This is crucial. I've seen poor email etiquette lead to fights! In and out of the work place. Even if your email is completely written in a neutral tone, it can be interpreted as angry.
Here are some tips to keep your emails professional and polite.
- Use punctuation, always.
- Never type in all caps (an occasional word in all caps for emphasis may be ok, use discretion).
- Never use more than one exclamation point.
- In a work related email never use abbreviations, especially "LOL".
- Never use Comic Sands, Papyrus, or any other hard to read or artsy fonts.
- Always say "Thank you" at the end of each email.
- Say "Please".
- Do not use cutesy colors or backgrounds, keep it simple, sticking to black text on a white background is probably your safest bet.
- Use a signature, but keep it plain. Keep it to just your name, contact info, and a link to your web site. A small logo or photo of yourself may be alright (if it's a nice photo).
Emails are not for your artistic expression, they are a form of communication. If you feel the desire for an artistic outlet, take up scrapbooking or something.
If anyone has anything to add or you would like to share an example of bad email etiquette resulting in disaster, please share.
Thank you.
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