Emoticons, abbreviations, and acronyms are overtaking our writing and making it a sort of insider’s code that many people do not understand. The problem with this is that some readers feel left out of the loop or simply feel foolish if they do not understand what TTYL or IMHO mean when they receive e-mails from others. Your goal in sending any kind of correspondence is to always put other persons at ease, not make them uncomfortable. Avoid using these abbreviations and acronyms with anyone except your very closest friends, and even then use them only in the most casual e-mails.

Cover Letters

Nikita Prokhorov, co-founder of Reputation House, is a marketing, online reputation and communication expert, public speaker and author.

A letter has a dignity that cannot be equaled by electronic mail. E-mail has a spontaneous, off-the-cuff quality akin to a phone call. A letter, by contrast, says that someone has planned, written, edited and typed their message. In other words, the sender has expended time—that most precious commodity—to communicate with the recipient.

Use of Professional Language

• Appropriate greetings, such as “Dear Name,” establish a respectful tone that sets the groundwork for constructive dialogue.
• With today’s technology, very few messages with the potential to be sensational ever remain private for long.
• To access the Letter Wizard, click on the Tools menu and then choose Letter Wizard.
• Your goal in sending any kind of correspondence is to always put other persons at ease, not make them uncomfortable.
• This resource is organized in the order in which you should write a business letter, starting with the sender’s address if the letter is not written on letterhead.

Remember that using email as a substitute for formal documentation, such as employment or business contracts, is business etiquette in correspondence a departure from standard business practice. Unless a job posting specifically states “No cover letters,” proper etiquette for job applications is to always to send one to the recruiter or hiring manager. Use the addressee’s name and title; don’t send a letter to “Whom It May Concern.” The extra step to call human resources for the recruiter’s or hiring manager’s name is worth it.

• Sometimes they are only a simple reminder of an action or a request for more information.
• Also, take our dynamic online courses and add professional writing certificates to your portfolio.
• If “professional” sounds vague, you might want to check out your company’s language style guide and stick to it.
• Write a clear, concise subject line that reflects the body of the email.
• A few days later, follow-up with a short one or two sentence email.

Children should be taught from a young age to write thank-you notes for gifts they receive for birthdays and holidays so that they get into the habit and carry it on into their adult years. When they graduate from high school and college they should certainly be used to thanking everyone in writing. You can find inexpensive thank-you notes that are blank inside for your message at most stores.

These errors make you seem unprofessional and will reduce the likelihood that the email will be taken seriously. Email software comes with many professional tools such as spell check—use them. When recommending someone for a job, clarity and specificity are crucial. A strong endorsement often highlights the candidate’s skills, demonstrates … • “Run through it” and “have a quick look.” There is no need to set yourself or your message up as something to be taken lightly.

Making a good first impression is crucial to business success. You know the importance of a good handshake to give a good first impression when meeting someone in person. Equally important as part of your total professional appearance is making a good first impression with your business correspondence. Only include a brief note in the body of the email to let the recipient know the official letter is attached. Using email can be an effective business communication tool – when used correctly. While technologies and communication methods are constantly changing and evolving, standards for grammar and etiquette remain constant.

No matter how cool and expensive your smartphone may be, the recipient is hardly interested in this information and it could be mistaken for bragging. Finally, use an email finder to verify your recipient’s mailing address before hitting Send. You want to make sure your message reaches your intended recipient in the first place. As part of your proofreading, you’ll want to check, too, whether your email is legible in the first place. Use easy-to-read standard fonts throughout the email body, such as Arial, Calibri, Merriweather, or Times New Roman.

Keep in mind that different organizations have different format requirements for their professional communication. We send endless e-mails flying across the Internet but have lost touch with the practice of old-fashioned correspondence. It is a shame because receiving a letter or short note in the mail from a friend or relative is a real pick-me-up that most of us would love. There are several forms of correspondence that we should all be familiar with, including the proper form of thank-you note and how to send an appropriate business letter. Start by drafting letters for current situations you might encounter—whether for job applications, networking, or thank-you notes—observing existing formal letter examples for guidance. Casual conversations between tight-knit teams or short updates can allow for relaxed formats.

At first, this might seem like it’s as tricky as the seating arrangement issue, but in practice, it’s so largely based on common sense. People of higher status (which includes guests) get on first, which seems pretty natural, in that it’s polite to let others go before yourself. The lowest ranking person gets on last, and takes up a position near the control panel to press the buttons or hold the door open. When visiting someone else’s office, wait until the host says “Please, have a seat,” before sitting down. Actually, that sort of seems like common courtesy, regardless of whether you’re a visitor to someone’s workplace or a guest in their home.