Page 100 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

E-mail and instant messaging 89

must but can create particular problems for native and non-native
English writers alike. Spelling and grammar mistakes, abrupt tone,
overreacting or simply not answering questions can all make read-
ers judge your e-mails in a negative light. Take the time you need to
get it right.

Draft folder

If you are really pressured and know you can’t send your e-mail by
return, think about drafting a reply. Move it into your draft folder
until you can complete it, maybe after asking someone for help.

CC or cc

This stands for ‘carbon copy’. The cc field is for copying your
e-mail to other recipients so they see the same message as the main
addressee. Don’t overuse this feature and copy in people unneces-
sarily, as a matter of course. It causes information overload. If you
use a cc internally within your company, it’s not generally a prob-
lem when those listed in the cc field see others’ e-mail addresses.
But where your cc field includes the e-mail addresses of external
recipients, you may get into trouble because of privacy and data
protection laws. Spammers can also use these lists – and forwarded
e-mail addresses can harbour viruses.

BCC or bcc

This stands for ‘blind carbon copy’. It means that the copy of the
e-mail message is sent to a recipient whose address cannot be seen
by other recipients. This is useful where confidentiality is required.

Multilingual and other e-mail threads

When it comes to business communication, there is nothing more
frustrating, confusing or even downright rude than someone e-mailing