Email Etiquette & Workplace Communication

When you put a colleague in CC on a work email, what are you usually signalling to them?

• They must reply first
• Keep them in the loop; no action needed
• Their address is hidden from others
• They are the decision maker

Answer: Keep them in the loop; no action needed. Put the people who must act in To, and those who only need to know in CC. Hidden copies are what BCC is for.

You're mailing 200 vendors about a policy change. How do you keep their addresses private from each other?

• Put them all in CC
• Send it from a shared inbox
• Add them as a group in the To field
• Put them all in BCC

Answer: Put them all in BCC. BCC hides every recipient's address from the rest of the list, and stops a reply-all storm.

A colleague ends a one-line update with "NRN". What are they telling you?

• Next round notes
• New request noted
• No reply needed
• Not right now

Answer: No reply needed. It spares you a "Thanks, noted" reply and keeps both inboxes lighter.

A military writing rule says lead with the ask or conclusion, background after. Its name?

• KISS
• TL;DR
• BLUF
• FYI

Answer: BLUF. Bottom Line Up Front: the reader gets the point in the first line.

A colleague's email lands like a slap. What's your best first move?

• Ignore them for a week
• Pause, then reply calmly or talk in person
• Forward it to friends for a laugh
• Reply-all with your side at once

Answer: Pause, then reply calmly or talk in person. Replies sent in anger rarely help. Tone is easier to manage face to face.

The same email thread has bounced back and forth ten times and nobody agrees. Best move?

• Suggest a quick call to settle it
• Reply-all with a longer email
• Add more people in CC
• Stop replying and wait

Answer: Suggest a quick call to settle it. A five-minute call usually settles what ten emails couldn't. Then confirm the outcome in writing.

One mail says "Bring ID, i.e. Aadhaar". Another says "Bring ID, e.g. Aadhaar". What does e.g. mean?

• Note well
• For example
• That is
• And so on

Answer: For example. Exempli gratia, "for example". So e.g. allows other IDs; i.e. means Aadhaar and only Aadhaar.

When is Reply All the right choice on a work email?

• When everyone on the thread needs your answer
• Whenever you want to look responsive
• Only when the sender is senior
• Whenever someone says thanks

Answer: When everyone on the thread needs your answer. Needless reply-alls clutter inboxes and can leak information to people who shouldn't see it.

Typing a whole work email in CAPITAL LETTERS usually comes across as what?

• Polite
• Formal
• Urgent but friendly
• Shouting

Answer: Shouting. Capitals read as a raised voice and are harder to read. For emphasis, use bold sparingly or put the key point first.

Your manager gets 200 emails a day. Which subject line gets yours handled first?

• Important!!!
• Quick question
• Decision needed by Fri: vendor shortlist
• Following up

Answer: Decision needed by Fri: vendor shortlist. It says what you need, by when and about what, so it can be sorted without even being opened.

You're on leave for a week. What should your out-of-office reply include?

• Your return date and who to contact meanwhile
• Your holiday destination and photos
• Your personal phone number for everyone
• Nothing; leave the message blank

Answer: Your return date and who to contact meanwhile. A specific date beats "back soon", and naming a colleague (who knows they're named) keeps work moving.

To avoid sending a half-written email by accident, which field is best filled in last?

• Subject
• Signature
• CC
• To

Answer: To. With no address in To, an email can't go anywhere, however early you hit Send.

A meeting invite arrives titled just "Sync". What should a good invite add?

• An agenda and the outcome wanted
• More people in CC
• A longer title in capitals
• A read receipt

Answer: An agenda and the outcome wanted. People prepare better, and decide whether they need to attend, when they know the purpose and the topics.

Your manager wants the draft "by EOD". By when is that?

• Early on day one
• The end of the working day
• The end of the week
• Every other day

Answer: The end of the working day. End of day usually means close of business in the reader's time zone. When it matters, give a clock time instead.

Halfway down a long thread about travel bookings, you need to raise a separate budget issue. What is the best move?

• Add it at the bottom of the travel thread
• Reply all and change nothing
• Squeeze it into the old subject line
• Start a new email with its own subject

Answer: Start a new email with its own subject. One topic per email keeps threads easy to search and stops the new issue getting lost.