2. How is it spelled?
email
Email
eMail
EMail
e-mail
E-mail
e-Mail
E-Mail
3. How is it spelled?
Gregg, Microsoft, and AP: e-mail
Wired: email
Email Experience Council:
email is standard
4. Email etiquette is evolving too
E-mail has quickly become a
communication standard and the
Internet’s most popular application.
Both the number of e-mail users and
the usage rates are continuing to grow
exponentially.
Mischelle Davis, V.P. of marketing communications at NewWorldIQ
5. Where are we now?
Right now
online writing
is pretty much
in its Wild West
stage, a free-
for-all with
everybody
shooting from
the hip and no
sheriff in sight.
O’Conner & Kellerman (2002)
6. If you were sheriff…
What would be your rules?
Madlantern Arts
11. Difference: Tone
No nonverbal cues
Tone becomes crucial
In Germany and Britain, 23 percent
and 14 percent respectively [of
respondents to a Daily Mail survey]
admitted confrontations with
colleagues because of e-mail
misunderstandings.
12. Criticisms are harsher
Messages meant to express
mild displeasure can come across
as tirades.
Louise Dobson, Avoiding Email Catastrophes (2006)
13. Tone: Example One
To: Female employees
From: H. Honcho
Re: Dress code
Date: 1 July 2006
Clients will be visiting
next week. Halter tops
and jeans will not make
the right impression.
It’s time you started
dressing for the office
instead of the beach.
Leave your flip-flops at
14. Tone: Example Two
To: All staff
From: H. Honcho
Re: Reminder about what to
wear to work
Date: 1 July 2006
During the summer, our dress code
is business casual. We think
“business casual” means clothes
that feel comfortable and look
professional.
Men Women
•khaki pants •casual pants and
skirts
15. Tips: Tone
Avoid terseness, which can
be misinterpreted
Use face-to-face
communication if issue is
sensitive
Read your emails aloud,
looking for ambiguity
16. For want of a smiley…?
Rob Glaser asked to meet
with Bill Gates
Gates said no, in a “cold and
flip email”
Glazer denounced Microsoft
at anti-trust hearings
18. Humor: Riskier
Nearly a quarter of employees have
suffered problems with colleagues or
clients because their use of humour in
an email has not been understood or
appreciated, according to a survey.
Robert Jacques, “Email Jokes Backfire
for UK Workers” (2004)
19. Humor: Often misinterpreted
Participants [in recent studies] were
able to accurately communicate humor
and sarcasm in ________ percent of
the emails they sent.
Louise Dobson (2006)
20. Humor: Often misinterpreted
Participants [in recent studies]
were able to accurately
communicate humor and sarcasm
in barely half --
56 percent -- of the emails they
sent.
Louise Dobson (2006)
21. Tips: Humor
If in doubt, don’t send it.
Chevron was forced to pay $2.2 million
to settle a harassment case based in part
on emails with such subjects as “Why beer
is better than women.”
Reread for ambiguities.
Signal the joke.
One emoticon or <grin> per email is plenty.
22. Humor: Tips in action
If you [ignore these rules], the great
list guru will expel you into the gloomy
dimension without email and your
days will be long and lonely after you
have made a permanent impression in
print for many to keep and repeat
forever <grin> (see how the use of
email "emoticons" aids the
assimilation of that last paragraph!).
Bonnie Dalzell, Welcome Message
23. Difference: Levels of formality
Most people view email as
more formal than a phone call
less formal than a letter
24. Meeting request: Informal
From: Bob Anderson <anderson@rand-unix>
Date: 21 Dec 84 11:40:12 PST (Fri)
To: randvax!anderson, randvax!gillogly,
randvax!norm
Subject: meeting ...
we need to setup a meeting bet. jim you
and i -- can you arange?
i'm free next wed. thks.
25. Meeting agenda: Formal
Subject: MEETING ON FY86 PLANNING, 2PM
12/28/84, CONFERENCE ROOM 1
There will be a meeting of the FY86
planning task force in Conference Room 1
on December 28, 1984 at 2pm. The Agenda
for the meeting is:
---------------------------------------
Topic Presenter Time
---------------------------------------
Strategic Business Plan John Fowles 30 min.
Budget Forecast for FY86 Sue Martin 15 "
New Product Announcements Peter Wilson 20 "
Action Items for 1st Qtr FY86 Jane Adamson 25 "
-----------------------------------------------------------
26. Tip: Spelling still counts
This is an actual email.
Purposal
I can beat almost anyones price
and almost promise you success
and if I don’t reach it,
we wont charge you after the
time we say we can achieve it
until we do.
27. Tip: Spelling still counts
Sloppiness is one of “seven deadly e-mail sins”
Bad grammar, misspelling and disconnected
arguments gave 81 percent of the survey
sample "negative feelings" towards the senders.
41 percent of senior managers said badly
worded e-mails implied laziness and even
disrespect.
CNN.com
28. Tip: Level of Formality
When in doubt, err on the side
of formality.
29. Tip: Level of Formality
When in doubt, err on the side
of formality.
Usually the problem is that we treat
[e-mail] too much like a phone call
and not enough like a letter.
O’Conner and Kellerman (2002)
30. Tip: Level of Formality
When in doubt, err on the side of
formality.
16% [of email users under 25] sign every
message with love and kisses, even when
addressing their boss
MSN survey
31. Tip: Level of Formality
Be conversational.
An overly formal e-mail message
alienates the reader. Don’t adopt a
cold, remote, or superior tone in an
attempt to sound professional.
Angell and Heslop (2002)
32. Difference: Level of Formality
Questions to which answers are evolving:
Do I need a subject line?
Should I email a thank-you note
after a job interview?
Should I communicate bad news
via email?
33. Difference: Electronic
Hit Send and it’s gone
Hit Reply All and your career
may be gone
Deleted emails live on
Messages can be forwarded
without your knowledge or consent
34. Tip: What not to do
One of the officers convicted of beating Rodney
King sent this email:
Oops. I haven’t beaten anyone
so bad in a long time.
A transcript of the message was used
at his trial.
35. Tip: Electronic
Colonel David Russell’s rule:
Never say anything in an electronic message
that you wouldn't want appearing, and
attributed to you, in tomorrow morning’s
front-page headline in the New York Times.
36. Tip: Email is never private
Pillsbury assured employees that emails
were private.
Michael Smyth was fired after sending an email
calling his bosses “backstabbing bastards.”
A court held that he had no reasonable
expectation of privacy.
37. Tip: Keep confidences
To cope with many questions about
vacation policy, an HR minion emailed
a copy to all employees.
Attached was salary information.
Within weeks, 20% of the workforce
was gone—including the hapless minion.
38. Tip: Electronic ≠ Instant
Many expect a phone call to alert them
to an email labeled Urgent.
Allow a reasonable time (two days – week)
for a response.
Respond before senders have to follow up
or business is delayed.
39. When would you use email?
To send confidential salary information
To address a personal hygiene issue
To get an immediate reply
To settle a conflict between two team members
To request a manual for the new phone system
To recap a conversation about a pending order
To set up a meeting next month
To keep people updated on a project’s status
40. When would you use email?
To send confidential salary information
To address a personal hygiene issue
To get an immediate reply
To settle a conflict between two team members
To request a manual for the new phone system
To recap a conversation about a pending order
To set up a meeting next month
To keep people updated on a project’s status
41. Difference: Where’s audience?
People who wouldn't dream of burping
at the end of dinner post offensive messages to
international forums.
Middle managers inadvertently send romantic
email messages to the
company-wide email alias.
People at computer terminals forget that there
are real live people on the other end of the wire.
Virginia Shea, Netiquette (1994)
42. Three manners mavens: Shea
Virginia Shea is
“Miss Manners
of the ’Net”
Pioneered netiquette
in 1994
Book available online at
http://www.albion.com/
catNetiquette.html
43. Three manners mavens: Shea
Typing in all capitals in electronic
communications means
(A) Nothing special--typing in all caps is normal.
(B) You are shouting.
(C) It’s OK to forward this message to others.
(D) This message is very important.
44. Three manners mavens: Shea
Typing in all capitals in electronic
communications means
(B) You are shouting.
Typing in all capitals in online communications is
the equivalent of SHOUTING! Only type in all caps
if you really mean to shout.
45. Three mavens: Booher
Communications
consultant
Dianna Booher is
“Miss Manners
of memos”
Good tips for
writers
Blog available online at
http://www.amazon.com/
46. Three mavens: Kallos
Judith Kallos is
“Miss eManners”
Best source
for specific advice
on business email
etiquette
Site:
NetManners.com
47. Style mavens: O’Conner
Email’s “very structure … encourages curtness.”
The blank subject line staring you in the face
is a signal to state your business and get on
with it….
The To and From fields seem to make
salutations and signatures redundant or
unnecessary.
What we have here is the ideal breeding ground
for rudeness.
48. Anatomy of email: To
To: My Entire Address Book
From: H. Honcho
Re: Nothing important
Date: 1 July,2006
49. Anatomy of email: To
To: You mad mustachio purple-hued
maltworm
Bcc: Henry IV, part 1
From: I. Rate
Re: So-called service at your crummy
excuse for a store today
50. Tip: Use BCC wisely
To keep addresses private, put
your own address in the To: line
and paste your mailing list in the
cc: line
BCCs within an organization
can create distrust
51. Tip: Leave address blank
If you’re furious and must answer
an email right away, leave the
address line blank.
If you hit Send before you’ve had
a chance to cool down, the email
won’t go through.
52. Anatomy of email: From
Would you open mail from
Vampyra@Goths_’R_Us.net
Boogers2007@hotmail.com
Dunno dunno@yahoo.com
53. Anatomy of email: From
E-mail recipients put more weight
on who the e-mail is from than
any other item when choosing
which e-mails to open
which to delete
which to complain about
Chris Baggot, ExactTarget
54. Anatomy of email: From
Be complete and be recognized.
Kathy Towner, WIN Communications
55. Anatomy of an email: Subject
Your subject can answer any of readers’
four key questions:
1. What’s this about?
2. Why should I read this?
3. What’s in this for me?
4. What am I being asked to do?
56. Anatomy of email: Subject
To: Girrrl friends
From: Ima Ditz
Re: Change of plans
57. Anatomy of email: Subject
To: Sara Bellum
From: Gray Matter
Re: Marketing meeting rescheduled
for 12/15/06
58. Anatomy of email: Subject
To: Sara Bellum
From: Gray Matter
Re: Marketing meeting rescheduled
for 12/15/06 (EOM)
EOM = end of message
59. Tips: Subject
Lead with the main idea
Browsers may not display more than first 25-35 characters
Create single-subject messages
Keep track of threads
Subject: New Year’s Party Plans
(was: New Year-End Bonus Structure)
60. More Tips: Subject
Double-check the address line before sending.
Insulted by a general email from the boss,
an employee sent an angry comment to a
colleague (she thought): “Does she think
we’re stupid?”
The reply (from her boss): “Yes, I do.”
61. Anatomy of an email: Body
Before you type anything into a new message,
have explicit answers for two questions:
1. Why am I writing this?
2. What exactly do I want the result
of this message to be?
43 Folders (2005)
62. Anatomy of an email: Body
Before you hit Send, review and delete
Negative comments about management
Criticisms of staff or performance issues
Bonuses or salary issues
Product or liability issues
Gossip
Humor or other ambiguities
Booher
63. Anatomy of email: Body
Write so emails are easy to read
Make paragraphs 7-8 lines
Insert a blank line between paragraphs
Use headlines, bullets, and numbers
AVOID ALL CAPS; THAT’S SHOUTING
If a message is longer than 3 screens,
send an attachment
64. Anatomy of email: Body
Subject: Noise level in the break rooms
How can we satisfy everyone?
Many of you have told me about the growing tension
you feel around using the break rooms. Some of you
use them to work and socialize; others need a quiet
place to work.
Your ideas are welcome
What do you think we can do about this? Should we
designate one room as a lounge and another as a quiet
area? D. Dumaine, Write to the
Top
65. Tip: Balance formal/informal
Like our work clothes,
the preferred writing style
has become business casual.
Avoid extremes
Not too pompous
Not too passive
Not too careless or flip
Diana Booher
66. Tip: Avoid brusqueness
Brief is good. Blunt is not.
Question: Should I pursue an
advanced degree?
Response 1: No.
Response 2: I don’t think an
advanced degree would have
any effect on your potential for
promotion here.
Diana Booher
67. Tip: Write business casual
Strive for a style somewhere
between stuffed-shirt and t-shirt.
Diana Booher
68. Question: Do I need a greeting?
Consensus: Yes.
Otherwise, you can seem
brusque or unfriendly.
69. Question: Which greeting?
Opinion: Divided
Some say “Hi, Steve,” is too
informal.
Some say “To whom it may
concern” is stilted.
For external communication, use
same greeting as in letter
For internal communication, some
use Myra:
70. Question: Which closing?
Consensus
Match greeting in tone
Formal: Sincerely, Best regards,
Cordially
Informal: Thanks; All the best,
Talk to you later
Use a sig line that gives your
name, title, and contact information
Omit a P.S.
(if the email is longer than a screen,
a postscript could be missed)
71. Question: Email thank-you?
36 percent of employers on
Monster prefer thank-you notes
sent by email
29 percent prefer traditional
letters
72. Why netiquette?
The electronic equivalent of a set
of fussy rules that tell you … which fork
to use with the salad course?
Netiquette does not consist of a set
of rigid rules.
It encourages you to adopt a certain attitude
of thoughtfulness.
Gregg Reference Manual, 10th ed.
73. Suggested resources
Available at http://word-crafter.net/email.html
Articles
Best practices for email marketing
Grammar help
Test your netiquette
Notas do Editor
Have had the opportunity to be a guest; happy to repay
Spare you some of the basics--keep sentences short, because you’re professional communicators. As such, you’ll want to know about spelling. Didn’t want you distracted by wondering where the hyphen was.
Standard: http://winblogger.typepad.com/winblogger/2006/09/email_best_prac_2.html Poster: “e- anything makes you sound old-fashioned: http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=4399
Kathy Towner, “5 Key Elements of an E-mail” http://www.wincommunications.com/BusinessBuilderJuly06.html
You Send Me: Getting It Right When You Write Online (Harcourt)
The above cartoon by Peter Steiner has been reproduced from page 61 of July 5, 1993 issue of The New Yorker, (Vol.69 (LXIX) no. 20) under license 21513e from The Cartoon Bank ( Format: PowerPoint; Use: Professional Conference/Seminar; Topic: Email Etiquette)
“ No one is quite sure how much of our communication is nonverbal. The statistics of anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell suggest it's around 65 percent, but other scientists put it as high as 93 percent.” Louise Dobson, “Avoiding Email Catastrophes,” http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20060405-000001.html
Reading aloud idea from Louise Dobson, “Avoiding Email Catasrophes,” http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20060405-000001.html
Samantha Miller, E-Mail Etiquette (Warner, 2001) “ Would a smiley face have saved Gates from Glaser’s damaging testimony? We’ll never know.” Glaser, a former MS employee, was CEO of RealNetworks.
Survey of 1,000 workers was done by the Department of Trade and Industries (DTI). “Other findings from the poll indicate that men are less adept at surviving in the 'communications jungle' than women, with 28 percent of men admitting their jokes have backfired (compared to 19 per cent of women), and 26 per cent misjudging their timing compared to just 13 per cent of their female counterparts.” From http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2125708/email-jokes-backfire-uk-workers
Louise Dobson, “Avoiding Email Catasrophes,” http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20060405-000001.html
Louise Dobson, “Avoiding Email Catasrophes,” http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20060405-000001.html
Chevron, for example, was forced to pay $2.2 million to settle a harassment case based in part on emails with such titles as “Why beer is better than women.” If in doubt, don’t send it. “ Halcrow and Rosner http://www.workpositive.com/pdf/Email.pdf
You Send Me: Getting It Right When You Write Online (Harcourt)
You Send Me: Getting It Right When You Write Online (Harcourt)
http://www.youthxchange.net/main/ff4b280_e-etiquette-v.asp # 10% of the women surveyed had dumped a boyfriend via email,
Angell and Heslop. The Elements of E-Mail Style (Addison-Wesley, 1994)
65 percent of Monster employers expect a thank-you note of some kind (36 percent indicated that they actually prefer thank you notes sent by email, surpassing the 29 percent who would rather receive the traditional letter variety). Workplace Technology Brings Changes to Job Seeker Etiquette, Polls Find; Monster Poll Finds Employers Prefer Email Thank-You Notes to Traditional Letters. Business Wire September t, 2002 (retrieved through HighBeam)
Miller, E-Mail Etiquette
--when Head of the Information Processing Techniques Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency -- Shapiro and Anderson. 1985. Towards an Ethics and Etiquette of Email. Available online email.eth Published byThe Rand Corporation, 1700 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138 Santa Monica, CA 90406-2138
Tunstall, Joan. Better, Faster Email: Getting the most out of emai l. Allen Unwin: 1999. Case: Michael A Smyth v The Pillsbury Company
The Boss’s Survival Guide , McGraw-Hill, July, 2001. As cited in Halcrow and Rosner, http://www.workpositive.com/pdf/Email.pdf
Daily Mail survey: Seventy-nine percent of survey repondents said they resented having to chase up e-mail responses. A quarter said they did so for more than half the e-mails they send. Nearly two-thirds felt business decisions were delayed due to a lack of e-mail response. http://www.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/09/15/email.sins/index.html
Flynn, Nancy & Tom Flynn. Writing Effective E-Mail: Improving Electronic Communications . Crisp: 1998 Brounstein, Marty. Communicating Effectively for Dummies . Hungry Minds: 2001
http://www.albion.com/catNetiquette.html
http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=4399 Biggest contribution--emphasis on audience; “Core Rules” and advice on controlling tone still solid
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/netiquiz Few score over 70% on the first try.
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/netiquiz Few score over 70% on the first try.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/id/A2PMHGM3991PCD Practical tips: e.g.; how do you wind down an email exchange? "I sent it out last Tuesday." /"Good. I'm hoping they make a decision before I leave for vacation next week.” /"Yes, me too.”/"Please copy me on any further correspondence with their proposal team." /"Will do. Sure thing.”/"Thank you.”/"Welcome."Progressively shorter replies 1. If the message is positive, assume all is well. If the message context is negative, spend the extra few seconds to reply and spare an offense. 2. Reduce the length of your response. A single word or phrase response implies "So long, I'm signing off now." 3. Repeat the action—yours or theirs. You're implying that either of you should "jump right on it" and have no further time to email.
In 1995, after ditching the corporate world where I had been an engineer for one of the top Japanese Electronic companies, I started my own innovative Technology Fusion, Marketing & Coaching Firm, The IStudio®. Publications include Everything you ever wanted to know about business e-mail etiquette-Don’t let your e-mail habits be a deal-breakers and free tutorial Netiquette 101.
Towner recommends including your company and/or brand in your from line, your email address, and your subject line, if possible http://www.wincommunications.com/BusinessBuilderOctober05.html
D. Dumain. Write to the Top: Writing for Corporate Success (rev. ed.) New York: Random House, 2004.
Angell and Heslop. The Elements of E-Mail Style (Addison-Wesley, 1994) http://www.tamingemail.com/subjects_are_everything.htm e.g. of threads--LIC# 234 ADB car lights on-- People replied with everything from requests to meet for lunch to questions about upcoming seminarl
Halcrow and Bosner (2001) http://www.workpositive.com/pdf/Email.pdf
Dianna Booher’s http://www.onlineac.com/main/articles/download.aspx?sfilename=Never_put_email.pdf Comments--forwarded Criticism--harsh Bonuses--if they don’t come through, employee can use to claim they were deserved Product or liability issues--see you in court Gossip--you’re clearly identifiable as the source Humor--often misinterpreted
Angell and Heslop. The Elements of E-Mail Style (Addison-Wesley, 1994) http://www.tamingemail.com/subjects_are_everything.html
D. Dumain. Write to the Top: Writing for Corporate Success (rev. ed.) New York: Random House, 2004.
Five Tips for E-mail Excellence http://www.patronsaintpr.com/samples/Booher/21C.htm
Five Tips for E-mail Excellence http://www.patronsaintpr.com/samples/Booher/21C.htm
Five Tips for E-mail Excellence http://www.patronsaintpr.com/samples/Booher/21C.htm As cited by Kathy Towner in “A Review of Email Etiquette,: Judith Kallos of NetM@anners.com says, “Never assume a position of informality in your business e-mail…. For commercial business reasons, one should commuicate as if e-mail is on their company letterhead at all times. This is your business’s image you are branding.”
Five Tips for E-mail Excellence http://www.patronsaintpr.com/samples/Booher/21C.htm
Cunningham and Greene, The Business Style Handbook (McGraw-Hill, 2002).
Cunningham and Greene, The Business Style Handbook (McGraw-Hill, 2002).
65 percent of Monster employers expect a thank-you note of some kind (36 percent indicated that they actually prefer thank you notes sent by email, surpassing the 29 percent who would rather receive the traditional letter variety). Workplace Technology Brings Changes to Job Seeker Etiquette, Polls Find; Monster Poll Finds Employers Prefer Email Thank-You Notes to Traditional Letters. Business Wire September t, 2002 (retrieved through HighBeam)