The following is from a handout that Stacey Anderson gave us at an eWomen event. She is a professional organizer and a really great speaker. I just had to share this valuable information. My additional comments are in teal.

• Be concise and to the point
• Use templates for frequently used responses
• Don’t leave out the previous message thread
• Read the entire email again before you sent it. This will save you embarrassment!
• Do not over use “Reply to All”.
• Use a meaningful subject line. Before responding to that email, or when you save it- change the subject line so that you can better understand what the message is about.  Perhaps add the date, topic or other specific details in the subject line.  And when sending an email make the subject line as specific as possible.
• Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT
• Avoid long sentences – try to keep entire email to one screen shot
• Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Use a signature that includes your address, email, and telephone number. If you want to set an expectation of when you will be checking and replying to email, include your business hours.
• Don’t reply to spam – mark as junk mail and delete
• Take care with abbreviations and emoticons
• Try not to use attachments – paste the information in the body of the email. If you must send a file that can’t be copied/pasted, send it using a service like YouSendIt.com. The recipient can download it from a link and there’s a lessened chance of the email getting blocked by spam filters (a common occurrence at larger companies).
• Know that what you write is permanent and can be sent/forwarded to anyone
• Mailings – use the BCC: field or do a mail merge so email addresses are not visible
• If you CC: someone on an email, specify what you expect from them so everyone knows if they need to respond or not.

If you would like more tips about taming your email, contact:

Stacey Anderson- Professional Organizer, Speaker and Author
www.organizedinnovations.com
425-785-5239