Email Etiquette Rules For Leaders And Their Team
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Most Canadian and USA employees write and read hundreds of business email every day. It’s estimated that business professionals spend about a quarter of our time at work using email.
One of the most important strategic goals leaders have is how to manage expectations and help their team be in sync. An often-overlooked area is introducing a consistent set of email etiquette rules for business professionals.
I’ve pulled out 8 the most important points I consider essentials within a business email etiquette style guide. As a leader you or your team may initially think my 8 email writing recommendations will take more time. To be honest, they may (not always), take a few more seconds, but ask you to consider two things:
The advantage you and your team will experience when your professional brand increases and you gain the reputation as being clear communicators who are also polite and not bossy or aggressive.
The hours of time you and your team will save by getting what you ask for the first time you asked for it and therefore, writing fewer follow-up email. When you multiply this time, cost and frustration saving across your whole team, I assure you, leading your team down the path of good email etiquette is a wise choice.
Most companies do have a global style guide that outlines the look and feel of all communication from presentation design, to advertising placement, email etiquette and business writing standards. These 8 email etiquette rules for leaders and their team will help you and your team save time, elevate your teams email communication and strengthen your professional reputation / brand.
As the leader, set (or reinforce), a simple style guide for the team to help reinforce that they are part of a team with a unified brand promise. The style guide should identify things like:
Same font, as well as size and colour
Same signature block structure and graphic
Same size and colour for bullets
Similar approach to how to write Subject Lines
If confidential email distribution need to happen to large audiences – especially to external audiences, a standard To: Cc: or even Bcc: should not be used. Instead, use an email distribution system like Constant Contact (non-sponsored reference), to guarantee audience privacy for these bulk email.
Double check you get everyone’s name right. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received email addressed to Mr. Mayhem.
Everyone should write their email thinking, ‘What do my readers need or need to know?’ Managing expectations is done far less than you may think. For the most part, we write email as if we are writing to people with our needs, timelines and experience. But most often our readers have very different needs, timelines and experience. This creates a gap that causes challenges. Also, watch out for general words like, ‘it’ ‘that’ ‘they’. Words like these force your reader to make assumptions about who or what you mean, instead, be clear about what you mean.
Be careful with Reply All. Use it sparingly.
Everyone should write following this 9-step-by-step (and simple), process:
Write a clear, relevant Subject Line
Use a professional greeting
Address your need or ask first
Then add background information after you’ve stated your need or ask
Re-read for clarity. Will it be clear to your reader and does it include information they need?
Check for spelling and sentence structure
Sign-off, respectfully
Make sure your signature block is used
Only when you are done writing and editing, insert email addresses or your distribution list
If you think someone will "react" badly to your email content, I recommend you call them. This is the right thing to do for many reasons I’d be happy to discuss.
Avoid humour except in very special cases and with people you know well. Humour doesn’t translate well in a one-dimensional email environment [note, in order to be clear I edited this last sentence, replacing the word ‘it’ with the word ‘humour’ as suggested in step #4].
As a professional, you are expected to follow proper email etiquette and your personal and professional brand are always a reflection of your writing. Effective written communication is essential in any position and often a major factor towards achieving professional success.
If you would like information about email etiquette training, please click here.
Bonus Reference: Poor email etiquette costs time, money and frustration if:
Email you’ve spent writing don’t get read because they are too long and/or confusing.
People only answer one question when you’ve asked 3 or 4. It then costs even more in time and frustration as you have to follow up.
Important dates are missed because of email that are high priority to you are interpreted as low priority to your reader.
People misunderstand your email and do things you didn’t ask for, and then this costs more in time and frustration as you have to follow up and they have to re-do the work.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my list of 8 email etiquette rules for leaders and their team.
Bruce
About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.
Corporate trainer Bruce Mayhew (of BMC) delivers customized Email Etiquette training in Toronto and across Canada. We specialize in Leadership, Communication and other soft skills training solutions.
BMC helps your greatest assets think productive and be productive.
Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.
