Email etiquette is often learned through context and recipient, but some may need additional training. The principle of treating online interactions like real-world interactions applies to email etiquette. Companies can create rules for employees and training should cover all aspects of email interactions. Email etiquette training should be free and can be learned at home.
E-mail etiquette, which is a subcategory of general netiquette, is a skill few people formally learn. Most people who use email determine what is appropriate to send in an email based on context and recipient. Even so, some people need additional training in email etiquette, either as part of a job or for personal improvement. Such training is best received by the company specifying that a specific type of tag is to be used or online for free. There is no need to spend money on email etiquette training for personal use as it is very simple and available online.
There is a single unifying principle that applies to all online interactions that can be used to vastly simplify email etiquette training. This principle is the idea that online interactions are just like interactions in the real world and should be treated as such. The Internet is not a special place where social rules don’t apply. In practice, this means that business emails should be written like business letters, while interactions between friends can be conversational or resemble notes. Essentially, anyone who understands business etiquette will understand e-mail etiquette; therefore, it is much better to choose the best general business etiquette training than just email etiquette training.
If email etiquette training is still required, the best option is to choose training that covers all aspects of email interactions. This includes the message content as well as the format. It can also include somewhat debatable rules, such as whether it is appropriate to send email attachments without the recipient’s permission. Email etiquette training is not a formalized discipline in the way that table etiquette is fully regulated. Different people in the same business community have different opinions about what is appropriate to email.
For companies looking to regulate the type of email sent by employees, it may be wise to create a flyer or other document that can be used to inform employees of these rules. Understandably, a company might want all employees to address business e-mails in a certain way or include certain information in the e-mail. This type of etiquette is not common sense and it is the company’s responsibility to inform employees of expectations that go beyond basic etiquette via email.
One consideration to keep in mind is that email etiquette training should always be free. There’s nothing an email etiquette course can teach you that hasn’t already been discussed and documented online. Also, there’s no reason to attend an e-mail etiquette course in person unless you don’t know how to use a computer. Most rules regarding email interactions are very simple to implement in your online communications, so this type of etiquette can be learned at home.
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