Email Ettiquette

1. Be concise and to the point.
Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading an e-mail is harder than reading printed communications and a long e-mail can be very discouraging to read.
2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions.
An email reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions – If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further e-mails regarding the unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and your customer’s time but also cause considerable frustration. Moreover, if you are able to pre-empt relevant questions, your customer will be grateful and impressed with your efficient and thoughtful customer service. Imagine for instance that a customer sends you an email asking which credit cards you accept. Instead of just listing the credit card types, you can guess that their next question will be about how they can order, so you also include some order information and a URL to your order page. Customers will definitely appreciate this.
3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation.
This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give a bad impression of your company, it is also important for conveying the message properly. E-mails with no full s s or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change the meaning of the text. And, if your program has a spell checking option, why not use it?
4. Make it personal.
Not only should the e-mail be personally addressed, it should also include personal i.e. customized content. For this reason auto replies are usually not very effective. However, templates can be used effectively in this way, see next tip.
5. Use templates for frequently used responses.
Some questions you get over and over again, such as directions to your office or how to subscribe to your newsletter. Save these texts as response templates and paste these into your message when you need them. You can save your templates in a Word document, or use pre-formatted emails..
6. Answer swiftly.
Customers send an e-mail because they wish to receive a quick response. If they did not want a quick response they would send a letter or a fax. Therefore, each e-mail should be replied to within at least 24 hours, and preferably within the same working day. If the email is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them. This will put the customer's mind at rest and usually customers will then be very patient!
7. Do not attach unnecessary files.
By sending large attachments you can annoy customers and even bring down their e-mail system. Wherever possible try to compress attachments and only send attachments when they are productive. Moreover, you need to have a good virus scanner in place since your customers will not be very happy if you send them documents full of viruses!
8. Use proper structure & layout.
Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, the structure and lay out is very important for e-mail messages. Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph. When making points, number them or mark each point as separate to keep the overview.
9. Do not overuse the high priority option.
We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. If you overuse the high priority option, it will lose its function when you really need it. Moreover, even if a mail has high priority, your message will come across as slightly aggressive if you flag it as 'high priority'.

10. Do not write in CAPITALS.
IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING. This can be highly annoying and might trigger an unwanted response in the form of a flame mail. Therefore, try not to send any email text in capitals.
11. Don't leave out the message thread.
When you reply to an email, you must include the original mail in your reply, in other words click 'Reply', instead of 'New Mail'. Some people say that you must remove the previous message since this has already been sent and is therefore unnecessary. However, I could not agree less. If you receive many emails you obviously cannot remember each individual email. This means that a 'threadless email' will not provide enough information and you will have to spend a frustratingly long time to find out the context of the email in order to deal with it. Leaving the thread might take a fraction longer in download time, but it will save the recipient much more time and frustration in looking for the related emails in their inbox!
12. Add disclaimers to your emails.
It is important to add disclaimers to your internal and external mails, since this can help protect your company from liability. Consider the following scenario: an employee accidentally forwards a virus to a customer by email. The customer decides to sue your company for damages. If you add a disclaimer at the bottom of every external mail, saying that the recipient must check each email for viruses and that it cannot be held liable for any transmitted viruses, this will surely be of help to you in court (read more about email disclaimers). Another example: an employee sues the company for allowing a racist email to circulate the office. If your company has an email policy in place and adds an email disclaimer to every mail that states that employees are expressly required not to make defamatory statements, you have a good case of proving that the company did everything it could to prevent offensive emails.
13. Read the email before you send it.
A lot of people don't bother to read an email before they send it out, as can be seen from the many spelling and grammar mistakes contained in emails. Apart from this, reading your email through the eyes of the recipient will help you send a more effective message and avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments.
14. Do not overuse Reply to All.
Only use Reply to All if you really need your message to be seen by each person who received the original message.
15. Mailings > use the Bcc: field or do a mail merge.
When sending an email mailing, some people place all the email addresses in the To: field. There are two drawbacks to this practice: (1) the recipient knows that you have sent the same message to a large number of recipients, and (2) you are publicizing someone else's email address without their permission. One way to get round this is to place all addresses in the Bcc: field. However, the recipient will only see the address from the To: field in their email, so if this was empty, the To: field will be blank and this might look like spamming. You could include the mailing list email address in the To: field, or even better, if you have Microsoft Outlook and Word you can do a mail merge and create one message for each recipient. A mail merge also allows you to use fields in the message so that you can for instance address each recipient personally. For more information on how to do a Word mail merge, consult the Help in Word.
16. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons.
In business emails, try not to use abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh out loud). The recipient might not be aware of the meanings of the abbreviations and in business emails these are generally not appropriate. The same goes for emoticons, such as the smiley :-). If you are not sure whether your recipient knows what it means, it is better not to use it.
17. Be careful with formatting.
Remember that when you use formatting in your emails, the sender might not be able to view formatting, or might see different fonts than you had intended. When using colors, use a color that is easy to read on the background.
18. Take care with rich text and HTML messages.
Be aware that when you send an email in rich text or HTML format, the sender might only be able to receive plain text emails. If this is the case, the recipient will receive your message as a .txt attachment. Most email clients however, including Microsoft Outlook, are able to receive HTML and rich text messages.
19. Do not forward chain letters.
Do not forward chain letters. We can safely say that all of them are hoaxes. Just delete the letters as soon as you receive them.
20. Do not request delivery and read receipts.
This will almost always annoy your recipient before he or she has even read your message. Besides, it usually does not work anyway since the recipient could have blocked that function, or his/her software might not support it, so what is the use of using it? If you want to know whether an email was received it is better to ask the recipient to let you know if it was received.

21. Do not ask to recall a message.
Biggest chances are that your message has already been delivered and read. A recall request would look very silly in that case wouldn't it? It is better just to send an email to say that you have made a mistake. This will look much more honest than trying to recall a message.
22. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission.
Do not copy a message or attachment belonging to another user without permission of the originator. If you do not ask permission first, you might be infringing on copyright laws.
23. Do not use email to discuss confidential information.
Sending an email is like sending a postcard. If you don't want your email to be displayed on a bulletin board, don't send it. Moreover, never make any libelous, sexist or racially discriminating comments in emails, even if they are meant to be a joke.
24. Use a meaningful subject.
Try to use a subject that is meaningful to the recipient as well as yourself. For instance, when you send an email to a company requesting information about a product, it is better to mention the actual name of the product, e.g. 'Product A information' than to just say 'product information' or the company's name in the subject.
25. Use active instead of passive.
Try to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible. For instance, 'We will process your order today', sounds better than 'Your order will be processed today'. The first sounds more personal, whereas the latter, especially when used frequently, sounds unnecessarily formal.
26. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT.
Even more so than the high-priority option, you must at all times try to avoid these types of words in an email or subject line. Only use this if it is a really, really urgent or important message.
27. Avoid long sentences.
Try to keep your sentences to a maximum of 15-20 words. Email is meant to be a quick medium and requires a different kind of writing than letters. Also take care not to send emails that are too long. If a person receives an email that looks like a dissertation, chances are that they will not even attempt to read it!
28. Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks.
By sending or even just forwarding one libelous, or offensive remark in an email, you and your company can face court cases resulting in multi-million dollar penalties.
29. Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters.
If you receive an email message warning you of a new unstoppable virus that will immediately delete everything from your computer, this is most probably a hoax. By forwarding hoaxes you use valuable bandwidth and sometimes virus hoaxes contain viruses themselves, by attaching a so-called file that will stop the dangerous virus. The same goes for chain letters that promise incredible riches or ask your help for a charitable cause. Even if the content seems to be bona fide, the senders are usually not. Since it is impossible to find out whether a chain letter is real or not, the best place for it is the recycle bin.
30. Keep your language gender neutral.
In this day and age, avoid using sexist language such as: 'The user should add a signature by configuring his email program'. Apart from using he/she, you can also use the neutral gender: ''The user should add a signature by configuring the email program'.
31. Don't reply to spam.
By replying to spam or by unsubscribing, you are confirming that your email address is 'live'. Confirming this will only generate even more spam. Therefore, just hit the delete button or use email software to remove spam automatically.
32. Use cc: field sparingly.
Try not to use the cc: field unless the recipient in the cc: field knows why they are receiving a copy of the message. Using the cc: field can be confusing since the recipients might not know who is supposed to act on the message. Also, when responding to a cc: message, should you include the other recipient in the cc: field as well? This will depend on the situation. In general, do not include the person in the cc: field unless you have a particular reason for wanting this person to see your response. Again, make sure that this person will know why they are receiving a copy.

How do you enforce email etiquette?
The first step is to create a written email policy. This email policy should include all the do's and don'ts concerning the use of the company's email system and should be distributed amongst all employees. Secondly, employees must be trained to fully understand the importance of email etiquette. Finally, implementation of the rules can be monitored by using email management software and email response tools.

Body Language

The DO’s
1- Always look at someone directly in their eyes when they are speaking to you. This may seem difficult at first but it’s definitely the #1 body language ingredient to make you successful when interacting with others. Note: Do not ever stare at someone.
2- Always stand up straight. You never want to slouch. Not only does this make you appear shorter but it projects an image of someone who has low self-esteem.
3- Smile. Smiling is your most powerful body language signal. Though it is not recommended to smile constantly (people will be under the impression you are searching for approval), you should still make an effort to appear happy and optimistic.
4- Do not make repeated, nervous like gestures. When speaking to someone it’s important to use body movements but never fast and repetitive ones (picture someone who is nervous while public speaking; this is exactly what you're NOT aiming for).
5- Create your own personal space. Make sure you let others know you have your own personal space and do not let them walk all over you. Note: you never want to invade someone else’s personal space.
6- Dedicate all of your attention to the person you are speaking with. Do not constantly look around as if you are uncomfortable or not interested.
7- Make sure to emphasize all of these tips when you meet someone new. First impressions count for a lot. You want to make the best impression you can.

Excel Shortcuts

Format Data
Ctrl
0
column
Hide columns
Format Data
Ctrl
1
format
Display the Format Cells dialog box
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
2
time
Apply Time format
Format Data
Ctrl
5
strikethrough
Apply or remove strikethrough formatting
Select Cells
Ctrl
6
object
Alternate between hiding objects, displaying objects, and displaying placeholders for objects
Select Cells
Ctrl
7
toolbar
Show or hide the Standard toolbar
Outline Data
Ctrl
8
outline
Display or hide outline symbols
Format Data
Ctrl
9
row
Hide rows
Enter Data
Ctrl
'
copy
Copy formula from cell above
Format Data
Alt
'
style
Style dialog box
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
'
number
Apply number format
Edit Data
Ctrl
-
delete
Delete selection
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
-
border
Remove outline borders
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
!
number
Apply Number format with 2 decimal places, thousands separator
Enter Data
Ctrl + Shift
"
copy
Copy value from cell above
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
#
date
Apply the Date format with the day, month, and year
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
$
currency
Apply Currency format
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
%
percent
Apply Percentage format with no decimal places
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
&
border
Apply the outline border
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
(
row
Unhide rows
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
)
column
Unhide columns
Select Cells
Ctrl + Shift
*
region
Select the current region
Move within Selection
Ctrl
.
move
Move clockwise to the next corner of the selection
Select Cells
Ctrl
/
array
Select current array
Enter Data
Ctrl + Shift
;
time
Enter the time
Enter Data
Ctrl
;
date
Enter the date
Select Cells
Alt
;
cells
Select visible cells in current selection
Select Cells
Ctrl
[
dependent
Select direct dependents
Select Cells
Ctrl + Shift
[
dependent
Select all dependents
Select Cells
Ctrl
\
difference
Select differences
Select Cells
Ctrl + Shift
\
unequal
Select unequal cells
Select Cells
Ctrl
]
precedent
Select direct precedents
Select Cells
Ctrl + Shift
]
precedent
Select all precedents
Format Data
Ctrl + Shift
^
number
Apply Exponential number format
Enter Data
Ctrl
`
formula
Toggle formula view
Edit Data
Ctrl + Shift
=
insert
Insert blank cells
Enter Data
Alt
=
AutoSum
Insert the AutoSum formula
Enter Data
Ctrl
A
formula
Display Formula Palette after typing function name in formula
Enter Data
Ctrl + Shift
A
formula
Insert the argument names and parentheses for a function after you type a function name in a formula
Select Cells
Ctrl
A
All
Select the entire worksheet
Enter Data
Arrow key
move
Move one character up, down, left, or right
Move and Scroll
Ctrl
Arrow key
move
Move to edge of current region
Move and Scroll
Arrow key
move
Move one cell up, down, left, or right
Select Cells
Ctrl + Shift
Arrow Key
select
Extend the selection to the last nonblank cell in the same column or row as the active cell
Select Cells
Shift
Arrow Key
select
Extend the selection by one cell
Format Data
Ctrl
B
bold
Apply or remove bold formatting
Enter Data
Backspace
delete
Delete character to left of insertion point, or delete selection
Move and Scroll
Ctrl
Backspace
scroll
Scroll to display the active cell
Select Cells
Shift
Backspace
select
Select only the active cell when multiple cells are selected
Edit Data
Ctrl
C
copy
Copy the selection
Enter Data
Ctrl
D
fill
Fill down
Enter Data
Ctrl
Delete
delete
Delete text to the end of the line
Enter Data
Delete
delete
Delete character to right of insertion point, or delete selection
Enter Data
Alt
Down Arrow
AutoComplete
Display the AutoComplete list
Move and Scroll
Ctrl
End
move
Move to the last cell on the worksheet
Select Cells
Ctrl + Shift
End
select
Extend the selection to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner)
Enter Data
Alt
Enter
line break
Start a new line in the same cell
Enter Data
Ctrl
Enter
fill
Fill the selected cell range with current entry
Enter Data
Ctrl + Shift
Enter
array
Enter formula as array formula
Enter Data
Shift
Enter
complete
Complete cell entry and move up in selection
Enter Data
Enter
complete
Complete cell entry and move down in selection
Enter Data
Esc
cancel
Cancel a cell entry
Menus
Esc
close
Close visible menu or submenu
Windows
Ctrl
Esc
Start
Show the Windows Start menu
Help
F1
Help
Open the Help Task pane
Menus
Shift
F10
shortcut
Show a shortcut menu
Menus
F10
menu
Make the menu bar active
Windows
Ctrl
F10
maximize
Maximize or restore the workbook window
Charts
F11
chart
Create a chart that uses the current range
Macros
Alt
F11
VBE
Display the Visual Basic Editor
Macros
Ctrl
F11
macro
Insert a Microsoft Excel 4.0 macro sheet
Worksheets
Shift
F11
worksheet
Insert a new worksheet
Workbook
Ctrl
F12
open
Display the Open dialog box
Workbook
F12
save as
Open the Save As dialog box
Workbook
Shift
F12
save
Save the file
Print
Ctrl + Shift
F12
print
Display the Print dialog box
Charts
Alt
F2
chart
Create a chart that uses the current range
Enter Data
Shift
F2
comment
Edit a cell comment
Enter Data
F2
edit
Edit the active cell and position the insertion point at the end of the line
Worksheets
Alt + Shift
F2
worksheet
Insert a new worksheet
Enter Data
Ctrl
F3
name
Define a name
Enter Data
Ctrl + Shift
F3
name
Create names from row and column labels
Enter Data
Shift
F3
function
Paste a function into a formula
Enter Data
F3
name
Paste defined name into formula
Enter Data
F4
repeat
Repeat the last action
Move and Scroll
Shift
F4
find
Repeat the last Find action (Find Next)
Windows
Ctrl
F4
close
Close the active workbook window
Move and Scroll
Shift
F5
find
Display the Find dialog box
Move and Scroll
F5
go to
Display the Go To dialog box
Windows
Ctrl
F5
restore
Restore the active workbook window size
Dialog Box
F6
dialog box
In a range selection box, switch focus to the worksheet
Move and Scroll
Ctrl
F6
window
Move to the next workbook or window
Move and Scroll
Ctrl+Shift
F6
window
Move to the previous workbook or window
Move and Scroll
Shift
F6
pane
Move to previous pane in workbook that has been split
Move and Scroll
F6
pane
Move to next pane in split workbook
Edit Data
F7
spell
Display the Spelling dialog box
Windows
Ctrl
F7
move
Carry out Move command (workbook icon menu, menu bar), or use arrow keys to move the window
Macros
Alt
F8
macro
Display the Macro dialog box
Select Cells
Shift
F8
select
Add another range of cells to the selection; or use the arrow keys to move to the start of the range you want to add, and then press F8 and the arrow keys to select the next range
Select Cells
F8
select
Turn on extending a selection by using the arrow keys
Windows
Ctrl
F8
size
Carry out Size command (workbook icon menu, menu bar), or use arrow keys to size the window
Enter Data
Ctrl + Alt
F9
calculate
Calculate all sheets in the active workbook
Enter Data
Shift
F9
calculate
Calculate the active worksheet
Enter Data
F9
calculate
Calculate all sheets in all open workbooks
Windows
Ctrl
F9
minimize
Minimize the workbook window to an icon
Move and Scroll
Ctrl
Home
move
Move to the beginning of the worksheet
Move and Scroll
Home
move
Move to the beginning of the row
Select Cells
Ctrl + Shift
Home
select
Extend the selection to the beginning of the worksheet
Select Cells
Shift
Home
select
Extend the selection to the beginning of the row
Format Data
Ctrl
I
italic
Apply or remove italic formatting
Enter Data
Ctrl
K
hyperlink
Insert a hyperlink
Move within Selection
Ctrl + Alt
Left Arrow
move
Move left between nonadjacent selections
Outline Data
Alt + Shift
Left Arrow
group
Ungroup rows or columns
Select Cells
Ctrl + Shift
O
comment
Select all cells with comments
Print
Ctrl
P
print
Display the Print dialog box
Move and Scroll
Alt
Page Down
move
Move one screen to the right
Move and Scroll
Ctrl
Page Down
move
Move to the next sheet in the workbook
Move and Scroll
Page Down
move
Move down one screen
Select Cells
Shift
Page Down
select
Extend the selection down one screen
Worksheets
Ctrl + Shift
Page Down
select
Select current and next sheet in workbook
Move and Scroll
Alt
Page Up
move
Move one screen to the left
Move and Scroll
Ctrl
Page Up
move
Move to the previous sheet in the workbook
Move and Scroll
Page Up
move
Move up one screen
Select Cells
Shift
Page Up
select
Extend the selection up one screen
Worksheets
Ctrl + Shift
Page Up
select
Select current and previous in workbook
Windows
Alt
Print Screen
copy
Copy the image of the active window to the Clipboard
Windows
Print Screen
copy
Copy the image of the screen to the Clipboard
Enter Data
Ctrl
R
fill
Fill to the right
Move within Selection
Ctrl + Alt
Right Arrow
move
Move right between nonadjacent selections
Outline Data
Alt + Shift
Right Arrow
group
Group rows or columns
Menus
Alt
Spacebar
menu
Show control menu
Select Cells
Ctrl
Spacebar
column
Select the entire column
Select Cells
Ctrl + Shift
Spacebar
objects
With an object selected, select all objects on a sheet
Select Cells
Shift
Spacebar
row
Select the entire row
Move and Scroll
Ctrl
Tab
window
Move to the next workbook or window
Move and Scroll
Ctrl+Shift
Tab
window
Move to the previous workbook or window
Move within Selection
Shift
Tab
left
Move left
Move within Selection
Tab
right
Move right
Windows
Alt
Tab
program
Switch to the next program
Windows
Alt + Shift
Tab
program
Switch to the previous program
Format Data
Ctrl
U
underline
Apply or remove an underline
Edit Data
Ctrl
V
paste
Paste the selection
Windows
Ctrl
W
close
Close the active workbook window
Edit Data
Ctrl
X
cut
Cut the selection
Enter Data
Ctrl
Y
repeat
Repeat the last action
Edit Data
Ctrl
Z
undo
Undo the last action