Email Etiquette

Email is a tool essential to the success of all professionals.  As interns, we are attached to our phones and computers, constantly refreshing our inboxes just waiting for the next message to come in.  Although we may have plenty of experience with using email to get in touch with our professors, peers, friends and family, using email in the workplace is very different.  Below are some great tips to help you communicate more efficiently with your supervisors and coworkers!

1.   Be concise and specific—When you receive a lengthy email, do you read the whole message or just skim the screen for the main ideas?  If you claim to read the entire email, you are one of the few.  Professionals receive TONS of emails daily.  Unfortunately, this means that they will more than likely pass over the emails that do not get straight to the point.  Keep this in mind when you are drafting a message to your supervisor, coworkers, or even your professors.  Rather than discussing several topics or questions at once, prioritize the most important issues and concentrate on them first.  Be clear about the question you need answered or the situation that needs to be addressed.  You can always clarify a message or ask another question after the person responds.

2. Avoid using Internet slang and emoticons—In short, save the “LOLs” and smiley faces for your friends.  When you are writing to a professional, your message should look and sound professional.  While emoticons and Internet slang may lighten the message or put your words into context, professional emails should not be scattered with distracting faces and acronyms!

3.   Use the “subject matter” tool — Never leave the subject of an email blank—especially if you want the email to be read in a timely fashion.  The subject serves as a title for the email or a preview of the message you have sent.  Without one, the receiver may delete or overlook the email.  In addition, most email programs allow the sender to deliver the email with a certain “level of importance.”  In other words, the system notifies the receiver if an incoming message is urgent and needs to be read immediately.  While you should be familiar with and understand this system, use this tool wisely.  You do not want to be the boy who cried wolf!  Sending too many messages to your supervisor or coworkers under high priority can be off-putting.  Consequently, they may begin putting your messages to the side and address them after it is too late. 

4.  Leave the address blank until ready to be sent—At my last internship, a learning and development coach recommended erasing or leaving out the address of an email recipient until the entire message was completed.  Often, we rush to send out emails in an effort to be quick and efficient.  As a result, we make silly errors such as “replying to all” instead of a specific individual, sending out information that is unclear or incorrect, or sending a message before it is complete.  Deleting or putting off entering an address until the email is ready to be delivered allows you to double and triple check that the message and its recipient are correct.

5.  Read, reread and reread—You wouldn’t hand in an assignment without proofreading it first, would you?  I didn’t think so!  Even though it may seem obvious, make sure that the spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct in every email that you send.  Remember, the trick is to be clear and concise.    Of course, everyone makes mistakes from time to time.  However, sending coherent emails is an easy way to demonstrate your professionalism!

6.  Be patient—Believe it or not, not every email you send will receive a response in minutes.  As products of the technological age, we are accustomed to checking our text messages, emails and social media accounts constantly.  While stellar professionals usually communicate pretty efficiently, we must keep in mind that an email from an intern might not be a top priority for the receiver.  If the message requires an urgent response, use the aforementioned “priority” tool to label its importance or call the person’s office/cell phone.  Otherwise, be patient!  Your message will be answered, even if it is a couple of hours later than you would like.