Best Practice

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• The Write Stuff
• Using Email Effectively

Using Email Effectively ... Susan Cairns

1. TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS LIKE SHOUTING AT A PERSON.
2. Use the subject line to determine which email to read first or at all. The subject line is equivalent to a headline in a newspaper. Many email recipients skim the subject line and read only the emails whose subject line grabs their attention.
3. Email is similar to writing a business letter in that spelling and grammar should be correct.
4. Email is as formal as a business letter. The tone of email is similar to a polite conversation. Keep your paragraphs shortno more than seven lines. Make your point in the first paragraph. Be clear and concise.
5. If including web addresses include the http:// at the beginning of the web address to insure the link is clickable.
6. Avoid using fancy formatting such as graphics, different fonts, italics, and bolding, because all email programs do not support these features. Also, some of the above choices may actually make your emails harder to read.
7. Choose your words carefully. Email is a permanent record of your thoughts and is easily forwarded onto others.
8. Use Outlook's signature files to create more than one signature that can be used according to who you are sending the message to.
9. Be careful of sending attachments; some files can be quite large and may clog the recipient's mail box.
10. In verbal communications you provide details on your mood, meaning, and intention through voice inflections, tone and volume. You also give clues through facial expressions and body language. Email does not allow for these hints. The closest thing email has is the use of Emoticons. Emoticons are a combination of keyboard characters that give the appearance of a stick figure emotion. For example, consider the following sentence: Thanks a lot for dumping all of your dirty work on me. This sentence could be interpreted as rude and/or defiant. To imply a joke, type the sentence like so: Thanks a lot for dumping all of your dirty work on me:-).

Standard Emoticons