Email Mistakes You Should Avoid
Here’s a post titled “Email Etiquette“ from The WebPrepPro blog written by guest blogger, Michael. The advises against three email mistakes that could be easy to forget, but should really be so ingrained in our communication skills that they’re easily avoided:
- Failing to return emails.
- Being too casual - emails are business letters, after all.
- Forgetting your manners - talking in all caps, using an impolite tone.
Since we’re on the subject, I’d like to add a few to the list:
4. Failing to say everything in one email. No one wants a succession of 3, 4, or 5 “Oh yeah, and I forgot…” emails. Think of everything you need to say and get it in one message.
5. Forgetting the attachment. It’s an easy mistake to make, but it’s not an attractive one. A lot of people do it, I’ve done it, too. It can send the message that you don’t pay attention to details. If you use Outlook, you can create a Macro to scan your outgoing messages and cancel sending if there’s no attachment. My AOL account does this automatically. You’d think by 2007, Microsoft could have done it, too.
6. Sending to the wrong person. You could mistakenly disclose confidential information. Even if you don’t, it’s embarrassing and could make you seem careless. I often leave the “To:” box blank when I’m composing a new message, even if it’s a reply. Between hot keys and quirky mice, it’s easy for a message to be sent by mistake.
7. Relying on built-in spelling and grammar check. This goes beyond emails and into your every day work. Automatic spelling and checks only go so far with making your your messages are error-free. Don’t rely on them completely. Always read your emails out loud (or at least in a whisper) before you send them. You’ll catch errors that spell check didn’t - like words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly.
