E-mail Etiquette

201 Pages·2009·1.47 MB·English

by  Shirley Taylor

ST Training Solutions
Success Skills Series
SHIRLEY TAYLOR
E-MAIL
ETIQUETTE
A FRESH LOOK AT DEALING EFFECTIVELY
WITH E-MAIL, DEVELOPING GREAT STYLE,
AND WRITING CLEAR, CONCISE MESSAGES
*email-etiquette cover.indd 1 4/15/09 4:00:03 PM
E-MAIL
ETIQUETTE
A FRESH LOOK AT DEALING EFFECTIVELY
WITH E-MAIL, DEVELOPING GREAT STYLE,
AND WRITING CLEAR, CONCISE MESSAGES
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ST Training Solutions
Success Skills Series
SHIRLEY TAYLOR
E-MAIL
ETIQUETTE
A FRESH LOOK AT DEALING EFFECTIVELY
WITH E-MAIL, DEVELOPING GREAT STYLE,
AND WRITING CLEAR, CONCISE MESSAGES
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© 2009 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
© text Shirley Taylor
© series title Shirley Taylor
Illustrations by Edwin Ng
Cover art by Opal Works Co. Limited
Published by Marshall Cavendish Business
An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International
1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should
be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited,
1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone].
E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.marshallcavendish.com/genref
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this
book, and specifi cally disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fi tness for
any particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profi t or any other
commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or
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Other Marshall Cavendish Offi ces
Marshall Cavendish Ltd. 5th Floor 32–38 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8FH • Marshall Cavendish
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Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
National Library Board Singapore Cataloguing in Publication Data
Taylor, Shirley.
E-mail etiquette : a fresh look at dealing effectively with e-mail, developing great style,
and writing clear, concise messages / by Shirley Taylor. – Singapore : Marshall
Cavendish Business,– c2009.
p. cm. – (Success skills series)
Includes index.
ISBN-13 : 978-981-261-673-9
ISBN-10 : 981-261-673-X

1. Electronic mail messages. 2. Commercial correspondence.
3. Online etiquette. I. Title. II. Series: Success skills series (ST Training Solutions)
HD30.37
651.79 — dc22 OCN313955248
Printed in Singapore by Times Printers Pte Ltd
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PREFACE
Congratulations on picking up this copy of E-mail Etiquette. I’m very proud
that this is one of the first books in the ST Training Solutions ‘Success Skills’
series. This series includes several short, practical books on a range of
topics that will help you develop your skills and enhance your success at
work and in your personal life too.
The ‘Success Skills’ series was originally created to meet the needs of
participants of ST Training Solutions public workshops. After attending one
of our workshops, many participants expressed a real desire to continue
learning, to find out more about the topic, to take it to another level.
They were hungry for knowledge. Just the effect I hoped for when I set up
ST Training Solutions Pte Ltd in 2007. With the ‘Success Skills’ series of
books, the experience and expertise of our trainers can be enjoyed by
many more people.
As Series Editor, I’ve enjoyed working with authors to make sure the books
are easy-to-read, highly practical, and written in straightforward, simple
language. Every book is packed with essential tools and strategies that
will make you more effective and successful. We’ve included illustrations
that reinforce some key points, because I believe we learn more if we add
some fun and humour. You’ll also notice some key features that highlight
important learning points:
Myth Buster Here you will find a statement that is not true,
with notes on the true facts of the matter.
Fast Fact Useful snippets of information or special points to
remember.
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Aha! Moment This is a ‘light bulb’ moment, when we note something
you may be able to conclude from a discussion. Don’t
forget to note your own ‘Aha! Moments’ perhaps when
you receive some extra insight that clarifies an
important point.
Try This Here you’ll find a suggestion for how you can put a
special point into practice, either at home or at
work.
Danger Zone You’ll find some words of warning here, such as things
to avoid or precautions to take.
Star Tips At the end of each chapter you’ll find a list of Star Tips —
important notes to remind you about the key points.
By picking up this book you have already shown a desire to learn more.
The solid advice and practical guidelines provided in this book will show
you how you can really go from good to great!
Good luck!
Shirley Taylor
Series Editor
CEO, ST Training Solutions Pte Ltd
www.shirleytaylortraining.com
www.shirleytaylor.com
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
ASSESS YOURSELF
1. THE AGE OF E-MAIL 1
The impact of e-mail on business 2
Consequences of e-mail 4
Why do we love e-mail? 7
Handheld electronic devices 9
E-mail enhances e fficiency 11
International considerations 12
Interacting with groups on the I nternet 13
Star Tips for making the most of e-mail 15

2. THE PITFALLS AND THE POTENTIAL OF E-MAIL 17
Seven deadly sins of working with e-mail 18
What can go wrong with e-mail? 18
Why don’t we love e-mail? 20
Top 10 complaints about e-mail in practice 24
When not to use e-mail 28
Think twice before you hit ‘Send’ 31
Turning problems into potential 32
Star Tips for maximising the potential of e-mail 35

3. MANAGING YOUR MAILBOX 37
Seven deadly sins of e-mail management 38
‘You’ve got mail’ flow chart 39
Receiving mail 40
Processing mail 40
Auto-reply messages 44
Using folders 45
Using filters (or rules) 46
The benefits of being organised 47
Star Tips for effective e-mail management 49
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4. LOOKING GOOD ONLINE 51
Seven deadly sins of message preparation 52
CC and BCC 53
SMART subject lines 54
Greetings (or salutations) 58
Ending your message 62
Signatures 63
Final thoughts on greetings and closings 65
Disclaimers and confidentiality clauses 65
Attachments 67
Star Tips for looking good online 69
5. WRITING GREAT E-MAILS 71
Seven deadly sins of business writing 72
Traditional versus modern business writing 73
What goes wrong in written communication? 75
The ABC of modern business writing 76
Benefits of the ABC approach 79
Six rules of good writing 80
Compose CLEAR messages 88
Do you down-edit? 90
Star Tips for writing great e-mails 93
6. PLANNING AND STRUCTURING YOUR MESSAGES 95
Seven deadly sins of planning and structuring your messages 96
Seven steps to success in planning messages 96
The Four Point Plan for structuring messages logically 100
The Four Point Plan in practice 104
Using lists and b ullets 106
Star Tips for planning and structuring messages 109
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