Top 3 Business Email Tips

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Here are my top 3 business email etiquette tips that have worked well for me and many others:

#1 – Never flag business emails with “high priority”

• If an email is important enough that it warrants “high priority” (i.e. that red exclamation point in most email programs), then it warrants a face-to-face conversation, phone call, or urgent voicemail.
• Don’t “drop bombs” in email by sending high priority messages. Just seek out the people you are sending the message to and talk to them.

#2 – Never use BCC in business emails

• If you need someone to see an email you sent, forward it to them from your sent items. Never use BCC – if people ever find out that you use it, they will likely never trust your email conversations again.
• Since the reader of a BCC email can “reply to all” they can easily “reveal” that they are on the email.

#3 – Make your emails easy to read

• Most people are dealing with an email “avalanche” every single day. Create messages that are easy to scan, and don’t take a lot of effort to read.
• Keep your emails as concise as possible. Write it, and then try to cut it in half!
• Bulleted lists are your friend – use bulleted lists (which are easy to scan) whenever possible. If you are sending messages to Blackberry users, you can use an * (i.e. shift plus the number eight) as a bullet. Try to limit your use of long paragraphs of copy.
• If you are using formatting in your emails, use black text for normal content. Use red text for eye-catching, must-read content (and bad news). Use green text for good news.

If you’re looking for more info on email organization, check out my Email Management series.

If you can think of other email etiquette tips, please feel free to post a comment!

• Get Control of Your Email – Email Management, Part II
• Get Control of Your Email – Email Management, Part I
• Get Control of Your Email – Email Management, Part III
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• 6 Tips for Discussing Issues with Your Colleagues [Plus a Bonus Business Communication Secret]