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Best Practices for Business Communication by Email

emailing-tips-workBy Jackie Hott
Faculty member at American Public University

You have just been asked to lead a team on a new project. A communication process concern is first to come to mind, because some members of your team are located offsite and you will be corresponding via email. How will you keep your email messages professional and efficient?

The first step is to discuss electronic manners, better known as netiquette, with your team. Lay the ground rules for interacting online, via email, and during video conferencing. As the team leader, you want to foster positive, respectful, efficient, and professional discourse for all.

Using the anatomy of an email is a great way to establish netiquette guidelines that ensure all members will use appropriate business interaction.

Anatomy of an Email

Address line: Send the message to the people who need to see it. Copy people who you think want to be aware. No one wants unnecessary emails. A tip is to wait to add addresses until your message is edited and the content is finalized; you do not want to send the email prematurely with errors included.

Subject line: The subject line should be relevant and succinct. Again, check for errors.

Message: Include a salutation to the reader in the first message, such as “Hello Kim” or “Hi Fred.” In a thread of messages, a salutation is not needed because the conversation is in progress.

Share the most important information first. Business communication should be formal, meaning you want to include appropriate tone and stick to business conversation. Steer clear of using all capital letters which is internet speak for shouting.

Emails can become public, so do not include any information you would not want broadcasted to the community. When constructing your email it is always recommended to think before you write. A good rule of thumb is to ask, “Would I say this in person?” If the answer is no, it is best left out of the message.

Steer clear of personal information and comments that can be construed as inappropriate. To maintain a high level of professionalism, refrain from using background color, italics, and bold print. You can highlight key points in shades of gray, which meets business standards.

Always check for spelling, grammar, word choice, and punctuation errors. Reading your message out loud will help you find those errors. Refrain from including social media shorthand like OMG, lol, IK and emoticons. They are better suited for personal interactions.

Signature: Create a signature that includes your name, title, company name, phone number, email, and business address. A quote can be included, but should be appropriate for a business setting.

One final tip: it is always a good idea to remember your manners. An e-mail interaction is a conversation. Saying please, thank you, and you are welcome and being courteous speaks volumes in person and in print.

[Related: Email Etiquette for the Job Hunter]

About the Author: Jackie Nicholas Hott received her Bachelor’s degree in Education/Communication from Mary Baldwin College in 1989 and a Master’s degree in Education from Virginia Tech in 1993 focusing on College Student Personnel with a strong interest in Women’s Studies. Jackie is an instructor with American Military University. She teaches the Foundations of Learning course. Before coming to AMU, she taught elementary school, was the director for a nonprofit and worked at Shenandoah University in student affairs.

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