Globally Speaking

Although typing your reply before the included message works well for a brief response, we recommend that you don't make a habit of it. If the original sender wants to reply to your reply, or to forward it to a third party with some comments, the thread of the discussion will be difficult to follow because it appears in reverse chronological order.

If you are using email in an intercultural context, there are already enough barriers to clear communication. The confusion generated by breaking the chronological stream of thought far outweighs the few seconds that you save by typing your reply before the included message instead of after it.

The confusion will be compounded if the exchange of emails occurs across the international dateline, because the date of a reply might precede the date of the original message below it. Although you and your correspondent can clearly remember the true sequence of a chronologically jumbled email, it may seem very confusing to a third party if you need to forward it at some point.

Be sure to maintain a top-down chronological flow in any email that contains a sequence of replies and counter-replies. If necessary, cut and paste your correspondent's previous comments if he or she is in the habit of replying at the top of a message.

For more advice about replying to email, see our October 23 tip: Make Your Email Replies Neat-Looking.