The 10 Email Commandments

In the days of internet trolls, infotainment over true journalism, Emoji’s, and memes, the way we communicate is quickly evolving and not for the better. The decline in etiquette how-to books have ushered in an anything goes communication mentality and a Burger King Marketing plan where you can have it your way.

But we shouldn’t subscribe to this philosophy when we’re sending work emails and communicating on our professional pages like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We should continue to observe and practice good rules of business communication. No, there is no meme for that.

It’s very vital to not compromise on professionalism as sometimes when business relationships fail, professionalism and respect are all that’s left.

Here are some commandments (if you will) to ensure you don’t step out of line when communicating professional ideas to your clients and colleagues:

1. Remember all emails are Immortal

Anything posted on the World Wide Web is considered Immortal. It will never die! It will live long after you are gone and it can be found in the depths of Internet Hell to haunt you forever.

2. Thou shalt not click Send when angry

Never, ever, never send an email or post a message online when you are angry, maniacally happy, or generally too emotional to conduct business. Wait, wait, wait until you are calm, collected, and can pledge to stand by whatever you send even 3 months or 3 years down the line.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the sender in vain

Always begin your initial emails or first replies with an official greeting or address to your reader, ex.: Hello Stan, Greetings Stan, or Stan. Think of this as an extension of a phone call or formal letter. You would never call a business associate and begin speaking without first greeting that person. Observe this same rule in email communication.

4. Thou shalt not murder the King’s or Emperor’s language

It’s so tempting to use LOL, LMBO, just as it is profanity. After all nothing conveys exactly what you want to do when you receive a funny email, like ROTFLMBO. However, in business emails this response, like profanity, is not appropriate. I strongly suggest you do not use acronyms and internet slang like LOL, LMBO, ROTFLMAO, or emoticons unless first used by sender, and even then I recommend you use them sparingly. (Excessive use of “smiley faces after all of her phrases” to quote Jay-Z are great for a rap song, but they do not inspire confidence in your business abilities.)

5. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s bad grammar

Always use complete sentences. I don’t care what the rest of the internet is doing, this is a general rule of business.

6. Honour thy business endeavors and specialties

For business emails, you need to create and use a standard signature. (See the links below to learn how to create signatures in Outlook, iCloud, or your mail app.)

7. Thou shalt not commit punctuation adultery

Avoid excessive use of exclamation points!!! ellipses… and commas,,,

8. Thou shalt not bear true or false witness against thy neighbor

Emails and web postings are not confidential. Do not send anything you don’t want another person to read, or to bear witness to. Anything you send or post, can be shared with another or some others. (Some conversations and directives are best left to oral communication. This also includes the tone of your message and the information you are communicating.)

9. Honour thy relationships

Save scolding and blame for conversations, and do not attempt to passively-aggressively chastise your customers/employees in business communications.

10. Remember the Delete button

Always, always proofread and read and review the content of your message before you click Send.