Read part I first!

From distributing company newsletters to providing instant customer service, e-mail has allowed the business world to instantly communicate important information to accomplish a wide variety of tasks. Most employees have the liberty to communicate via e-mail, but unfortunately many have not been trained in its proper use. Couple this with poor communication skills and you and your employer could be getting a bad reputation due to poor e-mail practices.

Remember these etiquette guidelines when composing e-mails for business use:

Assess your audience

*Just as you would not write a proposal, article or letter without first assessing your audience and its needs, you should not write an e-mail without doing the same.

*Do not be overly casual because you risk being disrespectful to your audience.

*Personalize the e-mail message. Use a salutation, and close the e-mail with your signature.

Grammar Tips

*Punctuate your sentences correctly. Rules of capitalization, comma usage and other punctuation marks apply.

*Pay careful attention to spelling errors. Utilize the spell-check function before sending each e-mail, but remember to read through it as well.

*Forget the purple electronic stationery, green ink, clip art and smiley faces.

Style and Formatting

*Most people only scan e-mails, so it is important to format your message so the recipient is more likely to read it rather than delete it.

*Use the subject field to grab your reader's attention. If the subject line is relevant and informative, the recipient is more likely to open the message: Don't omit a subject line, or you risk the message being deleted!

*Use short sentences with an average of 15 words per sentence or less. Shorter sentences help people scan e-mails even faster.

Paragraphs

*Use paragraphs to separate your thoughts.

*Keep paragraphs short. Summarize your e-mail in the first paragraph, using no more than two sentences. People often only read the first paragraph.

Inflection

*Your reader cannot see your facial expressions, hear the tone of your voice or know your intended meaning. It is extremely important to be cautious when composing an e-mail.

*Since e-mail is short of emotional context, say only what you must.

Security

*A good rule of thumb is to never send sensitive, confidential or personal information via e-mail.

Remember: Your writing is a reflection of you and your communication skills. You never know when a client, customer or employee will judge your business or service based upon these skills. Members of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) use skills like these to find new jobs, hone their online skills and find resources to help them enhance their professional careers. Sound like an association you need to be a part of? Consider joining today. Visit NAWIC online at www.nawic.org.

Courtesy of ARA Content