•  Use a meaningful subject line.

•  Only include those recipients in the To field who you
   expect to respond.

•  Use Reply to All only when you are certain everyone
   needs to see your reply.

•  Answer all questions, and pre-empt further ones.

•  Use a simple structure & layout, and type in
   complete sentences.

•  Do not use abbreviations and emoticons unless you
   can be certain all recipients are familiar with them.

•  Do not attach unnecessary files.

•  Read your draft email before sending it.

•  Respond promptly, or send a note stating by when
   to expect your response.

•  Start your emails with a courteous greeting, anything from “Dear Ms. XX” to “Hi XX”. Don’t omit the greeting, use a name alone, or misspell a name, as all of these might be viewed as offensive by some recipients.

•  Consider diverse naming conventions. US-Americans and select others usually give their names in the order of first-last. Some in Europe and Latin America use last-first, as do many Asians. Chinese names are commonly given last-first if a person uses their Chinese name, first-last if they adopted an English first name. www.executiveplanet.com provides country-specific information about these conven­tions.

•  Use first names only if you and the recipient previously established this. Members of most cultures consider it inappropriate if you force them to move to first names, which they might otherwise do with close friends only.

•  Unless your recipients are US-Americans, who commonly prefer getting straight to the point, start with some "small talk." This is particularly helpful when communicating with members of strongly relationship-oriented cultures, among them most Latin Americans and Asians. For example, tell them how your weekend was and ask about theirs. Alternatively, close with a similar statement or maybe something like "Hope you'll have a great Easter break!" Doing so almost always helps in building stronger bonds and motivating others to collaborate with you.

•  Do not write in CAPITALS, which some take as the equivalent of yelling, or mark your text in bright colors, to which several cultures attribute special meanings.

•  Carefully consider which level of formality would be most appropriate. This can be hard, as individual familiarity, cultural preferences, hierarchical differences, and a number of other factors all impact what is considered "right." If in doubt: too much is better than too little.

•  Always end your emails with "Thank you," "Sincerely," "Best regards, " "Talk to you soon," "Cheers" - something that sounds friendly and positive.

•  Do not sign emails with your first name only, unless you are already on first-name basis with the person(s) you are sending them to.