E -Mail TipsE

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Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips

Summary: This document offers 10 tips to help you write effective professional e-mails.E-mail etiquette asks you to put your reader's needs first, especially when you want theother person to do something (review a submission, extend a deadline, waive a fee) for

you.

first posted 12 Dec 2000; original version by by Jessica Bauer (UWEC student); revisedand maintained by Dennis G. Jerz

Some professionals get scores of e-mails a day. Follow these tips in order to give yourrecipients the information they need in order to act on your message sooner rather thanlater.

1. Write a meaningful subject line.2. Keep the message focused and readable.

3. Avoid attachments.4. Identify yourself clearly.5. Be kind -- don't flame.6. Proofread.7. Don't assume privacy.8. Distinguish between formal and informal situations.9. Respond Promptly.10. Show Respect and Restraint.

1. Write a meaningful subject line.

Recipients scan the subject line in order to decide whether to open, forward, file, ortrash a message. Remember -- your message is not the only one in your recipient'smailbox. Before you hit "send," take a moment to write a subject line that accuratelydescribes the content.

Subject: [Blank]

If you don't put a subject line on your e-mail, you are sending the message thatyour name in the "From" line is all your recipient should need in order to make it atop priority. That could come across as arrogant, or at the very least, thoughtless.Take advantage of the opportunity to get your recipient thinking about yourmessage even before opening it.

Subject: "Important! Read Immediately!!"

What is important to you may not be important to your reader. Rather than brashlyannouncing that the secret contents of your message are important, write aninformative headline that actually communicates at least the core of what you feelis so important: "Emergency: All Cars in the Lower Lot Will Be Towed in 1 Hour."

Subject: "Quick question."
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/index.htmlhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#subject#subjecthttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#subject#subjecthttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#message#messagehttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#message#messagehttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#attachments#attachmentshttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#attachments#attachmentshttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Identify#Identifyhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Identify#Identifyhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#flame#flamehttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#flame#flamehttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Proofread#Proofreadhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Proofread#Proofreadhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#privacy#privacyhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#privacy#privacyhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Distinguish#Distinguishhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Distinguish#Distinguishhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Prompt#Prompthttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Prompt#Prompthttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Respect#Respecthttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/index.htmlhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#subject#subjecthttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#message#messagehttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#attachments#attachmentshttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Identify#Identifyhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#flame#flamehttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Proofread#Proofreadhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#privacy#privacyhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Distinguish#Distinguishhttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Prompt#Prompthttp://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm#Respect#Respect


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If the question is quick, why not just ask it in the subject line? This subject line ishardly useful.

Subject: "Follow-up about Friday"

Fractionally better -- provided that the recipient remembers why a follow-up wasnecessary.

Subject: "That file you requested."If you're confident your recipient will recognize your e-mail address, and really isexpecting a file from you, then this would be fine. But keep in mind that many e-mail providers get scads of virus-laden spam with vague titles like this. The morespecific you are, the more likely your recipient's spam-blocker will let yourmessage through.

Subject: "10 confirmed for Friday... will we need a larger room?"

Upon reading this revised, informative subject line, the recipient immediately startsthinking about the size of the room, not about whether it will be worth it to openthe e-mail.

2. Keep the message focused and readable.

Often recipients only read partway through a long message, hit "reply" as soon as theyhave something to contribute, and forget to keep reading. This is part of human nature.

If your e-mail contains multiple messages that are only loosely related, in order toavoid the risk that your reader will reply only to the first item that grabs his or her fancy,you could number your points to ensure they are all read (adding an introductory linethat states how many parts there are to the message). If the points are substantial enough,split them up into separate messages so your recipient can delete, respond, file, orforward each item individually.

Keep your message readable.

Use standard capitalization and spelling, especially when your message asks

your recipient to do work for you.o If you are a teenager, writing a quick gushing "thx 4 ur help 2day ur gr8"

may make a busy professional smile at your gratitude.o But there comes a time when the sweetness of the gesture isn't enough. u

want ur prof r ur boss 2 think u cant spl? LOL ;-) Skip lines between paragraphs.

Avoid fancy typefaces.Don't depend upon bold font or large size to add nuances.

Many people's e-mail readers only display plain text. In a pinch, use asterisks toshow *emphasis*.

Use standard capitalization. All-caps comes across as shouting, and no caps

invokes the image of a lazy teenager. Regardless of your intention, people willrespond accordingly.

3. Avoid attachments.


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To: All 1000 EmployeesFrom: Eager EdgarSubject: A helpful book everyone should read--------Hello, everyone. I've attached a PDF that I think you'll all find very useful. This is

the third time I sent it the file -- the version I sent yesterday had a typo on page207, so I've sent the whole thing again. Since some of you noted that the large filesize makes it a bit awkward, I've also attached each chapter as a separate document.Let me know what you think!

Attachments:

Big Honking File.pdf (356MB)

BHF Cover.pdf (25MB)

BHF Chapter 1.pdf (35MB)

BHF Chapter 2.pdf (27MB)

[... ]

Okay, raise your hands... how many of us would delete the above messageimmediately, without looking at *any* of those attachments?

To: Bessie ProfessionalFrom: Morris PonsybilSubject: E-mail tips -- a subject for an office workshop?--------Bessie, I came across a book that has lots of tips on streamlining professionalcommunications. Has anyone volunteered to present at the office workshop nextmonth? Let me know if you'd like me to run a little seminar (2o minutes?) on using

e-mail effectively.

Below, I'll paste the table of contents from the book. Let me know if you want mesend you the whole thing as a PDF.

Table of Contents

1. Write a meaningful subject line.2. Keep the message focused and readable.3. Avoid attachments.

4. [...]E-mail works best when you just copy and paste the most relevant text into thebody of the e-mail. Try to reduce the number of steps your recipient will need totake in order to act on your message.

If your recipient actually needs to view the full file in order to edit or archive it, then ofcourse sending an attachment is appropriate.


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In general, attachments

take time to download (and check for viruses)

take up needless space on your recipient's computer, and

don't always translate correctly for people who read their e-mail on portable

devices.

4. Identify yourself clearly.

When contacting someone cold, always include your name, occupation, and any otherimportant identification information in the first few sentences.

If you are following up on a face-to-face contact, you might appear too timid if youassume your recipient doesn't remember you; but you can drop casual hints to jog theirmemory: "I enjoyed talking with you about PDAs in the elevator the other day."

Every fall, I get e-mails from "[email protected]" or"[email protected]" who ask a question about "class" and don't sign theirreal names.

While formal phrases such as "Dear Professor Sneedlewood" and "Sincerely Yours," areunnecessary in e-mail, when contacting someone outside your own organization, youshould write a signature line that includes your full name and at least a link to a blog oronline profile page (something that does not require your recipient to log in first).

5. Be kind. Don't flame.

Think before you click "Send."

If you find yourself writing in anger, save a draft, go get a cup of coffee, and imagine thattomorrow morning someone has taped your e-mail outside your door. Would yourassociates and friends be shocked by your language or attitude?

Or would they be impressed by how you kept your cool, how you ignored the bait whenyour correspondent stooped to personal attacks, and how you carefully explained yourposition (or admitted your error, or asked for a reconsideration, etc.).

Don't pour gasoline on a fire without carefully weighing the consequences. Will you have

to work with this person for the rest of the semester? Do you want a copy of your bitterscreed to surface years from now, when you want a letter of recommendation or you're upfor promotion?

@!$% &*@!! &(*!

Go ahead... write it, revise it, liven it up with traditional Lebanese curses, print itout, throw darts on it, and scribble on it with crayon. Do whatever you need in


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7. Don't assume privacy.

Unless you are Donald Trump, praise in public, and criticize in private. Don't sendanything over e-mail that you wouldn't want posted -- with your name attached -- in thebreak room.

E-mail is not secure. Just as random pedestrians could easily reach into your mailboxand intercept the envelopes that you send and receive through the post office, a curioushacker, a malicious criminal, or the FBI can easily intercept your e-mail. In somecompanies, the e-mail administrator has the ability to read any and all e-mail messages(and may fire you if you write anything inappropriate).

8. Distinguish between formal and informal situations.

When you are writing to a friend or a close colleague, it is OK to use "smilies" :-) ,abbreviations (IIRC for "if I recall correctly", LOL for "laughing out loud," etc.) and

nonstandard punctuation and spelling (like that found in instant messaging or chatrooms). These linguistic shortcuts are generally signs of friendly intimacy, like sharingcold pizza with a family friend. If you tried to share that same cold pizza with a first date,or a visiting dignitary, you would give off the impression that you did not really careabout the meeting. By the same token, don't use informal language when your readerexpects a more formal approach. Always know the situation, and write accordingly.

9. Respond Promptly.

If you want to appear professional and courteous, make yourself available to your onlinecorrespondents. Even if your reply is, "Sorry, I'm too busy to help you now," at least your

correspondent won't be waiting in vain for your reply.

10. Show Respect and Restraint

Many a flame war has been started by someone who hit "reply all" instead of "reply."

While most people know that e-mail is not private, it is good form to ask the senderbefore forwarding a personal message. If someone e-mails you a request, it is perfectlyacceptable to forward the request to a person who can help -- but forwarding a message inorder to ridicule the sender is tacky.

Use BCC instead of CC when sending sensitive information to large groups. (Forexample, a professor sending a bulk message to students who are in danger of failing, oran employer telling unsuccessful applicants that a position is no longer open.) The nameof everyone in the CC list goes out with the message, but the names of people on theBCC list ("blind carbon copy") are hidden. Put your own name in the "To" box if yourmail editor doesn't like the blank space.
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Be tolerant of other people's etiquette blunders. If you think you've been insulted, quotethe line back to your sender and add a neutral comment such as, "I'm not sure how tointerpret this... could you elaborate?"

Sometimes E-Mail is Too Fast!

A colleague once asked me for help, and then almost immediately sent a follow-upinforming me she had solved the problem on her own.

But before reading her second message, I replied at length to the first. Once I learned thatthere was no need for any reply, I worried that my response would seem pompous, so Ifollowed up with a quick apology:

"Should have paid closer attention to my e-mail."

What I meant to say was "[I] should have looked more carefully at my[list of incoming]

e-mail [before replying]," but I could tell from my colleague's terse reply that she hadinterpreted it as if I was criticizing her.

If I hadn't responded so quickly to the first message, I would have saved myself the time Ispent writing a long answer to an obsolete question. If I hadn't responded so quickly tothe second message, I might not have alienated the person I had been so eager to help.

--DGJ

References & Further Reading

Alsop, Stewart. "My Rules of Polite Digital Communication."Fortune. 142.2 (10 July 2000): p

76. Online. Academic Search Elite. 9 October 2000. Cronin, Jennifer. "Netiquette, schmetiquette."Des Moines Business Record16.24 (12 June 2000):

p 11. Online. MasterFILE Premier. 9 October 2000. "Email Etiquette." I Will Follow Services. 1997.

. 9 October 2000. Nucifora, Alf. "Use etiquette when messaging via email." Memphis Business Journal21.51 (14

April 2000): p23. Online. MasterFILE Premier. 9 October 2000. Thorton, Sam. "Rules and Regulations: Email Etiquette." 29 April 1998.

. 9 October 2000.

1. Be concise and to the point2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation4. Make it personal5. Use templates for frequently used responses
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6. Answer swiftly7. Do not attach unnecessary files8. Use proper structure & layout9. Do not overuse the high priority option10. Do not write in CAPITALS

11.Don't leave out the message thread12. Add disclaimers to your emails13. Read the email before you send it14. Do not overuse Reply to All15. Mailings > use the bcc: field or do a mail merge16. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons17. Be careful with formatting18. Take care with rich text and HTML messages19. Do not forward chain letters20. Do not request delivery and read receipts21. Do not ask to recall a message.

22. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission23. Do not use email to discuss confidential information24. Use a meaningful subject25. Use active instead of passive26. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT27. Avoid long sentences28. Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist orobscene remarks29. Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters30. Keep your language gender neutral31. Don't reply to spam32. Use cc: field sparingly

1. Be concise and to the point.

Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading an e-mail isharder than reading printed communications and a long e-mail can be very discouragingto read.

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2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions.

An email reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions If you do notanswer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further e-mails regardingthe unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and your customers timebut also cause considerable frustration. Moreover, if you are able to pre-empt relevantquestions, your customer will be grateful and impressed with your efficient andthoughtful customer service. Imagine for instance that a customer sends you an email
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asking which credit cards you accept. Instead of just listing the credit card types, you canguess that their next question will be about how they can order, so you also include someorder information and a URL to your order page. Customers will definitely appreciatethis.

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3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation.

This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give abad impression of your company, it is also important for conveying the message properly.E-mails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even changethe meaning of the text. And, if your program has a spell checking option, why not use it?

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4. Make it personal.

Not only should the e-mail be personally addressed, it should also include personal i.e.customized content. For this reason auto replies are usually not very effective. However,templates can be used effectively in this way, see next tip.

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5. Use templates for frequently used responses.

Some questions you get over and over again, such as directions to your office or how to

subscribe to your newsletter. Save these texts as response templates and paste these intoyour message when you need them. You can save your templates in a Word document, oruse pre-formatted emails. Even better is a tool such as ReplyMate for Outlook(allowsyou to use 10 templates for free).

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6. Answer swiftly.

Customers send an e-mail because they wish to receive a quick response. If they did notwant a quick response they would send a letter or a fax. Therefore, each e-mail should be

replied to within at least 24 hours, and preferably within the same working day. If theemail is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have received it and thatyou will get back to them. This will put the customer's mind at rest and usually customerswill then be very patient!

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7. Do not attach unnecessary files.
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By sending large attachments you can annoy customers and even bring down their e-mailsystem. Wherever possible try to compress attachments and only send attachments whenthey are productive. Moreover, you need to have a good virus scanner in place since yourcustomers will not be very happy if you send them documents full of viruses!

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8. Use proper structure & layout.

Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, the structure andlay out is very important for e-mail messages. Use short paragraphs and blank linesbetween each paragraph. When making points, number them or mark each point asseparate to keep the overview.

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9. Do not overuse the high priority option.

We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. If you overuse the high priority option,it will lose its function when you really need it. Moreover, even if a mail has highpriority, your message will come across as slightly aggressive if you flag it as 'highpriority'.

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10. Do not write in CAPITALS.

IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING. This can behighly annoying and might trigger an unwanted response in the form of a flame mail.Therefore, try not to send any email text in capitals.

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11. Don't leave out the message thread.

When you reply to an email, you must include the original mail in your reply, in otherwords click 'Reply', instead of 'New Mail'. Some people say that you must remove theprevious message since this has already been sent and is therefore unnecessary. However,

I could not agree less. If you receive many emails you obviously cannot remember eachindividual email. This means that a 'threadless email' will not provide enough informationand you will have to spend a frustratingly long time to find out the context of the email inorder to deal with it. Leaving the thread might take a fraction longer in download time,but it will save the recipient much more time and frustration in looking for the relatedemails in their inbox!

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12. Add disclaimers to your emails.

It is important to add disclaimers to your internal and external mails, since this can helpprotect your company from liability. Consider the following scenario: an employeeaccidentally forwards a virus to a customer by email. The customer decides to sue your

company for damages. If you add a disclaimer at the bottom of every external mail,saying that the recipient must check each email for viruses and that it cannot be heldliable for any transmitted viruses, this will surely be of help to you in court (read moreabout email disclaimers). Another example: an employee sues the company for allowinga racist email to circulate the office. If your company has an email policy in place andadds an email disclaimer to every mail that states that employees are expressly requirednot to make defamatory statements, you have a good case of proving that the companydid everything it could to prevent offensive emails.

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13. Read the email before you send it.

A lot of people don't bother to read an email before they send it out, as can be seen fromthe many spelling and grammar mistakes contained in emails. Apart from this, readingyour email through the eyes of the recipient will help you send a more effective messageand avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments.

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14. Do not overuse Reply to All.

Only use Reply to All if you really need your message to be seen by each person whoreceived the original message.

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15. Mailings > use the Bcc: field or do a mail merge.

When sending an email mailing, some people place all the email addresses in the To:field. There are two drawbacks to this practice: (1) the recipient knows that you have sentthe same message to a large number of recipients, and (2) you are publicizing someoneelse's email address without their permission. One way to get round this is to place all

addresses in the Bcc: field. However, the recipient will only see the address from the To:field in their email, so if this was empty, the To: field will be blank and this might looklike spamming. You could include the mailing list email address in the To: field, or evenbetter, if you have Microsoft Outlook and Word you can do a mail merge and create onemessage for each recipient. A mail merge also allows you to use fields in the message sothat you can for instance address each recipient personally. For more information on howto do a Word mail merge, consult the Help in Word.
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16. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons.

In business emails, try not to use abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and LOL

(laugh out loud). The recipient might not be aware of the meanings of the abbreviationsand in business emails these are generally not appropriate. The same goes for emoticons,such as the smiley :-). If you are not sure whether your recipient knows what it means, itis better not to use it.

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17. Be careful with formatting.

Remember that when you use formatting in your emails, the sender might not be able toview formatting, or might see different fonts than you had intended. When using colors,

use a color that is easy to read on the background.

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18. Take care with rich text and HTML messages.

Be aware that when you send an email in rich text or HTML format, the sender mightonly be able to receive plain text emails. If this is the case, the recipient will receive yourmessage as a .txt attachment. Most email clients however, including Microsoft Outlook,are able to receive HTML and rich text messages.

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19. Do not forward chain letters.

Do not forward chain letters. We can safely say that all of them are hoaxes. Just delete theletters as soon as you receive them.

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20. Do not request delivery and read receipts.

This will almost always annoy your recipient before he or she has even read yourmessage. Besides, it usually does not work anyway since the recipient could haveblocked that function, or his/her software might not support it, so what is the use of usingit? If you want to know whether an email was received it is better to ask the recipient tolet you know if it was received.

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21. Do not ask to recall a message.

Biggest chances are that your message has already been delivered and read. A recallrequest would look very silly in that case wouldn't it? It is better just to send an email tosay that you have made a mistake. This will look much more honest than trying to recall a

message.

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22. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission.

Do not copy a message or attachment belonging to another user without permission of theoriginator. If you do not ask permission first, you might be infringing on copyright laws.

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23. Do not use email to discuss confidential information.

Sending an email is like sending a postcard. If you don't want your email to be displayedon a bulletin board, don't send it. Moreover, never make any libelous, sexist or raciallydiscriminating comments in emails, even if they are meant to be a joke.

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24. Use a meaningful subject.

Try to use a subject that is meaningful to the recipient as well as yourself. For instance,

when you send an email to a company requesting information about a product, it is betterto mention the actual name of the product, e.g. 'Product A information' than to just say'product information' or the company's name in the subject.

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25. Use active instead of passive.

Try to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible. For instance, 'We will processyour order today', sounds better than 'Your order will be processed today'. The firstsounds more personal, whereas the latter, especially when used frequently, sounds

unnecessarily formal.

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26. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT.


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Even more so than the high-priority option, you must at all times try to avoid these typesof words in an email or subject line. Only use this if it is a really, really urgent orimportant message.

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27. Avoid long sentences.

Try to keep your sentences to a maximum of 15-20 words. Email is meant to be a quickmedium and requires a different kind of writing than letters. Also take care not to sendemails that are too long. If a person receives an email that looks like a dissertation,chances are that they will not even attempt to read it!

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28. Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or

obscene remarks.

By sending or even just forwarding one libelous, or offensive remark in an email, youand your company can face court cases resulting in multi-million dollar penalties.

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29. Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters.

If you receive an email message warning you of a new unstoppable virus that willimmediately delete everything from your computer, this is most probably a hoax. By

forwarding hoaxes you use valuable bandwidth and sometimes virus hoaxes containviruses themselves, by attaching a so-called file that will stop the dangerous virus. Thesame goes for chain letters that promise incredible riches or ask your help for a charitablecause. Even if the content seems to be bona fide, the senders are usually not. Since it isimpossible to find out whether a chain letter is real or not, the best place for it is therecycle bin.

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30. Keep your language gender neutral.

In this day and age, avoid using sexist language such as: 'The user should add a signatureby configuring his email program'. Apart from using he/she, you can also use the neutralgender: ''The user should add a signature by configuring the email program'.

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31. Don't reply to spam.


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By replying to spam or by unsubscribing, you are confirming that your email address is'live'. Confirming this will only generate even more spam. Therefore, just hit the deletebutton or use email software to remove spam automatically.

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32. Use cc: field sparingly.

Try not to use the cc: field unless the recipient in the cc: field knows why they arereceiving a copy of the message. Using the cc: field can be confusing since the recipientsmight not know who is supposed to act on the message. Also, when responding to a cc:message, should you include the other recipient in the cc: field as well? This will dependon the situation. In general, do not include the person in the cc: field unless you have aparticular reason for wanting this person to see your response. Again, make sure that thisperson will know why they are receiving a copy.

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How do you enforce email etiquette?

The first step is to create a writtenemail policy. This email policy should include all thedo's and don'ts concerning the use of the company's email system and should bedistributed amongst all employees. Secondly, employees must be trained to fullyunderstand the importance of email etiquette. Finally, implementation of the rules can bemonitored by usingemail management software and email response tools.

Tips for Mastering E-mail Overload10/25/2004A great productivity enhancer? Ha! E-mail can be a tremendous waste of time unless youknow how to tame the savage beast, says Stever Robbins.

by Stever Robbins

Being at or near the the top of your organization, everyone wants a piece of you. So theysend you e-mail. It makes you feel important. Don't you love it? Really? Then, pleasetake some of mine! Over 100 real e-mails come in each day. At three minutes apiece, itwill take five hours just to read and respond. Let's not even think about the messages thattake six minutes of work to deal with. Shudder. I'm buried in e-mail and chances are,you're not far behind. For whatever reason, everyone feels compelled to keep you "in theloop."

Fortunately, being buried alive under electronic missives forced me to develop copingstrategies. Let me share some of the nonobvious ones with you. Together, maybe we canstart a revolution.
http://www.emailreplies.com/#top#tophttp://www.emailreplies.com/#top#tophttp://www.emailreplies.com/Email_policy.htmlhttp://www.emailreplies.com/Email_policy.htmlhttp://www.emailreplies.com/Email_policy.htmlhttp://www.emailreplies.com/Email_management_software.htmlhttp://www.emailreplies.com/Email_management_software.htmlhttp://www.emailreplies.com/Email_management_software.html#Emailresponsehttp://www.emailreplies.com/#top#tophttp://www.emailreplies.com/#top#tophttp://www.emailreplies.com/Email_policy.htmlhttp://www.emailreplies.com/Email_management_software.htmlhttp://www.emailreplies.com/Email_management_software.html#Emailresponse


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The problem is that readers now bear the burdenBefore e-mail, senders shouldered the burden of mail. Writing, stamping, and mailing aletter was a lot of work. Plus, each new addressee meant more postage, so we thoughthard about whom to send things to. (Is it worth spending thirty-two cents for Loren toread this letter? Nah.)

E-mail bludgeoned that system in no time. With free sending to an infinite number ofpeople now a reality, every little thought and impulse becomes instant communication.Our most pathetic meanderings become deep thoughts that we happily blast to six dozencolleagues who surely can't wait. On the receiving end, we collect these gems of wisdomfrom the dozens around us. The result: Inbox overload.

("But my incoming e-mail is important," you cry. Don't fool yourself. Time how long youspend at your inbox. Multiply by your per-minute wage(*) to find out just how muchmoney you spend on e-mail. If you can justify that expense, far outyou're one of thelucky ones. But for many, incoming e-mail is a money suck. Bonus challenge: do this

calculation companywide.)

(*) Divide your yearly salary by 120,000 to get your per-minute wage.

Taming e-mail means training the senders to put the burden of quality back onthemselves.

How you can send better e-mailWhat's the best way to train everyone around you to better e-mail habits? You guessed it:You go first. First, you say, "In order for me to makeyou more productive, I'm going toadopt this new policy to lighten your load" Demonstrate a policy for a month, and if

people like it, ask them to start doing it too.

Use a subject line tosummarize, not describe.

People scan their inbox by subject. Make your subject rich enough that your readers candecide whether it's relevant. The best way to do this is to summarize your message inyour subject.

BAD SUBJECT: GOOD SUBJECT:

Subject: Deadline discussion Subject: Recommend we ship product April 25th

Give your reader full context at the start of your message.

Too many messages forwarded to you start with an answer"Yes! I agree. Apples aredefinitely the answer"without offering context. We must read seven included messages,notice that we were copied, and try to figure out what apples are the answer to. Evenworse, we don't really know if we should care. Oops! We just noticed there are tenmessages about apples. One of the others says "Apples are definitely not the answer."


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And another says, "Didn't you get my message about apples?" But which message wassent first? And which was in response to which? ARGH!

It's very, very difficult to get to the core of the issue.

You're probably sending e-mail because you're deep in thought about something. Yourreader is too, only they're deep in thought about something else. Even worse, in a multi-person conversation, messages and replies may arrive out of order. And no, it doesn't helpto include the entire past conversation when you reply; it's rude to force someone else towade through ten screens of messages because you're too lazy to give them context. So,start off your messages with enough context to orient your reader.

BAD E-MAIL: GOOD E-MAIL:

To: Billy FranklinFrom: Robert Payne

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Please bringcontributions to the charity drive

Yes, apples are definitely the answer.

To: Billy FranklinFrom: Robert Payne

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Please bringcontributions to the charity drive.

You asked if we want apple pie. Yes, applesare definitely the answer.

When you copy lots of people (a heinous practice that should be used sparingly),

mark out why each person should care.

Just because you send a message to six poor coworkers doesn't mean all six know what todo when they get it. Ask yourself why you're sending to each recipient, and let them

know at the start of the message what they should do with it. Big surprise, this also forcesyou to consider why you're including each person.

BAD CC: GOOD CC:

To: Abby Gail, Bill Fold, Cindy RellaSubject: Web site design draft is done

The Web site draft is done. Check it out inthe attached file. The design firm will needour responses by the end of the week.

To: Abby Gail, Bill Fold, Cindy RellaSubject: Web site design draft is done

AG: DECISION NEEDED. Get marketing toapprove the draft

BF: PLEASE VERIFY. Does the slogancapture our branding?

CR: FYI, if we need a redesign, your projectwill slip.

The Web site draft is done. Check it out in


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the attached file. The design firm will needour responses by the end of the week.

Use separate messages rather than bcc (blind carbon copy).

If you bcc someone "just to be safe," think again. Ask yourself what you want the"copied" person to know, and send a separate message if needed.Yes, it's more work foryou, but if we all do it, it's less overload.

BAD BCC: GOOD BCC:

To: FredBcc: Chris

Please attend the conference todayat 2:00 p.m.

To: Fred

Please attend the conference today at 2:00 p.m.

To: Chris

Please reserve the conference room for me and Fredtoday at 2:00 p.m.

Make action requests clear.

If you want things to get done, say so. Clearly. There's nothing more frustrating as areader than getting copied on an e-mail and finding out three weeks later that someoneexpected you to pick up the project and run with it. Summarize action items at the end of

a message so everyone can read them at one glance.

Separate topics into separate e-mails up to a point.

If someone sends a message addressing a dozen topics, some of which you can respond tonow and some of which you can't, send a dozen responsesone for each topic. That way,each thread can proceed unencumbered by the others.

Do this when mixing controversy with mundania. That way, the mundane topics can betaken care of quietly, while the flame wars can happen separately.

BAD MIXING OF ITEMS: GOOD MIXING OF ITEMS:

We need to gather all the articles byFebruary 1st.

Speaking of which, I was thinking do you think we should fire Sandy?

Message #1: We need to gather all the articles byFebruary 1st.

Message #2: Sandy's missed a lot of deadlinesrecently. Do you think termination is in order?


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Combine separate points into one message.

Sometimes the problem is the oppositesending 500 tiny messages a day will overloadsomeone, even if the intent is to reduce this by creating separate threads. If you areholding a dozen open conversations with one person, the slowness of typing is probably

substantial overhead. Jot down all your main points on a piece of (gasp) paper, pick upthe phone, and call the person to discuss those points. I guarantee you'll save a ton oftime.

Edit forwarded messages.

For goodness sake, if someone sends you a message, don't forward it along withoutediting it. Make it appropriate for the ultimate recipient and make sure it doesn't get theoriginal sender in trouble.

BAD FORWARDING: GOOD FORWARDING:

To: Bill

Sue's idea, described below, is great.

---

From: Sue

Hey, Abner:

Let's take the new design and add sparkles around theborder. Bill probably won't mind; his design sense is sogarish he'll approve anything.

To: Bill

Sue's idea, described below, isgreat.

---

From: Sue

Hey, Abner:

Let's take the new design andadd sparkles around theborder

When scheduling a call or conference, include the topic in the invitation. It helps

people prioritize and manage their calendar more effectively.

BAD E-MAIL: GOOD E-MAIL:

Subject: Conference callWednesday at 3:00 p.m. Subject: Conference call Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. toreview demo presentation.

Make your e-mail one page or less.

Make sure the meat of your e-mail is visible in the preview pane of your recipient'smailer. That means the first two paragraphs should have the meat. Many people neverread past the first screen, and very few read past the third.


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Understand how people prefer to be reached, and how quickly they respond.

Some people are so buried under e-mail that they can't reply quickly. If something isimportant, use the phone or make a follow-up phone call. Do it politely; a delay may notbe personal. It might be that someone's overloaded. If you have time-sensitive

information, don't assume people have read the e-mail you sent three hours agorescheduling the meeting that takes place in five minutes. Pick up the phone and call.

How to read and receive e-mailSetting a good example only goes so far. You also have to train others explicitly. Explainto them that you're putting some systems in place to help you manage your e-mailoverload. Ask for their help, and know that they're secretly envying your strength ofcharacter.

Check e-mail at defined times each day.

We hate telemarketers during dinner, so why do we tolerate e-mail when we're trying toget something useful done? Turn off your e-mail "autocheck" and only check e-mail twoor three times a day, by hand. Let people know that if they need to reach you instantly, e-mail isn't the way. When it's e-mail processing time, however, shut the office door, turnoff the phone, and blast through the messages.

Use a paper "response list" to triage messages before you do any follow-up.

The solution to e-mail overload is pencil and paper? Who knew? Grab a legal pad andlabel it "Response list." Run through your incoming e-mails. For each, note on the paperwhat you have to do or whom you have to call. Resist the temptation to respond

immediately. If there's important reference information in the e-mail, drag it to yourReference folder. Otherwise, delete it. Zip down your entire list of e-mails to generateyour response list. Then, zip down your response list and actually do the follow-up.

Charge people for sending you messages.

One CEO I've worked with charges staff members five dollars from their budget for eache-mail she receives. Amazingly, her overload has gone down, the relevance of e-mails hasgone up, and the senders are happy, too, because the added thought often results in themsolving more problems on their own.

Train people to be relevant.

If you are constantly copied on things, begin replying to e-mails that aren't relevant withthe single word: "Relevant?" Of course, you explain that this is a favor to them. Now,they can learn what is and isn't relevant to you. Beforehand, tell them the goal is tocalibrate relevance, notto criticize or put them down and encourage them to send yourelevancy challenges as well. Pretty soon, you'll be so well trained you'll be positivelyproductive!


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Answer briefly.

When someone sends you a ten page missive, reply with three words. "Yup, great idea."You'll quickly train people not to expect huge answers from you, and you can thenproceed to answer at your leisure in whatever format works best for you. If your e-mail

volume starts getting very high, you'll have no choice.

Send out delayed responses.

Type your response directly, but schedule it to be sent out in a few days. This works greatfor conversations that are nice but not terribly urgent. By inserting a delay in each go-around, you both get to breathe easier.

(In Outlook, choose Options when composing a message and select Do not deliverbefore. In Eudora, hold down the Shift key as you clickSend.)

Ignore it.

Yes, ignore e-mail. If something's important, you'll hear about it again. Trust me. Andpeople will gradually be trained to pick up the phone or drop by if they have something tosay. After all, if it's not important enough for them to tear their gaze away from thehypnotic world of Microsoft Windows, it's certainly not important enough for you to takethe time to read.

Your only solution is to take actionYeah, yeah, you have a million reasons why these ideas can never work in yourworkplace. Hogwash. I use every one of them and can bring at least a semblance of order

to my inbox. So choose a technique and start applying it. While you practice, I'll be onvacation, accumulating a 2,000 message backlog for when I get home. If you want toknow how well I cope, just send along an e-mail and ask.

Vinegar

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