EMAIL WRITING NETIQUETTE By Nives Torresi

WRITING - A FORM OF COMMUNICATIONWriting emails in one’s native language is easier to fathom, but when we apply the same logic or rule to another language then understanding the basic essentials of that culture will assist in the writing.

However a standard set of ‘netiquette’ can now be found freely on internet and some links have been provided for further research at the end of this presentation.

This presentation will however outline the ground theory in an easy to follow guide but should always be used at the discretion of the reader who is more apt to know their own form of communicating with colleagues or such.

THE BASICSSelect the addressee (the person/s, company, that will receive the email)

Define the Subject – not too long but a title that is clear as to the contents

Use a proper Salutation greeting – Dear Mr Peter Smith, Dear Joan, Hi Sam, etc. depending on the formality or informality of the relationship

Use clear and concise language that is structured properly – appropriate terms that relate to the topic, use of tables or point form for a list of details, paragraphs that follow a logic.

The use of THANK YOU is an important diplomatic gesture and can be used at the beginning of an email just as effectively as at the end of an email message.

Closing remarks – will include follow up mentions.

Signature of sender (digital or printed) – would include full name and job title, company, etc.

DEFINING THE ADDRESSEE When you are ready to create your email, one of the first and foremost actions is to choose the designated recipient of the email. In today’s hectic business atmosphere in open office surroundings it is one of the items we leave to the automatic fill-in by the email program. BUT all too often their are misnomers in a group of contacts, especially when the email program has been set up by the company and includes all relative personnel in every single department across the board. Hence it is very easy to have either similar names and surnames or even identical names that may have a suffix to differentiate them.

Therefore before quickly passing on to the subject of the email make sure the ‘addressee’ or recipient of the email is the right person/company.

DEFINING THE SUBJECT

The subject at times can be complex and create confusion, so it is important to create a proper succinct subject title that leaves nothing to the imagination avoiding misinterpretation of the importance.

Most of us read the subject in the INBOX list prior to opening the email to immediately judge if the email needs our attention now or can wait (the waiting is subjective to many factors as is the importance).

This is one of the reasons that the subject of the email should be clear and not overly long as to get lost or unseen in the inbox view.

A good rule is Short and Sweet!

PROPER GREETING

The opening greeting is very important and shows a respect for the recipient person/s or company. A diplomatic approach in writing is always a sign of good manners and proper understanding of the limitations of the written word in business communications.

By its nature any form of communication within a business will always be considered formal and cold, as it is mostly used for exchange of work related matters.

The use of Dear Mr Smith, Dear Peter, Hi Susan – will depend on the formality or informality of the work relationship. Follow this with a comma and one return carriage leaving a line space, to begin the first entry with a capital letter at the beginning of the paragraph.

STRUCTURE IN THE WRITINGThe structure in the writing comes down to the related motive for the communication. So if the form of communication is like a ‘story’ to unfold then the format should be as follows:

Introduction of the topic / subject at handParagraphs 1-2-3-etc. will create the ‘body’ of the topicConclusion paragraph will arrive at the summation of the topic

The format is logic – therefore it will be necessary to open the topic with the reason for the email, then go into the purpose of the comunications such as details requested/required etc, elaborate on the information/details, then arrive at a finality of the email. Don’t hesitate to use tables, bullet lists, etc. where required.

Remember Carriage Returns (Enter key) to separate every single paragraph. No need to create a tab indent as is used in letters or writing of documents. But capitals at the beginning of every paragraph and all Nouns in English carry the same rule.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE English language writing used for business communications is clear and concise. This means that the sentence structure should comprise ‘shorter phrases’ and full terms avoiding the short forms of verbs such as I’ve, better to use ‘I have’.

Nowadays the most frequently used email programs contain spell checks for US or UK English, and more often seen is also a handy Thesaurus to control the usage of correct synonyms. But if your email program does not include this tool then there are many document writing programs that are normally included in the basic computer program packages that do – so make use of these great tools.

Writing emails is a daily activity for most business people and is carried out with quick gestures, understandably so in today’s hectic business world. However stopping to think and re-read before clicking on the SEND button should be a common practice.

THE INDISPENSABLE THANK YOUThank you either at the beginning of the email for the received prior communication, requesting of information, etc. is just as important as it can be at the end of an email when used as a compliment in lieu of a follow up.

The simple gesture of saying Thank You whether it is warranted for a service, etc., is however a diplomatic signal of courtesy and is always welcome. It shows your good manners in acknowledging the existence of the other person/s as a human counterpart in the business communication.

The forms and expressions using Thank You can be found in many online English guides, however the simple common forms are always the better alternative.

CLOSING REMARK & SENDER

The closing remark including the invitation to respond by way of an expectation of a return reply. The likes of ‘‘I look forward to hearing from you’’ etc., is a part inciting a response by way of email within a suitable time limit for business interactions. Obviously it is by no means an obligation to respond which will always be the prerogative of the recipient, that may choose either to reply or not.

The closing remark is followed by the ‘signature’ of the sender, be it in digital form or simply typed is obligatory and should also include details of the company, department, etc.

The disclaimer would then follow in the bottom part of the email normally having been set up by the company administrative office for legal waivers.

SUMMING UPRemember to check the recipient email addressAdd a short and clear SubjectSalutation greeting &/or curteous Thank you Body of the message – separated by line spacingInclude a closing remark &/or curteous Thank you Signature/details of the sender Check Spelling, Grammar, Re-Read for logic and flow, maintain a diplomatic pattern of thought

FURTHER READING

http://evo-training.pbworks.com/w/page/5965182/Netiquette

http://www.slideshare.net/josbor61/netiquette-tutorial-2-guidelines

http://www.slideshare.net/floresnewcastleeduau/netiquette-and-code-of-conduct-in-communication

http://www.slideshare.net/ctd515/netiquette-6055161

https://www.wiziq.com/tutorial/928605-sbf15-halina-on-competence-in-communication-and-interpersonal-skills

A TUTORIAL FOR BUSINESS ENGLISH

COURSES BY PEGASUS ONE, ITALY

Tutorial prepared by

Mrs Nives Torresi for use in Business English Courses creative content.