Professional Email Etiquette

Write the subject so the reader knows what the message is and what it asks, before opening it. Include a date or reference where one exists.

Match the greeting to the relationship. “Dear Dr Patel” suits a first message to someone you do not know; “Hello Priya” suits a colleague who signs with her first name. When writing to someone with a title, use the correct written form — the House guide to forms of address sets these out.

Close simply: “Kind regards” or “Best wishes”, followed by your full name and, for a first contact, your role and organisation.

Give only the context the reader needs to act, then state the request plainly. If you need several things, number them. Put the most important point first, because many messages are read on a phone.

State a next step and, where relevant, a date — with the reason for it, so the deadline reads as information rather than pressure.

An original illustrative example.

Put the people who must act in “To” and those who only need to know in “CC”. Use “Reply all” only when everyone on the thread needs your answer.

Before forwarding a chain, read it from the bottom: earlier messages may contain personal details or remarks not meant for the new reader. When writing to a group of people who do not know one another, use BCC so that addresses are not shared.

Read the message once as its recipient would before sending. Humour and irony travel poorly in writing; a neutral, warm tone is safest. Avoid capital letters and multiple exclamation marks for emphasis.

Be mindful of the recipient's working hours and time zone. If you work late, consider scheduling messages to arrive in the morning. There is no single universal response time: organisations set their own expectations, so follow the norms of your workplace and say when a reply is time-sensitive.