Many people get nervous about written communications or they dread dealing with email. And/or they are creating problems with email mishaps. Either way, this email etiquette quiz will bring some simple tips to light.
We can get in trouble with email too easily. For example, we’ve all had the experience of being misinterpreted over email.
A little etiquette (or “e-tiquette”) can save you time and trouble… or maybe save your reputation.
Etiquette (another way of saying “treating people with respect”) matters — everywhere.
Etiquette Quiz for Business Email
Look, I don’t get a perfect score on this quiz and neither will you. But try it out anyway.
Answer these questions based on what you do the vast majority of the time with your business-related email:
- Do you start your message with the recipient’s name and close the message with your name?
- Do you include your phone number and other relevant contact info in your signature?
- Do you use a descriptive subject line?
- Do you keep the sender’s subject line intact when replying to messages?*
- Do you have your email set up to display the sender’s original message when you send a reply?
- Do you call instead of emailing when the matter is delicate or complex?
- Do you avoid conveying bad news over email?
- Do you forward messages to a third party only with the original sender’s permission?
- Do you send thank-you notes by mail instead of email after someone has gone to a lot of trouble for you?
- Do you recognize that email is not private and therefore avoid mentioning private issues over email?
- Do you use proper spelling and grammar?
- Do you keep messages short and manageable?
- Do you respond to the sender’s entire message or else suggest alternate means to discuss any incomplete answers?
- Do you read over your message before hitting “send” to check for clarity of your tone and meaning?
E-tiquette Quiz Scoring
How many did you answer YES to?
14 – Perfect score! Fantastic!
9-13 – Still impressive. You’re ahead of most people, but there’s room for improvement.
5-8 – It’s time to take email more seriously and make changes now, please.
Below 5 – Disastrous. You’re driving your email recipients crazy! Stop sending email now until you promise to make some changes.
(I didn’t get a perfect score on my own quiz! And I’ve started making some changes.)
I’d love to hear how you did and hear any e-tiquette thoughts. Leave comments below.
How to Improve Your Emails
Use the quiz as your checklist to start changing those emails. I bet you’ll notice things will flow a little better at the office.
*When replying to messages, preserving the same subject line as the original will help the recipient keep the conversation grouped together. Some email programs, such as Gmail, will automatically group conversations together, but only based on keeping the same subject line.
Related Articles in the Blogosphere
- Do You Make These E-mail Etiquette Mistakes? (sitepoint.com)
- Technology: Email Etiquette (womensblog.score.org)
- Five email tics I’d love for you to lose (43 Folders)
