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Business Email Etiquette

February 8, 2022 by procourtesy

Business Email Etiquette

The number of emails we all receive every day can be overwhelming, but they are a fact of life. Keeping that in mind, try to observe some of the basic email etiquette rules for emailing within the business world. Your email message may be the first impression someone has of you. And you want that impression to be a good one. Here are some rules to follow:

Make sure your email address is professional and identifies you as the sender.
Fill in the subject line. Your e-mail will more likely be read if you alert the recipient as to what you’re going to say in the body of the email.
Use a professional and cordial salutation such as, “Good morning or Good afternoon Mr. Jones” or the long standing “Dear.” Avoid the often seen “Hey.”
When responding to someone’s e-mail leave their message in tact so both parties can refer to the entire message.
Do not use “reply all” unless all need the reply.
Use the “BCC” function when sending an email to a group of people. This protects other people’s privacy.
Let people know if you are copying or “CC” someone on your email.
Respond quickly when you receive an attachment or document so the sender knows you received it and that you can open it.
Remember that e-mail is not private. Once you hit send it’s out of your hands. So, if you wouldn’t want to read it in court, don’t put it in an email.
Do respond in a timely fashion. E-mails are the phone calls of today’s tech society we live in. Responding in one business day is ideal.
Use the auto reply when you are out of your office. If necessary, offer another contact person for urgent business.
Be attentive to grammar and punctuation just as you would in a written message.
Use emojis and exclamation marks sparingly or not at all in business communication.
Use a signature block containing your name and company, etc. And do add your own closing even with a signature block.
Observe your company guidelines for storing and saving emails.

16. Always reread your email message before hitting send.

How to Offer A Sincere Compliment

January 26, 2022 by procourtesy

How to Offer a Sincere Compliment

Any time someone pays someone else a compliment it’s like receiving a gift and should be acknowledged with a sincere “thank you.”

For those offering a compliment, delivery is important. You want to be careful not to negate the first part of the compliment with the last half.

Saying “you look great since you lost all of the weight,” does suggest you didn’t look good before, even if people don’t intend that.

Here are some ways to offer a compliment without making it sound back-handed:

Instead of saying you look great since you lost all of your weight, just say, “you look great.”

The same can be said when complimenting someone in a way that refers to their age. Instead of saying, “you look good for your age,” just say, “you look good.”

Don’t say, “you are so attractive, I don’t understand why you’re not married.” That suggests that you must be flawed if you can’t get someone to marry you. Say, “you are very attractive.”

Or, “you played that sport well, for a girl.” Just say, “you played well.ing”

Avoid certain words.

Also, avoid using the word “but” when offering a compliment. For instance, “I like your blouse, but I think it would look better in another color. Adding the “but” again, negates the intended compliment. If you want to add to the compliment use the word “and” instead…”I like your blouse in that color and it would look great in blue too.”

Keep to the basics.

When complimenting someone. Don’t add those qualifiers. A compliment should make someone feel better not worse or wondering if the compliment had some hidden message in it.

Do be generous with compliments.

If you are thinking something nice about someone, say it out loud. You may just make someone’s day.

Learning how to offer a sincere compliment is an important skill to develop.

Sending Thank You’s for Physician Gifts

December 27, 2021 by procourtesy

Sending Thank You’s for Physician Gifts

Gifting Physicians

Gifting physicians and their staff during the holidays isn’t unusual. Referring physician specialists often send a gift thanking other physicians for sending them patients. And patients will often gift a physician’s office with seasonal goodies or other items the physician and staff can share to express appreciation for their care. But regardless of who sent it or why, all gifts should be acknowledged with a note. (In this case, it’s not redundant to thank the giver for the thank you gift.)

Corporate Gift Giving

Many other business people send gifts to their clients at the holiday time to thank them for their business. These corporate gifts are optional and a generous gesture on the part of the giver. And again, should be acknowledged, especially if they are sent via mail or a delivery service. The sender needs to know the gift arrived.

Managing Holiday Gifts

In the physician’s office, keep a list of everything that comes in. If gifts are sent to the entire staff, designate one person or a few people, if the list is lengthy, to write the thank you notes. Take turns if this is a yearly thing. The notes don’t have to be long, but should identify the gift and let the giver know how much it is appreciated.

For Physicians Only

If the gift is for the physician only, it’s the physician’s job to write the note, not one of the staff members. For gifts going to the physician’s home that will be enjoyed by the family, a spouse could write the note as well.

In Person Thanks

You can say thank you in person if the opportunity presents itself, but if gifts are sent via mail or a delivery service a note letting the sender know you received their gift.

Phone or E-mail Thanks

A phone call would be another option or an email thank you. Email isn’t as personal, but it’s better than nothing.

Remember to be a gracious recipient this year by sending thank you’s for physician gifts.

Holiday House Guest Etiquette

December 20, 2021 by procourtesy

Holiday House Guest Etiquette

The perfect house guest.

If you happen to be a guest, even a family guest at holiday time, here are some guidelines that will help you be a considerate and perfect house guest and get invited back.

Be on time.

Arrive on the appointed date. Don’t arrive earlier or stay later than the dates agreed upon. And don’t bring any extra people with you.

Bring a gift

Bring a small hostess gift. A gift of food, wine or something that can be used during your stay or be saved after you have gone is considerate. If your stay is lengthy, offer to take your hosts out to dinner at some point during your visit.

Leave Fido at home.

Leave your pets at home. Asking to bring pets can cause a lot of confusion and extra stress for the host. If they do insist and say it’s okay, then feel free to bring Fido along.

Don’t expect to be waited on.

Don’t expect to be waited on. Your hosts are not your servants and you should be prepared to help out by making your bed daily, keeping your clothes and personal items together and out of the way and leaving the bathroom picked up.

Be helpful.

Do offer to help in the kitchen with food prep and cleaning up. Your host may decline your offer, but your willingness to help will not go unnoticed.

Dress accordingly.

Ask about the schedule of events during your stay. If there are outings or sporting events planned be sure to be prepared with the expected attire so you will be appropriately dressed.

Be prepared to entertain yourself.

Allow for some down time. Don’t expect to be entertained every minute of every day by your host. Finding time to do some things on your own can be a welcome respite for your host.

Follow the rules.

Follow the house rules. If the host retires at a certain time, consider retreating to your room instead of staying up all night watching TV. And don’t expect to sleep until noon when the rest of the house is up early and ready to go for the day.

Unplug!

Unplug. Avoid being on your phone or electronic devises constantly in front of others, especially at the dinner table. If you have to check messages and take calls, excuse yourself and find a quiet place to do that.

Maintain a sense of modesty.

Bring a robe. You may have to share a bathroom that is down the hall. And if acceptable, you may want to wear one at breakfast. However, if everyone else is dressed at the table, I recommend dressing for breakfast.

Be reasonable with dietary requests.

Don’t make unreasonable dietary demands. If you have special dietary needs, be prepared to bring some of your own food or pick another time to visit.

Leave things in good shape.

Strip your bed and gather dirty towels the day you leave. Some hosts may not want you to bother, but offering is appreciated.

Send a proper thank you.

Do send a handwritten thank you note or a gift after your visit.

All of these suggestions demonstrate proper Holiday House Guest Etiquette.

Correct Holiday Greetings

December 16, 2021 by procourtesy

Correct holiday greetings.

A lot of discussion.

There seems to be a lot of discussion these days about the correct holiday greetings. Saying “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” to people versus “Merry Christmas” bothers some people and they are offended about being pressured to say one greeting over another for the sake of being politically correct. And I appreciate their view. However, it seems we are becoming overly sensitive and getting offended by everything these days.

Historically.

Historically, the term “Happy Holidays” stems from the Old English meaning “holy day” and was used as a regular religious greeting in centuries past. And the list of our presidents who have used the phrase “Seasons Greeting” or “Happy Holidays” on their official White House Christmas cards includes, Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and Obama. They did this so they would be inclusive of everyone’s religious beliefs.

A sign of respect.

I too, consider it more about being respectful of other people’s beliefs than being politically correct. If all of your friends celebrate Christmas, then do wish them “Merry Christmas,” but if you have friends and clients who do not celebrate Christmas, wish them “Happy Holidays,” “Seasons Greetings” or a specific greeting for their beliefs. In doing that you’ll have all of the bases covered.

In the business world

In the business world I would defer to a “Happy Holidays” greeting or “Season’s Greetings” on the holiday cards you’re sending out. It’s about being more inclusive…not politically correct.

The reason for the season.

Be mindful that the season is about counting our blessings and wishing each other good will. So, focus on being sincere instead of the “Correct Holiday Greetings” words. With that mindset, we’ll all be better off. Be kind and respectful of all faiths and traditions.

To all the people who read this blog, I wish you all a warm and peaceful season.

Business Email Etiquette

How to Offer A Sincere Compliment

Sending Thank You’s for Physician Gifts

Holiday House Guest Etiquette

Correct Holiday Greetings

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