Mastering Email Etiquette in the Workplace
A comprehensive program designed to enhance your email communication skills in the workplace, leading to improved competence and time management. Based on insights from Jeff Su and Harvard Business Review.
Program Modules
Understanding the Benefits of Good Email Etiquette
Explore the real-world benefits of mastering email etiquette in the workplace. Learning Objective: By the end of this module, you will be able to articulate the advantages of effective email communication in a professional setting.
Reflect on Poorly Written Emails
DailyThink back to instances where poorly written emails caused confusion or wasted time. Note down the issues.
“Think back to the last time you received a poorly written email, you might have had to reread it a few times to get the main point and the action items might have been scattered all over the place.”
Identify Time Savings
DailyConsider how well-crafted emails can save time for both the sender and the recipient.
“Not only does it help you the sender come across as more capable by showcasing strong communication skills, but also saves the reader so much of their time by only surfacing information relevant to them.”
Top 8 Email Etiquette Tips
Learn and implement eight actionable tips to enhance your professional email communication. Learning Objective: By the end of this module, you will be able to apply practical email etiquette tips to improve clarity, efficiency, and professionalism in your communication.
Use Call to Action in Subject Line
DailyIncorporate a clear call to action with estimated time in the email subject line.
“Have a call to action when appropriate in the email subject line...include exactly what you need the recipient to do and the estimated time it takes for them to do it.”
Stick to One Email Thread
DailyMaintain a single email thread for each topic to provide context and avoid inbox clutter.
“Stick to the original email chain for any given topic. So everyone can refer to the same information.”
Explain Recipient Changes
DailyClearly explain why you added or removed recipients in email threads.
“Explain why you added in or took out recipients in email threads. Add a sentence at the very top of the email clearly showing who you added in or took out.”
Main Point First, Context Second
DailyPresent the main point of your email first, followed by the context or background information.
“Always include your main point first, followed by the context.”
Summarize Disorganized Emails
DailySummarize the sender's main points in your reply if the original email is disorganized.
“If you receive an email with a lot of disorganized content, summarize the sender's main points for them in your reply.”
Hyperlink Wherever Possible
DailyUse hyperlinks instead of pasting long, clunky URLs in your emails.
“Hyperlink whatever possible...it looks so much cleaner to the recipient than just pasting the big clunky link, but it also decreases the chances of you making a mistake.”
Change Default to Reply (Not Reply All)
DailyChange your email client's default setting to 'Reply' instead of 'Reply All' to avoid unnecessary emails.
“Change default setting to reply instead of reply all...the damage is contained to that one recipient because your default setting is a reply to one person instead of reply to all.”
Extend Undo Send Option
DailyIncrease the 'Undo Send' option to 30 seconds to catch mistakes before they are sent.
“Change undo send option to 30 seconds...you will always catch your mistakes 10 seconds after the email is already sent.”
What You'll Accomplish
- Understand the impact of email etiquette on professional perception.
- Apply best practices for crafting clear and concise emails.
- Improve email efficiency and reduce unnecessary communication.
- Minimize potential mistakes and miscommunications through email.
Full program access + updates