8 Email Etiquette Tips - How to Write Better Emails at Work

Summary

In this insightful video, Jeff shares the impact of email etiquette on professional perception and offers eight practical tips to enhance workplace communication. He emphasizes the importance of clear subject lines with specific calls to action, maintaining single email threads for continuity, and being transparent about recipient changes. Jeff also advises placing the main point upfront, summarizing for clarity, using hyperlinks, and adjusting email settings to avoid common mistakes. These strategies not only save time but also project competence and efficiency.

Takeaways

• 😀 Email etiquette is not a career breaker but can influence how competent you appear to colleagues.
• 📝 Learning the unspoken rules of professional email writing is essential and often gained through experience.
• 📧 Having a clear call to action in the subject line, including the required action and estimated time, makes emails more effective.
• 🔗 Stick to one email thread for a single topic to maintain context and avoid inbox clutter.
• 👋 Clearly explain when you add or remove recipients in an email thread to keep everyone informed.
• 📌 Place the main point of the email at the beginning, followed by context to ensure recipients grasp the key message quickly.
• 📚 Summarize the sender's main points in your reply if the original email is disorganized to confirm understanding and help clarify their thoughts.
• 🔗 Hyperlink shared content in emails for a cleaner look and to reduce the risk of URL errors.
• 💬 Change the default email reply setting to 'Reply' instead of 'Reply All' to minimize potential mistakes.
• ⏱️ Set the 'Undo Send' option to 30 seconds to allow time to catch and correct mistakes after hitting send.
• 🔑 Following these email etiquette tips can enhance communication skills and save time for both the sender and the recipient.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video script?

The main purpose of the video script is to educate viewers on the importance of email etiquette in the workplace and to provide tips on how to write professional emails effectively.

Who is the speaker in the video script?

The speaker in the video script is Jeff, who is partnering with Harvard Business Review to share his insights on workplace email etiquette.

What are the benefits of mastering email etiquette in the workplace according to the script?

Mastering email etiquette in the workplace can make one appear more competent, save the recipient's time by presenting relevant information clearly, and potentially avoid unnecessary back-and-forth email threads.

What is the first step suggested for writing a professional email?

The first step suggested is to include a clear call to action in the email subject line, specifying what the recipient needs to do and the estimated time it will take.

Why is it recommended to stick to one email thread for the same topic?

Sticking to one email thread for the same topic preserves the context of the conversation and prevents recipients' inboxes from being cluttered with multiple emails on the same subject.

What should be done when adding or removing recipients in an email thread?

When adding or removing recipients, it is recommended to clearly state this at the top of the email, possibly in parentheses and italicized, to immediately inform the readers of the change.

Why is it advised to place the main point of the email first?

Placing the main point first allows the recipient to quickly understand the purpose of the email and decide whether to read further, which is especially helpful when emailing someone with a busy schedule.

What should you do if you receive a disorganized email?

If you receive a disorganized email, you should identify and summarize the sender's main points in your reply before addressing their query, which helps confirm your understanding and shows effort in organizing their thoughts.

Why is hyperlinking important when sharing links in an email?

Hyperlinking makes the email cleaner and more professional-looking, and it reduces the chance of making a mistake in the URL by accidentally adding or deleting a character.

What is the recommended default setting for replying to emails?

The recommended default setting is to reply to the sender only, rather than replying to all recipients, to minimize the risk of accidentally sending a message to unintended recipients.

Why should the 'undo send' option be changed to 30 seconds?

Changing the 'undo send' option to 30 seconds allows more time to catch and correct mistakes after an email has been sent, which can be particularly useful given the common occurrence of realizing errors shortly after sending.

How can viewers subscribe to Jeff's YouTube channel for more productivity content?

Viewers can subscribe to Jeff's YouTube channel by clicking on the provided link or searching for 'JEFF SU' on YouTube.

Outlines

00:00

📧 Mastering Email Etiquette for Professionalism

Jeff, the speaker, emphasizes the importance of email etiquette in the workplace. He argues that while making mistakes won't derail one's career, mastering the art of professional emailing can enhance one's perceived competence. He shares his personal experiences and learnings from his job as a management consultant, outlining the benefits of well-crafted emails, which include showcasing strong communication skills and saving time for the reader by presenting relevant information concisely. Jeff introduces his top eight tips for professional email etiquette, promising practical advice gained from real-world challenges.

05:00

🔗 Enhancing Email Clarity and Efficiency with Etiquette Tips

In the second paragraph, Jeff continues his discussion on email etiquette by offering specific tips to improve email clarity and efficiency. He advises to hyperlink shared content for cleaner presentation and reduced URL errors, to change the default email reply setting from 'reply all' to 'reply' to minimize potential mistakes, and to extend the 'undo send' option to 30 seconds to allow for catching and correcting errors post-send. Jeff's tips are aimed at making email communication more organized and less error-prone, thereby fostering a more professional image and smoother workflow.

Keywords

💡Email Etiquette

Email etiquette refers to the conventions for communication through email that are accepted in professional settings. In the video, it is the central theme, emphasizing the importance of proper email communication in the workplace to project competence and efficiency. The script discusses various tips on how to improve email etiquette, such as including clear calls to action and maintaining a single email thread for a topic.

💡Professional Emails

Professional emails are formal written communications used in a business context. The video script highlights the impact of well-crafted professional emails on how a sender is perceived by colleagues. It provides tips to enhance the professionalism of emails, including being concise, clear, and including all necessary information in an organized manner.

💡Call to Action

A call to action (CTA) is a prompt for the recipient to perform a specific task. In the context of the video, the speaker suggests including a CTA in the subject line of an email, making it explicit what is required from the recipient and the estimated time it will take, which helps in setting expectations and prompting timely responses.

💡Email Subject Line

The email subject line is the title or summary of the email's content that appears in the recipient's inbox. The script emphasizes the importance of crafting effective subject lines that include a clear call to action and, if possible, the estimated time required for the task, to provide context and urgency.

💡Email Thread

An email thread refers to a series of related messages within an email conversation. The video script advises sticking to one email thread for a particular topic to maintain context and avoid cluttering inboxes with multiple emails on the same subject.

💡Recipients

Recipients are the individuals to whom an email is sent. The script discusses the importance of being transparent when adding or removing recipients from an email thread, to ensure everyone is aware of their involvement and the reason for their inclusion or exclusion.

💡Main Point

The main point of an email is the primary message or request that the sender wants to convey. The video script stresses the importance of placing the main point at the beginning of the email, followed by supporting context, to ensure the recipient quickly understands the purpose of the communication.

💡Context

Context in an email refers to the background information that supports or explains the main point. The script suggests providing context after stating the main point, allowing the recipient to decide how much detail they need to read, which can be particularly helpful in concise communication.

💡Summarize

To summarize in the context of email communication means to condense and clarify the main points of a message. The video script recommends summarizing a sender's main points in a reply, especially when the original message is disorganized, to confirm understanding and assist the sender in better organizing their thoughts.

💡Hyperlink

A hyperlink is a clickable reference in an email that directs the recipient to a webpage or resource. The script advises using hyperlinks instead of plain text URLs to improve the appearance and functionality of email content, making it easier for recipients to access linked resources.

💡Default Setting

Default settings in email clients dictate the initial configuration for various functions, such as replying to an email. The video script suggests changing the default setting to 'reply' instead of 'reply all' to minimize the risk of accidentally sending a response to multiple recipients.

💡Undo Send

The 'undo send' feature in email clients allows users to recall an email shortly after it has been sent. The script recommends setting the 'undo send' delay to 30 seconds to give senders more time to catch and correct mistakes before the email is permanently sent.

Highlights

Learning professional email etiquette affects how competent you are perceived by colleagues.

Well-crafted emails showcase strong communication skills and save the reader's time.

Include a clear call to action in the email subject line with an estimated time for completion.

Be specific about the action required and who it is directed to in the subject line.

Stick to one email thread for the same topic to avoid context loss and inbox clutter.

Explain why you added or removed recipients in an email thread for clarity.

Place the main point of the email first, followed by the context to avoid burying the lead.

Summarize the sender's main points in your reply to disorganized emails for clarity.

Hyperlink shared content in emails for a cleaner appearance and to reduce URL errors.

Change the default email reply setting to 'Reply' instead of 'Reply All' to minimize potential mistakes.

Adjust the 'undo send' option to 30 seconds to catch and correct mistakes post-sending.

The importance of email etiquette in making a professional impression in the workplace.

The impact of poorly written emails on the efficiency of communication and task management.

The benefits of being concise and clear in the subject line to improve email response rates.

The value of maintaining a single email chain for ongoing discussions to preserve context.

The courtesy of informing recipients when they are added or removed from an email conversation.

The strategy of leading with the main request or question to ensure it is not overlooked.

The practice of summarizing disorganized emails to facilitate better understanding and response.

The preference for hyperlinking over pasting plain text URLs for professionalism and accuracy.

The risk management strategy of using 'Reply' as the default to avoid unintended 'Reply All' responses.

The practical tip of extending the 'undo send' feature to allow more time for post-send review.

Transcripts

SPEAKER: OK, real talk.

Making email etiquette mistakes in the workplace

it's not going to capsize your career,

but learning the unspoken rules of writing professional emails

will affect how competent you are perceived to be

in the eyes of your colleagues.

And since there are no standardized training courses

for this, in this video, I'm going

to first share the very real benefits of getting

good at emailing in the workplace, then dive

into my top eight tips for professional email

etiquette many of which I learned

the hard way during my first full time job

as a management consultant.

So let's get started.

Hi, everyone.

My name is Jeff, and I'm truly honored to be able to partner

with Harvard Business Review for this video

about a nerdy passion of mine.

Email etiquette in the workplace.

Think back to the last time you received a poorly written

email, you might have had to reread it

a few times to get the main point

and the action items might have been

scattered all over the place.

Worst case scenario, it led to an unnecessarily long back

and forth email thread that could have been avoided

had the initial email been properly planned out

and therein lies the beauty of well crafted emails.

Not only does it help you the sender

come across as more capable by showcasing strong communication

skills, but also saves the reader so much

of their time by only surfacing information relevant to them.

So without further ado, my first step

is to have a call to action when appropriate

in the email subject line.

Most of us are familiar with a generic action required

in subject lines all right?

My recommendation is just take it a step further

and include exactly what you need the recipient to do

and the estimated time it takes for them to do it.

For example, instead of writing action required,

feedback for project X, write five minutes survey feedback

for project X instead.

This very small trick probably gave you a lot more context.

It's a survey for project X I can

get it done very quickly in between the two

meetings I have.

Or if it's not appropriate to include the estimated time,

be specific about the call to action.

For example, instead of spending estimates for Q4,

write Elon to approve spending estimates for Q4.

So Elon knows what's expected of him

even before he opens the email.

Step number two, stick with one email thread

for the same topic.

I'm going to be honest I got called out

for this by colleague of mine, but I'm glad she told me.

Basically I used to send out separate emails

for the same project whenever I had a new idea

or follow up question.

But if you think about it from the recipient's point of view,

they're missing the context from the original email

thread and multiple new emails on the same topic

just clog up their inboxes unnecessarily.

So the general rule of thumb here

is to stick to the original email

chain for any given topic.

So everyone can refer to the same information.

Email etiquette tip number three,

explain why you added in or took out

recipients in email threads.

There are many situations you have to add someone

in to the email thread to get their input,

or take someone out to spare their inbox.

A professional and easy way to do this

is to add a sentence at the very top of the email

clearly showing who you added in or took out.

I'd like to add parentheses and italicize the font

to separate it from the actual email body this way

the readers know who the new recipients are immediately.

Tip number four, actually addresses a very big pet peeve

of mine, which is when senders include a lot information up

front, but what they're really trying to get at or ask for is

at the very end of the email.

To avoid that always include your main point first,

followed by the context.

Just compare these two emails.

Hi Jane, my name is Jeff and I'm in the product marketing team.

We're preparing a forecast deck for the big boss

and he's looking for the revenue projection numbers

for the secret electric car that's launching soon.

Can I trouble you to pull that data for me?

Compare that with, Hi Jane, may l

please trouble you for the electric car revenue

projection numbers?

Context, the product marketing team

is currently preparing a forecast deck for the big boss

and we're hoping to use the projections to fight

for more budget.

It would be amazing to get numbers for 2025 to 2030

in a Google Sheets format.

By pushing the context back, we're

giving the other person the option

to read the not so important part of the email.

Oftentimes when we're emailing someone more senior than us,

we feel obligated to explain why we're

emailing right at the beginning so it doesn't

seem like we're bothering them.

This is actually counterproductive

because if the person is very senior they probably just want

to know what you're emailing them

about how they can help deal with it then move on

with their own schedules.

Tip number five, if you receive an email

with a lot of disorganized content,

summarize the sender's main points for them in your reply.

So if you receive an email from someone who clearly has not

watched this video and sent you a long wordy convoluted message

you have to reread a few times you want to do two things.

Number one, send them this video, number two,

take a few minutes identify and bucket common themes

from their email and summarize their message

in a few sentences before responding to whatever

they're emailing you about.

Not only does this help you confirm your understanding is

correct, the other party will appreciate

the extra effort you took to help

them organize their thoughts.

Email etiquette tip number six, hyperlink whatever possible.

This is another pet peeve of mine.

If you're sharing a link with someone over email,

you really should take the extra few seconds

to hit Command K on Mac or Control K on Windows

and hyperlink the external website or wevedio.

Not only to this looks so much cleaner to the recipient

than just pasting the big clunky link,

but it also decreases the chances

of you making a mistake by adding an extra letter

or deleting one in the original URL.

Tip number seven, change default setting

to reply instead of reply all.

This is honestly the risk averse side of me talking.

The way I think about it, let's say your reply

to an email in a rush and you do make a mistake,

the damage is contained to that one recipient

because your default setting is a reply to one person instead

of reply to all.

This is a standard setting and most if not

all of the popular email clients and you can usually

find this in the general settings section.

And email etiquette tip number eight,

change undo send option to 30 seconds.

So you might not know this, but Murphy's law

when it comes to emailing the workplace,

is that you will always catch your mistakes

10 seconds after the email is already sent.

All jokes aside I'm sure we've all been there.

We send an email we go into the sent email folder to read it

from the other person's perspective

and we realize something is wrong.

Again this is a standard setting you can play around

with in all of the email apps.

Instead of the default five seconds undo send, for example,

we continue to 30 seconds for good measure.

Please let me and the HPR team know down the comments below,

which one of these tips was your favorite.

Or perhaps which ones you've already

been using all this time.

If you'd like to subscribe to my YouTube channel

where I make content on how to increase productivity at work,

feel free to click right here or search for JEFF SU.

See you on the next video, and In the meantime,

[CLICKING]

have a great one.

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