Roger That! 7 Email Etiquette Rules from the U.S. Military

I will never forget the very first email I got from him and I don’t even remember what the email was about! And to be honest, I don’t think it was even directed at me specifically. You are probably asking yourself, “if you don’t remember what it was about or who it was sent to specifically, then why is it so memorable?” ‘Him’ was a former boss and mentor of mine who was a former Navy Captain and the CEO of the hospital where I worked at the time. Not only was he one of the best bosses I have ever had, but he also taught me a lot about email etiquette. His emails were always clear, focused, sent to the appropriate audience and they always contained a specific keyword in the subject line.

We will discuss many of the facets of email etiquette I learned from him in this email as well as another important leadership lesson he taught me.

But first, let’s discuss the…

Importance of Email Rules

I’m sure we can all agree that there are advantages and disadvantages to using email. I think we would also all agree that all communications, including email, are much more effective if they are organized and follow certain standards, protocols, and rules.

To ensure that emails are more effective, the authors of the Tongue and Quill from the United States Air Force use an acronym called FOCUS to demonstrate the qualities each email much have.

F stands for focused meaning the email needs to address only the issue.

O stands for being organized.

C stands for the clear language that needs to be used.

U stands for understanding the audience it is being sent.

S stands for using support information sparingly while still being logical.

How You Organize Your Content is Extremely Important

People are busy, so you need to give them exactly what they need, nothing more and nothing less!

There are 3 organization techniques that are used in the military that you may want to consider for conveying your message clearly in a limited amount of space.

BLIND method

The blind method puts an emphasis on the bottom line and then follows with other key elements. BLIND is an acronym which stands for:

BL – bottom line

I – impact on the organization

N – next steps that need to be taken

D – details that support the bottom line and any other pertinent points

The idea is to keep the message brief and is best for sending quick messages that give the decision maker enough information to act.

BLUF Method

The bluff method is less structured than the BLIND method with BLUF standing for bottom line up front with no set format for the remainder of the email. Many people use the eSSSo organization method for the rest of the email.

eSSS Method

This method utilizes the following headings set to the left in all caps with appropriate content under each heading: PURPOSE; BACKGROUND; DISCUSSION; VIEWS OF OTHERS and RECOMMENDATION.

Before You Even Think About Sending Your Email…

There are some things you need to keep in mind:

  Does the email need to be sent in the first place? Can you accomplish your mission better with a phone call or face-to-face meeting?

  Use appropriate greetings and closings: use the person’s proper title and a proper closing for the email you are sending.

  Utilize email signatures that include your name, position, organization name, phone number(s), and social media addresses as appropriate.

  Follow the chain of command as appropriate in your organization.

  If you are sending the email to large groups of people and need to get permission, make sure to follow the correct protocol.

Now that we understand the importance of email rules and some organization techniques, let’s now proceed to the…

7 Email Rules to Follow for Proper Email ‘Netiquette’

(1)  Be clear and concise

  Only include what is critical, not everything you know!
  Utilize the subject line strategically to articulate your purpose. We will get to the proper format in a bit.
  Utilize one of the content organization methods that we discussed above.
  Keep your emails as short as possible.
  Use fonts that are readable and utilize bold and italics to emphasize key sentences.
  And for God’s sake – PLEASE use spell check!

(2)  Watch your tone

  Always be polite, use tact and treat others how you would like to be treated.
  Avoid using humor, irony, and sarcasm as they can be misinterpreted.
  Don’t know use ALL CAPS as it is seen as shouting.
  Don’t send an email when you are angry or irritated. You can write it but wait until you have calmed down, re-read it and then decide if you still want to send it. Remember, you can’t unsend it once it is in writing!

(3)  Be selective about what messages you send

  Do not discuss sensitive or controversial matters over email.
  Do not send junk emails, spam, or chain letters.
  Avoid firing or giving promotions via email.

(4)  Be selective about who gets the message

  Only send emails to those who need the information, people get enough emails as it is.
  Be careful using ‘reply all’ – use it sparingly.
  Double check who you are sending it to!

(5)  Check your attachments and support material

  If you are going to attach something, double check that it is attached and that the right thing is attached. There’s nothing worse than having to send another email, ‘oops I forgot to attach the file.’
  If the attachment is a large file you may want to instead put it on a shared drive or somewhere on the cloud and let the person know where they can find it.

(6)  Keep your email under control

  Utilize mailings lists if you send to a specific group of people often.
  Lock your computer down when you leave your desk.
  Don’t give out your password!
  Use Outlook’s ‘Out of Office Assistant’ if you will be unable to respond to emails in a reasonable amount of time.

(7)  Use proper format

This is probably my favorite rule as it was how I was introduced to military style emails by my former boss. By standardizing the subject line using keywords it really helps eliminate any confusion.

  The subject line needs to utilize one of the keywords below so that the recipient is able to prioritize and organize it:

ACTION – Necessary for the recipient to take some action.
SIGN – The signature of the recipient is required.
INFO – For informational purposes only, no response or action is required.
DECISION – Needs a decision by the recipient.
REQUEST – Requests permission or approval by the recipient.
COORD – Coordination by or with the recipient is needed.

  The subject line needs to utilize one of the keywords below so that the recipient is able to prioritize and organize it:

  If the email is sent to multiple people but only one person needs to do something you can put their name in parentheses after the keyword. For example, ACTION [Rick] or DECISION [Howie].

  The subject line itself should be brief (5-7 words max) and be a short description of the email.

Learning the 7 rules for email etiquette have been a game-changer for me in terms of being more effective and organized sending me emails.

 

As I Said Earlier…

My boss not only taught me a lot about email etiquette he taught me a lot about leadership and executive presence. I will never forget the day he called me into his office and said “Rick, I need you to head up such and such a project which is very important to the organization. You can handle it and I know that you will get it done correctly – I believe in you.”

I won’t say I was overwhelmed because I am always confident. But it was a major undertaking which involved areas of expertise that I knew nothing about, and leading people much older and more experienced than I was at the time.

But he knew that, and he also had the confidence that I would figure it out and make it happen. Before leaving his office, I asked if he had any words of advice. He then smiled and proceeded to tell me a story about when he worked in the Pentagon under Colin Powell when Powell made a similar ask of him. He suggested I do the same thing that he did which was to, “just get a bunch of smart people together and lead them like I know you can.”

Then, he then went on to repeat a maxim that I heard come out of his mouth often…

“Remember, none of us is as smart as all of us!”

Until next time, keep using proper email etiquette and show someone you believe in them – you never know the type of impact it may have on their life.
–Rick

P.S. Thanks CAPT Dan for teaching me so much.

P.P.S. In case you are wondering, his advice worked, I got a bunch of smart people together and we made it happen together.

Use It or Lose It – Email Etiquette

To practice good email etiquette, follow the 7 rules:

Be clear and concise.
Watch your tone.
Be selective about what messages you send.
Be selective about who gets the message.
Check your attachments and support material.
Keep your email under control.
Use proper format.

When to Use It:

When you are sending email, especially at work.

What Do You Think?

Do you have frustrations with some people’s email etiquette? Have you used any of the rules above? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

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References

The Tongue and Quill. [Washington, D.C.] : Secretary of the Air Force, 2015. Print.