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Office tips: What you should always say in an email

In today's offices, writing email is essential to all aspects of business. It is also a reflection on how professional you are. To get an edge on a promotion or to keep out of trouble, here are some things that should always be included in an email.

1. Subject lines should always be filled in. This shows that it is a serious email and not junk mail. It also lets the recipients know what the email is about, so they will be more likely to actually read it.

2. Greetings. Including a simple greeting will show great professionalism and help get you and your email taken seriously.

3. Department. Be sure to put the name of the department some where in the email, either as part of the subject line or in the greeting. This ensures that your email is going to the correct place, even if the person addressed has moved to another position. As most companies have email for all areas in one global address book, listing the department helps greatly if the email accidently winds up in the wrong email account due to the same or similar names of employees that work in different areas, or in the case of large companies, different cities.

4. Dates are the most underused but vital part of email. Even though the email is automatically stamped with the date it was written or sent, it is still important to use them in the message. If you are writing to change the time, place, or day of a meeting, use dates to remind recipients of the original meeting because you do not know how many meetings they might have and again to ensure that the new time or day is understood. Do not assume that the recipient is reading the email the same day it was sent. Also avoid saying the message is effective immediately or two days ago. Making your recipients guess when something starts can lead to confusion and errors. If a policy is changed, put when it was changed by the date.

5. Action you want taken as a result of the email. Putting in writing what you want done is vital; even if no action is required, let the person know it. Not knowing why an email is sent or what to do with it is frustrating and can cause your next email to be deleted.

6. Message. Be sure to state your message clearly and as briefly as possible without unnecessary statements.

7. Who to contact. Even if your message is very clear, your recipient may have questions or need to discuss the issue with you, so be sure to leave contact information. Also state if you have a preference for email or phone contact or a preferred time for questions. If you are not the person to be contacted for questions, then listing the person who should be contacted is vital.

Learn more about this author, Jeannie Sather.
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