Business Letter Etiquette

Proper business letter etiquette requires that a consistent and clear approach, combined with courtesy, be employed. As a rule of thumb, aim to keep all business letters formal in style. Business etiquette in France dictates that you should always respect the personal space of your colleagues. The same rule applies in any workplace anywhere. What’s odd though is that despite the formality of the French business culture, touches like a pat on the arm or shoulder is considered acceptable. So is kissing on the cheeks which is generally a form of greeting between co-workers regardless of the gender.

Instead, you should be upfront about your email’s purpose by stating it in the very beginning. Make your point fast, don’t be wordy, and use short sentences that read well. Ideally, your email only has one goal, but if you need to cover different topics, consider condense them to bullet points. Good etiquette shows you respect someone else’s time and email etiquette is no different.

Developing Thank You Letters

Typically no more than two to three line spaces follows this line. BCC stands for blind carbon copy, and it allows you to conceal the person or people entered in the BCC field from the other recipients. Include a signature automatically at the end of each email – it’s easier to delete it from a message than to add it manually.

• Before you type a word into the body of your message, you need to tackle your subject line first.
• Consider it a joy to write letters accepting a position.
• Professional signature includes your full name, title, company name, company website, and phone number to reach you.
• Odds are you’ve been in a similar situation or know someone who has.
• Be intentional with your word choices and always consider how the recipient might interpret them.
• Business etiquette is more important today than ever before.

However, having a secretary or PA Business Etiquette In Correspondence on your behalf is not considered a breach of business etiquette. The foundation of good business letter etiquette is ‘Think before you write’. You should be considering who the letter is addressed to, how and why? It’s inappropriate to email negative comments. An email in all uppercase letters connotes anger in an email. These antagonistic messages cause awkwardness long after the email has been sent and received.

Career Paths

An example of this is when a person of higher rank enters a room, the French tend to stand up or make a gesture of doing so, as a sign of respect. When in doubt as to what to wear, take a cue from your office mates and dress in the level of formality as they do. As with other countries, office culture and dress codes tend to vary depending on the workplace.

• You don’t want folks to question if you have anything in your fridge at home.
• Lisa Lyons is a renowned wedding and event designer, and owner of Lisa Lyons Events & Etiquette based in Winter Park, Florida.
• However, shorthand is generally suitable in specific circumstances, like when communicating directly with a colleague (e.g., about an important project) or client you’re close to.
• If you do not have decent handwriting, find someone who does.

If you’re going on vacation or won’t be checking your email for a while, you should set one of these up. That’s why email etiquette rules are necessary for work email conversations. Without them, business correspondence would be next to impossible. Here’s another thing to remember when it comes to French business etiquette. In interacting with colleagues, always keep the hierarchy in mind, and put priority on politeness and respectfulness.

How to Start a Formal Letter to a Company

Sometimes it is more appropriate or effective to have a conversation in person or by phone. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone or ask if an in-person interaction could occur instead. Generally, a “memo to file” is a recap of circumstances that affect a department, the company or even an individual employee. When you’re writing a memo that contains sensitive or confidential information, mark it as such and make sure you don’t distribute copies to staff without a need to know. By letting the recipient know that a response isn’t needed, the email cycle doesn’t continue on in perpetuity. Email etiquette is especially important because your work email is not private—many companies monitor their employees’ work accounts for unprofessional conduct.

Odds are you’ve been in a similar situation or know someone who has. It’s easy to fire off an email in anger, but things rarely turn out well. Once you’ve written the words and sent the email, it cannot be undone.

Email falls in that category when it comes to tricky topics. Difficult conversations deserve human interaction. Have them face-to-face whenever possible, even if it must be virtually through Zoom or similar. If multiple people need to remain copied in, always be sure to “reply all.” Similarly, do not copy in or keep people in long email threads if they do not need to be.

Same with religion and money—never broach the topic. If you are to discuss these in an abstract sense, however, it is fine. That would be a great fodder for more intellectual discussions that the French love. Remember that the French will have a tendency to ask very direct and probing questions. Don’t take it as something to be offended about.

Personal Space and the “Faire la Bise”

Be careful not to rely too heavily on spell-checkers, as they may not notice misspellings when words are used incorrectly (e.g., to, too, and two). Write a clear, concise subject line that reflects the body of the email. Avoid subject lines with general words like, “Hi,” “Touching Base,” or “FYI,” and do not leave the subject line blank. Whether it’s someone selling books, tapes, seminars, or offering free advice, the Internet is filled with suggestions on how to improve your business etiquette. Watch the video below to learn the basics of business etiquette.

In most cases, it is best to use active rather than passive constructions in your writing. Because the active voice is more direct, it is generally shorter and clearer. Moreover, it portrays confidence and a willingness to take responsibility for one’s actions. You must also avoid discriminatory or derogatory language. Feel free to submit topics of your own you want to see Syndi write about. When entering the name of a state type the entire name, such as Pennsylvania, not the postal code PA.