E-WRITE’s Before-You-Send Checklist

Does your e-mail pass the “blush test?" Use the Before-You-Send Checklist to keep yourself from sending embarrassing e-mail messages.

ADDRESS

_____ The right address?

_____ Addressed to the right person/people? (Only those who “need to know”)

TONE

_____ Is the tone appropriate? Professional? Informal? Formal? Polite? Angry?

MAIN MESSAGE

_____ Does the subject line preview the content of the message?

_____ Does the subject line represent the current content of the message?

_____ Does the main point of your message appear in the first paragraph? On the first screen?

FORMAT

_____ Short paragraphs?

_____ Is white space used to group ideas?

_____ Can information be presented in vertical lists, using bullets or numbers?

FINAL CHECK

_____ Initial caps and end-of-sentence punctuation?

_____ Spell-checked and proofread?

_____ Are promised attachments attached and explained?

_____ Would the message make you blush if it were forwarded to someone else?