutely vital to actively develop the skill of writing, not only because of the time involved in writing, but also because your success may depend on it.

Here are a few simple tips to help you write better and more professional emails:

1. The Subject Line:

Always state the purpose of your email in the subject line. A subject like 'Hi!' or 'Meeting' says nothing about the content of the message. Be specific.

For example, if you are writing to request a meeting about staff shortages, your subject line should read: 'Request for Meeting: Staff Shortages'

2. The Salutation:

Remember that a salutation is not the same as a greeting. Beginning your email with 'Hi' or 'Hello' is therefore not appropriate. While it is perfectly fine to use these greetings when speaking, when writing a letter it is best to address the recipient as follows: 'Dear Nick', 'Dear Mr Ndlovu' or 'Dear Sir/Madam.'

When sending an email to multiple recipients, you may use 'Dear All.'

3. The Opening Paragraph:

State your purpose for writing this email. Do you wish to inform, ask for information or make a request? Make it clear why you are writing.

4. The Body:

Your following paragraphs should follow a logical pattern and each paragraph should deal with only one topic.

Keep it short and simple because nobody likes reading excessively long, overwritten emails.

5. The Closing Paragraph:

This is your call for action, where you say what you want to happen next.

Don't use vague expressions like 'Please respond as soon as possible.' Give specific deadlines, e.g. 'Please send me the report by Friday, 13:00', or 'Please reply before the end of today.' You will have more control and your reader will be clear on what you need and when you need it.

6. Wrapping it up:

Expressions like 'Yours sincerely' and 'Yours faithfully' are old-fashioned. The use of fresher expressions like, 'Kind regards' or 'Best wishes' is perfectly acceptable.

7. Keep it simple:

The use of archaic language is still rife in business writing. We still see expressions like 'attached hereto please find' or 'should you have any further enquiries please do not hesitate...' - the list is endless.

You would never use the words 'hereto' or 'forthwith' in a conversation, so there's no reason to use them when writing. Think of simpler, more user-friendly ways to say what you want to say.

By following these rules and by making sure your emails are always clear, concise and correct, your thoughts and ideas will always deserve to be read.