With the domination of “social media language”, it is easy to get carried away when constructing an email and unintentionally just type “what’s up?” in a corporate email to a superior. With this in mind, let’s discuss the corporate email etiquette and corporate email language. Email etiquette is simply the principles to employ when writing or replying emails. It is also known as the code of conduct for email communication. Email etiquette is largely dependent on whom the receiver of the said mail is; colleague (senior or equal), client or family. Good corporate email etiquette shows your professionalism and increases your chance of a prompt response.
To begin, you absolutely need to have the following in every corporate email:
- Clear and Concise subject
- Salutations and Brief Introduction (if it’s a first-time email)
- Courteous and straight to the point body
- Valediction
- Email Signature
- No Errors or Blunders
To: This is for the recipient(s) of the email you are about to send.
Cc (Courtesy Copy): This space is reserved for those that the email may indirectly concern but no action or response is necessarily required except an acknowledgment of receipt.
Bcc (Blind Courtesy Copy): This is similar to courtesy copy but the original recipient of the email cannot see who has been blindly copied in the email except the blind copy email.
Subject:
The Subject is to an email what a trailer is to a movie. It is a sneak peek of what the Email is about. When choosing a mail subject, you must bear in mind that it has to;
- Capture summarily the content of the mail
- Be self-explanatory
- Be brief and concise; not too wordy.
Salutations and Brief Introduction:
Regardless of whom the recipient of a mail is, it is paramount that the tonality of the mail is courteous. Every mail should begin with some form of salutation; Good morning, Good day, Dear ***, Hi etc. The opening sentence after the salutation should be warm, this sentence should show care or gratitude. e.g. – “trust your day has been splendid thus far” or “Thank you for your mail” or “I hope this email meets you well?”. You can go on to briefly explain who you are and why you are sending the email before going into the body of the email.
Courteous and Straight to the point body
The body of every mail is expected to be concise and straight to the point, no beating around the bush or dilly-dallying. Formality is the primary tone of all emails. Under no circumstance should the tone of a mail be perceivably rude, uncourteously humorous and unnecessarily friendly especially when dealing with a client, regardless of whether or not you have a cordial relationship with the said client or otherwise. Proofread; get a second opinion if you need to. Ensure that your mail cannot be misinterpreted or taken out of context.
Valediction
This is the act of saying farewell. It is an important aspect of the email and at this point, you bring your email to a close with a subtle nudge of affirmation or expectancy. For example; Thanks, in anticipation, Work will begin shortly and I can’t wait to hear from you. Thereafter you big the recipient farewell with words like Best Regards, Warm Regards, Regards etc.
Email Signature
Every corporate email should include an email signature. It does not only show professionalism but it provides the recipient of your email or the eventual person that the email is forwarded to with an avenue to reach you through any means. The signature should contain the following:
Name
Position in company
Phone Number(s)
Email (Work)
Office Address
Website
Social Media Hyperlinks
Go forth and conquer the corporate email world with these steps and thank us later.
