Business Etiquette and Professional Correspondence

Business Etiquette and Professional Correspondence Email Emails are legal documents. An unedited email is not only a reflection of your professionalism, but also it can be used against you in court. What comes out of your computer is something that can come back to haunt you if you don t take care and attention to really mean what you say and say what you mean. Email Mistakes 1. Using email to communicate when something else would be better. Sensitive Information/ Phone Call Need an immediate response/ Phone Call Complicated Matter/ Phone Call When you need a paper trail/ Email Where to meet for lunch/ Text 2. Treating chat like e-mail. A few sentences = Chat Used mainly for quick responses or short remarks. Chat occurs between work colleagues. Do not use chat when a formal email is required. Similar to text messaging, but uses correct grammar and no texting language. Do not use chat if your thread involves work related problems or issues. Ask yourself this: Could this conversation be printed out and used in some way? If so, avoid chatting. 3. Using informal language in a formal e-mail. Avoid chat-room and text-messaging abbreviations and acronyms in e-mail. Always avoid the following in a formal email: o Contractions o Colloquial words: wanna, ya ll, ain t o Contractions: Can t, Didn t, Haven t o Clichés: I will email you the report in a jiffy. o Abbreviated words: ASAP, lol, P.S o Emoticons o Figures of speech 4. Misuse of colors, fonts, and size. Avoid ornate, playful, or colored fonts. Avoid overusing bold and italics. Do not write in all capital letters. Make sure your font is not oversized or too small to read.

5. Not distinguishing informal email from formal e-mail. Informal e-mail is e-mail sent to friends and family. Formal e-mail is e-mail sent to business and work colleagues. o Formal/ Citizens and Professionals outside of system o Formal/ Supervisors and Board Members 6. Using incorrect tone. Tone is the writer s attitude toward the reader and the subject of the message. Tone is deciphered through diction. The tone that you use to write the email and/or letter directly affects how the reader will interpret what is said. o Avoid humor because it can be easily misconstrued. o Avoid sarcasm. Humor is sometimes seen as this. o Avoid imperative words and phrases. It makes you come across as bossy, pushy, and demanding. Call me today. I want this done now. Rearrange your schedule. o Do request. Would you be able to call me today at 1pm? Would it be possible to start right away? I know you are busy, but would you be able to squeeze this in? 7. Sending e-mails when angry : People send e-mails without thought. If the reply is an angry reaction to something that was just read, stop short of hitting the send key. Wait a while before responding. Ask a friend or colleague to read your reply and give you feedback on the tone. 8. Responding to an email before reviewing all of the messages in the thread: People send e-mails without thought. 9. Disorganized writing Get straight to the point. Break your message down one point at a time. Maximum of four paragraphs and each paragraph should contain a single point. Apply the five questions every piece of writing should address. o Who: Who is the real reader of this email? o What: What is it the reader needs to do or become convinced about? o Why: Why should this be important to the reader? o Where: Where does the reader fit into this company and does this impact the message I m sending? o When: When will the reader be reading this message? Does this impact any of my content?

10. E-mails that are too long : Abide by the Rule of 25/80. E-mails should never extend beyond 25 lines. Each line should contain 80 characters or fewer. 11. Sending attachments. Never send an attachment to someone you don't know the first time you contact them. Do not send huge attachments. If sending an attachment, be sure to let the recipient know that in your email. If you forget to send the attachment, re-send with an apology. 12. Reply-to-All keys/ Cc/ Bcc Beware of Reply-to-All keys. Only Cc people who need to know the information in the email, but do not need to reply. Be selective! When sending a message to a large group of people outside of the system, use the Bcc field to protect their identities. Blind copies are not apparent. When you hit the Reply-to-All key, the e-mail goes to all people on the list and all those who were blind-copied. Professional Email Message Guidelines Email Addresses Make sure you have full names (first and last) associated with email addresses in your address book. Subject Line The subject line should concisely convey your purpose for writing. Think of it as a newspaper headline. Your subject line can be as simple as "Meeting on Thurs. Dec. 2" or "Request for Recommendation." Greeting Even if you are writing a very short email, include a greeting. If you know the name of the person, include it. Dear Mayor Smith: Hello Ms. McMahon: To Whom It May Concern: Dear Members of the Selection Committee: Dear Staff: Length Keep your email as short and to the point as much as possible. People tend to skim long emails, so only include essential information. Content Deliver the news upfront, and stick to one subject per paragraph. If you need to write about several different issues, don t put them all in the same email. I Tone The tone should be positive and professional.

Spelling and Grammar Just because you are writing an email does not mean you should be sloppy about spelling and grammar. Edit your email carefully before sending it. An error-free message tells the recipient that your email should be taken seriously. Closing Sign off with a brief "Thank you," "Best Wishes, Regards, Sincerely," or another simple send-off, and then your name, title, and organization. Letters Most business letters follow an established, easy to learn format that can be adapted to any type of content. A business letter should always contain the date, information about the sender and recipient, and a few body paragraphs. Formats and Font Block Format The most common layout of a business letter is known as block format. Using this format, the entire letter is left justified and single spaced except for a double space between paragraphs. Modified Block In this type, the body of the letter and the sender's and recipient's addresses are left justified and single-spaced. However, for the date and closing, tab to the center point and begin to type. Semi-Block It is much like the modified block style except that each paragraph is indented instead of left justified. Font The generally accepted font is Times New Roman, size 12, although other fonts such as Arial may be used. Punctuation Use a colon (:) after the salutation and a comma (,) after the closing. Margins Use 1 inch margins on all sides.

123 Winner's Road New Town, PA 12345 March 16, 2016 Ernie English 234 Writing Lab Lane Write City, IN 12345 Dear Mr. English: The first paragraph of a typical business letter is used to state the main point of the letter. Begin with a friendly opening; then quickly transition into the purpose of your letter. Use a couple of sentences to explain the purpose, but do not go in to detail until the next paragraph. Beginning with the second paragraph, state the supporting details to justify your purpose. These may take the form of background information, statistics or first-hand accounts. A few short paragraphs within the body of the letter should be enough to support your reasoning. Finally, in the closing paragraph, briefly restate your purpose and why it is important. If the purpose of your letter is employment related, consider ending your letter with your contact information. However, if the purpose is informational, think about closing with gratitude for the reader's time. Sincerely, Lucy Letter Enclosure

Thank You Notes/ Letters http://ideas.hallmark.com/thank-you-ideas/how-to-write-a-thank-you-note/ Here s the basic template for a good thank-you note along with a few sample phrases to get you started. (Need more help with what to write? Greeting Don t forget to make sure you re using the correct form and spelling of the person s name, as well as anyone else s mentioned in the note. Dear Aunt Sharon and Uncle Bob, Dear Mr. Brown, Express your thanks. Begin with the two most important words: Thank you. Thank you so much for... It made my day when I opened... I'm so grateful for your Add specific details. Tell them how you plan to use or display their gift. It shows them that you really appreciate the thought that went into it. Even if it s cold hard cash, describe how you ll spend the stuff. Here's a picture of me with my new briefcase. I look so professional! I can t wait to use the birthday money you sent to decorate my dorm room. The going-away party meant so much to me. Having all my friends and family in one place was something I'll never forget. Look ahead. Mention the next time you might see them, or just let them know you re thinking of them. We look forward to seeing you next month at Lucy s party. Restate your thanks. Add details to thank them in a different way. Again, thank you for your generosity. I'm so excited about college. I'll let you know all about it when I get settled. We felt so blessed that you made the trip to be with us on our wedding day. We can't wait to see you again soon! End with your regards. Sincerely is a safe standby, but for closer relationships, you might choose a warmer option. Best wishes, Many thanks, Yours truly,

Sample Thank-You Notes Dear Mr. Hobbs, Thank you for the $20 graduation gift. I plan on using that money to help buy textbooks in the fall. I ll be home from school over Thanksgiving break and hope to see you then. Thanks again, Billy Larson Dear Dr. Smith, Thank you for taking the time to interview me for the systems analyst position. It was exciting and interesting to learn more about your organization and the analyst role. I am sincerely interested in the position and I hope to hear from you soon but either way, I truly enjoyed our meeting. Thanks again, William Larson Dear Mr. Hobbs, Thank you for the set of kitchen knives you gave to us for our wedding. They already have a home in our kitchen, and I used them to make dinner just last night they worked great! We plan on being back there in August and I would love to catch up then. Thanks again, Bill and Marjorie Larson Dear Steve and Colleen, Thank you for the wonderful dinner party you hosted on the 25th. The roasted lamb was exquisite and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know David and Michelle. Marge and I are planning a dinner party of our own in October, and we would love it if you would come. Thanks again, Bill Larson Letter of Condolence Writing a letter of sympathy and condolence can be very difficult expressing your feelings and finding the right words is often a struggle. The purpose of a sympathy letter is to acknowledge the life of the deceased and to support the bereaved. Write rather than type your letter, and keep it fairly short. Try to put yourself in the place of the person who is grieving, and think about what would help you in the same situation. Steps to Writing a Condolence Letter Acknowledge the loss. I was sorry to hear of your recent loss. I wanted to write and tell you how sorry I am for your loss. I was so sorry to hear about the tragic circumstances surrounding X's death. I was terribly sorry to learn about the death of X. I was saddened to hear of X's death. It was with a great sense of loss that I learned of X's death.

I was so sad to hear of X's sudden death. I am writing on behalf of our firm to express our sympathy at your sad loss. Express your sympathy. Please accept my sympathy for your sad loss. I want to express my heartfelt sympathy. X was such a special person that no words are adequate. X was such a special person and it must be so difficult to come to terms with the fact he/she died so suddenly. May it comfort you to know that so many people care and are thinking of you and your family at this time. May the love of family and friends comfort you. There are no words to express our heartfelt sympathy to you and your family. While there is nothing I can say that will ease your loss, I wanted you to know that I am grieving and thinking of you all. Note special qualities of the deceased or the bereaved if applicable. What started many years ago as a business relationship grew into a friendship. It was a privilege to have known him/her. She was a wonderful person and I won't forget her thoughtfulness and warmth. I wish to express my sadness at X s untimely death. I know your courage and family will help you through this difficult time, but if there is anything I can do to help, please call. End the letter with a thoughtful word, an inspirational quote, a hope, a wish or expression of sympathy. "You are in my thoughts and prayers." Remember that "Those who live in the hearts of others never die.

References Barron s. Writing Effective Letters, Memos, and Email. February 2016 Bonkowski, Frank. An Email Quiz Spot the Mistake. Business English. Web. March 2016 Bonkowski, Frank. Tone and Etiquette in Writing Emails. Business English. Web. March 2016 Davidson, Wilma. Business Writing: What Works, What Won t. February 2016. Field, Jean. On a Personal Note: Thank You. Hallmark. Web. March 2016 Hamm, Trent. How to Write a Thank You Note. The Simple Dollar Web. March 2016 Owl Online Writing Lab. Email Etiquette.: Purdue University. Web. March 2016 Robinson, Paul Nicholas. Avoid the Top 10 Most Common Writing Blunders. National Seminars. Web. March 2016 Silberman, Lindsay. 25 Tips for Perfecting Your Email Etiquette. Inc.com. Web. March 2016 Silicon Valley s Business School. Writing a Formal Email. Menlo College. Web. March 2016 Zetlin, Minda. 13 Annoying Email Mistakes Even Smart People Make. Inc.com Web. March 2016