Using email etiquette to make your email experience better
Emails can be one of the most tedious tasks one can do in a day. If you are anything like me you don’t enjoy writing emails. I always felt like there was a better way to communicate than emails. At the same time, email is one of the most useful tools we can have under our belts. And it is one of the best ways to communicate information with other people. So I had to overcome this “issue” I had with emails. After watching Jeff Su’s video on email etiquette I thought maybe it wasn’t me, but maybe I wasn’t practicing proper etiquette and rules for emails, and through this, I can improve my email experience. Now, there are no special rules or criteria that we have to follow, and I get it. Life happens, and sometimes you need to send a quick email to get your point across. But if we can practice general rules and etiquette, I think it will enhance, not only your own experience, but help other people as well. Jeff Su, a popular YouTuber and Product Marketing Manager at Google, talks about the importance of having proper email etiquette, and I wanted to share some tips he provided that stuck out to me.
Having a proper subject line
Nothing bothers me more than not having a proper subject line. There are times when people don’t have a subject line or some people just write their entire email on the subject line. A few things wrong with this is that it can have people think it is a phishing attempt. Another thing is that it just makes you look unprofessional. When you have a proper email subject line it should tell what the point of the email is and the main topic of the email.
Recapping the user email in the response
There would be times, when I get an email and I would be unsure of the request, but still respond with what I think they were saying, only to have us go back and forth a few more times before finally understanding. However, if I just took the time to recap the user’s email and then answered the email, we could have saved so much time. This is something I wish I had done earlier. I was so worried that if I was unable to respond within the first few emails, people would think I was dumb and incompetent. In reality, not doing that made me look dumb and incompetent. When we are able to summarize the user's email, we show that we are capable of understanding and dissecting questions and problems. And when we respond to them, we demonstrate we are capable of problem-solving and providing answers. And if we are wrong, the other person can clarify information for us saving time.
Say the main point and provide the context
When responding to emails, say the main point of the email and then provide the context information. This tip from Jeff Su resonated with me the most. There would be times when I would get an email, and I would sit there staring because I didn’t understand the main point of the email. I would have to sit there dissecting the email and looking for the main point. If we just said the main point and provided all the information, it would make life so much easier. I also have been guilty of not doing this, and this is something I am trying to be better at.
Reply not reply all
When we respond to emails, we all know there is a reply and reply all button. I'm sure we have all done it; you are responding to an email chain, and you mean to send just one email to one person, only to accidentally click on reply all. It sucks, I know. I believe this is something that shows courtesy to other people as well. We don’t need to flood other people’s inboxes with emails that have nothing to do with them. Making sure we are responding to just one person helps other people and makes sure you don’t accidentally send something you did not mean for others to see.
When you first think of emails it isn’t something you think about often, and you don’t think of it as a skill. And you are right, email itself isn’t a skill, but being able to manage and respond to your emails is a skill. When we show email etiquette, it shows respect and that we are considerate of the other person. Email etiquette is not something you have to do, but by putting some of these tips to use, you can instantly look more professional and show your superiors that you are willing to put in the extra mile.
Thanks again to Jeff Su for these tips.