Guidelines for Effective Use of E-Mail

These guidelines will help you make efficient and effective use of email. Follow the advice and you will be able to develop good practice for handling email and avoid many potential pitfalls.

Email is an essential means of communication. However, if you don't manage your email use, it can be a drain on your productivity and become stressful.

Guidelines for effective use of E-Mail

• Consider carefully what you write in E-mail, it’s a permanent record and can be easily forwarded to others.
• Write succinctly. Think about the time that will be spent by the recipient in reading it.
• Restrict message to one main topic.
• Keep message short and to the point.
• Use bullet points, not long running paragraphs.
• Do not include meaningless or unnecessary attachments.
• Avoid attaching large files (over 2 MB).
• Write descriptive subject lines. Many busy people will only open messages only with captivating subject lines. Think creatively.
• Use importance flag to mark serious and non-serious messages.
• Say if no reply is needed.
• Capitalize words only to highlight an important point or to distinguish to a title or heading. Capitalizing whole words that are not titles is generally termed as SHOUTING!
• *Asterisks* surrounding a word can be used to make a stronger point.
• Read over your e-mail before u sends it. Although e-mail is a more informal method of communication than writing a letter, be sure you make your points clear and concise. Use a spell checker.
• Make sure you know to whom your message is being sent.
• If it is not a general message, restrict one name on TO line from whom you expects an action.
• CC as few people as possible.
• BCC… (Blind copy) field should be use to a minimum.
• Use “reply to all” with great caution. Re-check the recipient list before sending.
• Do not send content-free replies.
• Avoid sending replies in hurry. Think coolly, before sending a reply.
• Don’t quote back an entire message when only responding to one or two points. Delete the excess and make a note at the very top before starting the quotes.
• If you receive unwanted or unnecessary internal e-mails, feel free to reply to the sender: I don’t need this; please don’t send me this type of information again.
• When forwarding message, put your comments at the top of the message.
• Never forward or send a chain letter, if you receive one, delete it from the inbox.
• Do not send or forward JUNK mails (mails which do not help in enhancing enterprise or individual productivity).
• Never send a message unless you know it to be true.