Should You Care About Mail Etiquette at Work?

Definitely. Writing mails is part of almost everyone’s job, whether we like it or not.

Making a few mistakes in your work mails won’t jeopardize your career, but why not look competent, always being clear and to the point?

I write at least over a dozen emails weekly, and it can be challenging to precisely deliver the message each time.

Wondering about the proper text structure is painstaking too.

If I can both save time and get what I want regardless of the topic of my mail using AI, then it’s a win-win.

3 Golden Rules for Effective Email Writing

When writing mails, I try to stick to a few simple rules that make life easier for me and the ones reading them.

1. Including the call to action in the subject line - Don’t force your recipient to waste time and search for what you want in the body of the text. Also makes it easier to go back to your mail history and find what you need.

2. Keeping it as focused as possible - Try to stick to one topic, whether it is a question, request, or explanation. If not, I at least try to make a short bullet-point summary of the mail content.

3. Proofreading - I look for any typos and double-check the important data included. The former is not even done manually; I also use ChatGPT to save time (an article on effective proofreading with AI will be coming in the future).

I try to keep the prompt simple but include all the necessary elements like the Subject Line (with Call to Action), Greeting, Action Details, and Ending (Sum up and Goodbye).

I make some additional comments about the language and sentence structures just to avoid complex and convoluted AI-like sentences.

Copy and paste ChatGPT input for a clear and effective mail:

Write a mail to a coworker named (here put the name), following the established Subject Line-Greeting-Action details-Ending framework on the topic of (here put your topic) including additional details: (here put some additional details regarding the topic).

Subject line: one sentence that shortly and precisely informs the recipient about the main topic of the mail. Includes call to action.

Example: We need to schedule a team call this week.

Greeting: Dear, (coworker’s name)

Action details: 3-4 short sentences which describe of the main focus of the mail and additional details connected with the topic. Asking for the opinion of the recipient and giving some alternatives for the solution of the wanted action. Short analysis all aspects of the mentioned details.

Ending: 1 sentence sum up and a goodbye greeting with a space for the author’s signature.

Keep the language simple and clear but not too informal. Keep the body of the text as focused and short as possible.

Just to show you that it really doesn’t matter what call to action the mail is regarding, here are some outputs I got:

1. Regarding a request for a personal evaluation survey:

Subject line: Annual Personal Self-Evaluation Survey – Your Input Needed by March 1st

Greeting: Dear Andy,

Action details: As we approach the annual self-evaluation process, I kindly request your input for the personal self-evaluation survey. Please take a moment to reflect on your achievements and challenges from the previous year. The deadline for submission is March 1st, 2024. Feel free to review your goals from last year before completing the survey. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to our manager for clarification.

Ending: Your timely response is greatly appreciated. Best regards,

[Your Name]

2. Here explaining the missing invoice:

Subject line: Missing Invoice for January 2024 – Resolved, Apologies for the Oversight

Greeting: Dear Janet,

Action details: I hope this message finds you well. I recently discovered that the January 2024 invoice was mistakenly placed in the wrong folder on my end. I have rectified the error and already sent it to the client. My sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if there's anything else I can assist you with regarding this matter.

Ending: Thank you for your understanding. Best regards,

[Your Name]

3. Or yet, another one asking questions about the team meeting:

Subject line: Team Meeting This Week – Unable to Attend, Request for Summary

Greeting: Dear Mary,

Action details: I hope this message finds you well. Unfortunately, due to a family commitment, I won't be able to attend the team meeting scheduled for this week. Could you please let me know if there are any critical updates or important discussions planned? I would greatly appreciate a brief summary to ensure I stay informed. If there's a specific agenda or document I should review, please share that as well. Thank you for your assistance.

Ending: Your help is much appreciated. Best regards,

[Your Name]

How to Add a Personal Touch?

In this case, by personal touch, I mean how to make it sound more like me and maybe a bit less formal.

There are 2 ways.

I either manually delete the fragments that do not fit my style, for example, certain adjectives or unnecessary questions regarding one’s well-being.

Or, I add new commands and let ChatGPT do it for me.

I find those useful:

Make it more personal, but still fitting to the work environment

Delete unnecessary adjectives making the mail artificially too polite or excited

Do not include the part about someone doing well

Here is the improved mail regarding the team meeting:

Subject line: Team Meeting Update – Need Your Help

Greeting: Hi Mary,

Action details: I won't be able to make it to the team meeting this week due to a family commitment. Could you please keep me in the loop on any critical updates or important discussions? A brief summary would be really helpful. If there's a specific agenda or document I should check out, please share that too. Thanks for your assistance.

Ending: Appreciate your help. Best,

[Your Name]

I personally like the improved version best, but it really depends on your individual work environment and relationships with certain coworkers.

The whole process is easy, repeatable regardless of the situation, and can be done in a couple of minutes.

Try out those prompt ideas, and stop wasting time double-checking your emails!

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