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TECHNOLOGY ETIQUETTE

Written by: Dia Sutton

Article Overview: The use of cell phones, Blackberrys, speakerphones, voice mail, email and faxes has become a way of life in business. However, the rules of etiquette have not always kept pace with the innovations of technology. Below are some guidelines on technology etiquette

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TECHNOLOGY ETIQUETTE

Email Etiquette

Email has become the preferred method of communication for many people in business, but if not used properly, can become hazardous to relationships and careers. Email is a silent form of communication. One can neither see you as you say the words nor hear your vocal inflections; the message is contained entirely in the words you choose to write and send. Because the reader misses out on the nuances of your verbal and visual delivery the results are often miscommunication and misunderstandings.

Email quickly provides organizations written information. But never let the convenience of email overshadow the value of a phone call or face-to-face meeting. The “human touch” is often missing from our communications and customers and co-workers alike may appreciate the time and effort it took for you to call or stop by. Try doing both at once – send an email, but call as well to give the recipient a “heads up.” Hearing your message will enhance their reading of it.

• Email is best used for short, simple and straightforward information.
• Before you hit the send button, it’s important to proof the content for spelling and grammar
mistakes. But it’s also important to read the message aloud to check the tone of the message.
• Don’t forget to add “please” and “thank you”. Those two phrases can transform the snippiest
of demands into a polite request.
• Any message longer than about half the computer screen is too long. If your content is long,
consider introducing the subject in a short email and sending the details as an attachment or fax.
• First ask permission before attaching any large files.
• Assume any message you send is permanent and may likely be forwarded to others.
• Start with a salutation, i.e. Dear James. Continue to use salutations until the relationship is
well established.
• Be concise. No one likes long emails.
• Respond to all questions when returning e-mail.
• Do not use email to send trivial, confidential or sensitive information. Anything truly urgent
should be telephoned. Anything sensitive should be hand-delivered.
• Never use email to reprimand someone.
• Never express political or religious opinions via office email.
• Never use office email to send jokes.
• Use humor and sarcasm in your emails sparingly. Recipients may not “get” the joke.
• Use industry or email acronyms, abbreviations, or emoticons sparingly.
• Define your subject in the subject line.
• Use upper and lower case when writing.
• Use signatures with complete personal contact information.
• Allow 1-2 days for a response. If you need an immediate response, call as well.
• Respond to your incoming emails within 24 hours. If you need more time to respond, call or email
that you are looking into it and will get back to them ASAP.

Fax Etiquette

Faxes have the potential for being quite public; they can be read by anyone who happens across them at the machine.

• As with email, be careful never to fax angry or sensitive content.
• If you need to send confidential information via fax, call the recipient and ask that they wait by
the machine at their end.
• Do not send thank-yous, congratulatory notes, or any kind of inappropriate jokes or pictures.

BlackBerry Etiquette (Instant Messaging and Texting)

• Turn off BlackBerry when requested (meetings, classes, museums, churches)
• Turn off BlackBerry when driving. Pull off the road when you absolutely must answer a message
• Do not answer messages while walking (you’ll walk into somebody or something or someone could mug
you since you are not alert enough to your surroundings)
• Do not put your BlackBerry on the table at restaurants (it’s disrespectful to the people you are
with, and you might forget it when you leave).
• Do not answer unimportant messages at work
• Do not answer messages during meetings unless the message is related to the meeting
• With instant messaging and texting in business, be careful who's on your buddy list
• Do not instant message someone who you know is busy – like someone driving a car.
• Do not text if you are driving or operating other potentially dangerous equipment.
• Do not walk into a conversation with another person if you're texting someone.

Cell Phone Etiquette
• If you must have your cell phone on during meetings, switch to a silent ringer and check your
messages during breaks.
• Practice good cell phone etiquette by keeping your voice down to a reasonable level. Speak softly.
Cell phones are usually more sound sensitive than regular phones, so you don't need to yell to make
yourself heard. And no amount of shouting will improve a bad connection.
• If you are discussing sensitive or confidential information, remember to talk in an
area out of earshot of other listeners.
• When using your cell phone in public buildings, be aware of restrictions against cell phone use and
be sure to respect them.
• Inform others at the beginning of a meeting that you are expecting an important call and get their
permission to answer it.
• Except in emergencies, do not interrupt a face-to-face conversation to take a cell-phone call. The
person you are actually with takes priority. If you have a phone conversation in front of that
person, you're showing that he or she is unimportant to you.
• Do not wear your earpiece when not on the phone. This is not unlike being on the phone and carrying
on another conversation with someone who is physically in your presence. No one knows if you are
here or there.
• Respect the personal space of others by taking your conversation 10 or more feet away from people.
Ideally, take your phone call into a private space. Refrain from using your phone in a place where
others can't escape your conversation, such as in an elevator or on public transit.
• Keep private matters private. Nobody wants to hear you fight with your spouse or friend over your
cell phone. When you use the phone for business, you could leak company-confidential information
when talking in public.

Telephone Etiquette

• Answer incoming calls quickly identifying yourself by first and last name.
• Identify yourself whenever you place a call – first and last name, company, and nature of call.
• Speak slowly and clearly.
• Listen attentively and add verbal agreement.
• Use honorifics: Mr., Ms., Dr., Sir, Ma’am.
• Return messages within 24 hours.
• If you're in someone else's office when they get a phone call, offer to step outside.
• Don’t take any calls when someone is in your office, unless it’s urgent.
• Don’t talk to anyone else while you're on the phone.
• Don’t do any other work or eat while on the phone.
• Holds – ask the other party if they are able to hold. Never keep someone on hold for more than a
minute. When you return, thank them for holding.

Voicemail Etiquette

• Your outgoing message should be brief, courteous, and include your name, title and company name.
• Keep your outgoing voicemail message current - update it frequently.
• When out of town, indicate in your message when you’ll be back, whether you’ll be checking in for
messages, how to contact you or who to contact in your absence.
• When leaving voicemail for others give your name slowly with proper spelling, company name and
phone number. Briefly specify the purpose of your call. Let them know the best time to reach you.
Leave your name and phone number again at the end of the message.
• Tell the person what time you can be reached. For example, "I'll be in my office after four
o'clock, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Please try and call me at that time on any of
those days, I look forward to hearing from you then."
• Leave your name and telephone number at the beginning and ending of the voicemail message. That
way people do not have to play back the message. If they did not get your name and telephone
number at the beginning, they can get it at the end.
• Try not to ramble when leaving voicemail. Messages should be no longer than thirty seconds.
• If you create some sense of urgency in the call, give a good time for people to reach you. You
will increase the chances of people returning your calls rather than dismissing them.

Speakerphone Etiquette

• Use speakerphones sparingly and never use a speakerphone when you are in a cubicle.
• Whenever you use a speakerphone, always ask the other party’s permission to do so and identify
everyone in the room with you.
• During conference calls, participants should identify themselves whenever speaking.

Remember all this technology are just tools.

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About the Author: Dia Sutton
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Dianne Floyd Sutton is President of Sutton Enterprises, author, trainer, educator, expert witness, coach and actor. She has over twenty years of combined experience in Human Resource Development (HRD) processes, Diversity, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and Communication training. Sutton Enterprises (SE) is a full service human resource development organization which offers a variety of Human Resource Development (HRD)services, i.e. training, keynotes, facilitations, EEO interventions, organizational development, etc. For more information about SE go to www.suttonenterprises.org

Dianne Sutton has the skills to create a safe learning environment where diverse participants are able to ask questions, experiment with new behaviors and development new skills. She also has the ability to present models and techniques in a straight forward, clear and humorous manner. She started her career as a mathematics instructor in the St. Louis, Missouri Public School System while attending graduate school at Washington University. Before founding Sutton Enterprises in 1987, she held a variety of positions at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in training and employee development.

Her most recent publication is Workplace Etiquette: A Guide to Thriving and Surviving in Today’s Workplace. In 2010 Dianne was awarded the Spencer Logan Leadership Award from the Training Officers Consortium (TOC) in Washington, DC. This is the organization's highest honor. For more information go to www.trainingofficers.org

Dianne is on a civility crusade as Ms. Etiquette. Ms. Etiquette offers a down-to-earth, in-depth presentation peppered with real life examples and appropriate humor. She demystifies the rules and gives insights into behaviors that increase respect, collaboration and trust in the workplace. Check out Ask Ms. Etiquette for answers to questions about appropriate etiquette in the workplace at www.suttonenterprises.org

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