Basic Rules for Emailing (From Can You Hear Me?)
- Avoid sending out mass mailings. Too many of us get cc’ed and bcc’ed on endless all-team, all-unit, and all-company emails that someone was doing the CYA thing on and that we really don’t have to read.
- Don’t send anything via email that you would be horrified to see online in a public forum.
- An email or text is not the best format for a vigorous discussion. If you want that, set up a meeting or a phone call.
- If you want a response to your email, make this point clear, and don’t send it to lots of recipients. If you want several people to comment on a document, then put it in a shared discussion folder.
- Don’t rant in emails, and don’t respond angrily to rants. Don’t send “hot” email – always give yourself a cooling off period before responding to an email that illicits a strong response.
- Never send readings for a meeting at the last minute and don’t read them if they come from someone else. (The implicit rudeness of this communication – I don’t care enough about you or these matters to give you time to absorb them properly because your opinion doesn’t really matter to me – should make it a no-no for everyone.)
- Remember that emotion and tone are easy to misunderstand in digital communication. For sensitive emails, take the time to make sure your meaning and tone are clear. Try reading it out loud to yourself. And don’t be afraid to deliberately make emotions clear if you fear they may not be: “I mean this sincerely; I’m not being sarcastic.”