The reason for this article is due to in the last week, I’ve observed three instances of emails that were read by persons who were not the intended recipients. In one case , an attorney posted a complete email exchange between an attorney and one of the applicants for an associate position at her company. This ought to have made them both uncomfortable and became the subject of many a web discussion. Two times I received an email from a group intended for only the one individual to go through. The first was harmless, but the other one made some seriously negative remarks about a class that one of the members was planning to teach. The class in which was mentioned as being shocked was stunned. And so was I. The sender apologized publicly and admitted that in her confusion she sent the message to the list which was meant for someone who wasn’t listed on it. It was embarrassing for all!
Beware of personal or confidential content
With the convenience of a simple forward, any personal or private information is easily made public. If you don’t wish to see it to be published on the Internet do not make use of email to communicate it.
Your message should be concise and straight to the point.
Only cover one subject per email. Email often gets skimmed. If the message is too complex to be concise, you may contact the person on the phone and leave an additional message or even a letter to leave a trail of paper.
Make obvious as to the purpose that the text is addressing..
If you don’t know the person you’re emailing, make sure to include that person’s name as well as the number of people who advised you to write the subject line. Emails are often deleted from unknown senders, so including the name of a person they know in the subject line could save that email from deletion.
Don’t write your email if you’re upset.
You might regret sending an email once you’re calm. The email could be shared with ease. Do you want people to be known?
Check your email for proofreading.
If you’re a bad spelling expert or unclear when writing or proofread your emails, ask someone else to the email. Incorrectly written emails can be confusing for recipients and reflect poorly on you.
Include all of your contact details on each email.
When the receiver has a query about the email , he/she may need to speak to you or go to your website. Additionally, hijacking email addresses is now a common practice. If you’re always carrying your contact details, the people in your address books who have a habit of receiving emails from you will be aware that there is something wrong in the event that it’s not there.
Utilize short paragraphs , and lots of blank space.
Your email will be simple to understand.
All related documents.
If you’re discussing a document through an email, be sure to send an original duplicate of the document, even it you’ve previously sent the document. Don’t presume that the person receiving the email has access to all of the details they need to make a decision based upon your email. Include all the information you need in your email.
Be careful when sending emails to an entire group.
Make sure you check your “TO” before sending the email. Do you think this is appropriate for all the members of your group or only one individual?
Complete”To:” last “To:” last.
If you’ve ever accidentally sent an email with an incomplete message, you’ll know the reason for this final advice. It is important to make sure that your email is in order before sending it out.