March is National E-Mail Etiquette Month

PALM BEACH, FL, March 16, 2011 (Press-News.org) March is National E-mail Etiquette Month - an event founded by business etiquette expert Pat Stonehouse to encourage people to clean up their e-mail and communicate in a more professional manner.

E-mail has changed how we communicate in business, says Stonehouse. Your e-mail is as much a part of your business image as your clothing, your interpersonal skills and your body language. E-mail has replaced face-to-face meetings, the phone and mail as the major form of business communication. The impression you make with your e-mail is as important as the impression you make in person. These days, the first impression we often make is by e-mail.

E-mail comes with it's own set of rules called Netiquette. According to Pat Stonehouse, e-mail users can take these steps to improve their e-mail and their business image:

1. E-mail isn't private. Don't say anything in an e-mail that you wouldn't want said on the front page of a newspaper.

2. Reply promptly. Reply within 24 hours, preferably the same working day.

3. Forward only necessary documents. Ask permission if you can forward an e-mail to a third party. Add a note about why you are forwarding.

4. Use spell check. Misspelled words should always be corrected. Spell check will catch misspelled words, but not misused ones. For example; weather and whether.

5. Reread twice. Check the content and tone. Don't use sarcasm and humor that could be misinterpreted. E-mails rely solely on words and don't have the benefit of facial expression or voice infliction.

6. Avoid emoticons and abbreviations. Many people don't know what they mean.

7. Avoid sending jokes, chain letters and pornography. Don't waste other people's time and fill up their mail boxes by sending junk e-mail.

8. Keep your cool. Never reply to an e-mail when you are upset. Avoid FLAMING!!!, which is using capitals, exclamation marks and red ink.

9. Keep it short. This is not the time to be a novelist.

10. Format correctly. Business e-mail should contain a salutation, a closing and a signature.

11. Use a meaningful subject line. A subject line often determines when an e-mail gets opened. Make the subject line descriptive and meaningful.

12. Reply vs. Reply to all. Know the difference between the two. Use reply to all only when every single person who was sent the e-mail needs to know your reply.

13. Don't get too attached. Ask permission to send an e-mail attachment and identify the program it was created in.

Pat Stonehouse is the founder of Advancing With Style, a premier business etiquette firm with offices in Palm Beach, Florida and Toronto, Ontario. Since 1982, she has been advising executives and corporations in the development of their professional presence, elevating their personal brand and strengthening their interpersonal communication skills. For more, visit http://advancingwithstyle.com or call (416) 848-7106 or (561) 228-1506.