5 tips for sending stellar (and polite) emails

There’s no avoiding email.  As much as I love cool communication apps like slack, there are definitely some situations that require good old(ish) fashion email.  Personally, I use email quite often and as a product of this, I’ve noticed some common mistakes that people make – bad etiquette, poor wording, bad grammar and spelling… the list goes on.  Luckily, most of these mistakes are easy to fix!

In that vein, here are 5 tips for sending stellar (and polite) emails:

1. Use an effective subject line

Would you have opened this email if the subject was: “OPEN ME!  I’ll help you write better emails!!!!!!!”?  I definitely wouldn’t have.  The subject should be concise, nicely worded, and tell your recipient what the email is about.  Try: “Charlene is taking Jason’s shift tomorrow at group home A” instead of “Important update!!!”.  By giving the recipient context, they are more likely to open important emails and they will better know what the messages context.

2. NEVER WRITE IN ALL CAPITALS

I get it, you have one line that’s really important and you want to emphasize it, but writing in all capitals conveys that you are shouting at the person.  Nobody likes to be yelled at!  Instead, use bold, font colour, or font-size to get your point across.

3. CC people you talk about

It’s rude to talk about someone behind their back and this extends to email as well.  If you’re talking about someone, it’s best to CC them so they know what’s going on.  Obviously there are exceptions (you wouldn’t want to tell Sherry about her own surprise party), but in general if you’re unsure, just CC the person.

4. Use BCC for private emails with multiple recipients

 BCC allows you to send one email to a list of recipients without them viewing who else was on the list.  This is useful for sending messages to group home residents where you don’t want the recipients see each other’s email addresses.

5. Don’t overdo the 🙂 ’s

Unless you’re texting a friend, or sharing a cute dog in a watermelon (you’re welcome  🙂 ), it’s best to avoid emoticons.  They come off as unprofessional, are often ambiguous, and not everybody will understand what they mean.

Bonus tip: Proofread before you click send

Nothing is wore then reeding an email ridled with typos.  They make you look bad and leave a bad impression with your recipient.  Always take the time to read through your emails and make sure that you didn’t make any careless mistakes – you’ll be glad you did!

Hopefully these tips will help you become an email writing superstar!

Have another tip to add? Don’t like one of mine?  Know a way cuter dog gif?  Leave us a comment and let us know!  We leave hearing from you guys!