You get so much
email every day that you might spend as little as 15 seconds scanning a message
to determine how it applies to you. Now, imagine that other people are reading
your email the same way. If they can't quickly identify the purpose of your
message, they’ll probably delete it or leave it in the Inbox for "later"— if later ever comes.
1. Make the
purpose of the message clear
When recipients receive your email message, they should be
able to see at a quick glance how the message relates to them and why it’s
important. They may be looking on a Windows phone or Windows Mobile device,
such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), or they may see only Subject lines
in their Inbox. If your Subject line is confusing and irrelevant, your email
will surely get deleted in a hurry. Here are some examples of what can be included
in Subject lines to make sure the reader
Opens your mail:
- ·
A standard subject heading such as "Action Requested,"
"Response Requested," "FYI," or "Read Only,"
depending on the action indicated in the body of the message.
- ·
The meaningful objective or supporting project that
the message relates to, for example, "FY '2012 budget forecasting."
- ·
The required action if applicable, for example, "Consolidate
departmental budget spreadsheets."
- ·
The due date if applicable, for example,
"Due by July 7." An example of an effective Subject line is
"Action Requested—consolidates all department spreadsheets for FY '2013
budget and return to me by Jan 05."
2. Tell
recipients what action you want them to take
Be completely clear
about the actions you want the recipients to take. Be specific and put all the material
that is related to an action in one place. To get even faster responses, talk
about how the action relates to the recipient's objectives, and always give due
dates. It's also important to clarify what type of action you want the
recipient to take. There are basically four types of actions you could request.
If you make this level of detail clear, the recipient will be most likely to
read the email and take the action right away. The four actions include:
- ·
Action:
The recipient needs to perform an action. For example, "Provide a proposal
for a
- ·
5% reduction in Travel & Entertainment expense."
- ·
Respond:
The recipient needs to respond to your message with specific information.
For example, "Let me know if you
can attend the staff meeting at 9:00 A.M. on Friday."
- ·
Read
only: The recipient needs to read your message to make sure they understand something.
No response is necessary. For example, "Please read the attached sales plan
before our next staff meeting on August 12th."
- ·
FYI only:
The recipient should file your message for future reference. No response is
necessary. In fact, even reading the message is optional. For example,
"Enclosed for your records are your completed expense reports."
3. Provide
the proper data and documents
Make sure you give recipients all of the information they
need to complete an action or respond successfully to your request. Your
co-workers shouldn't have to come back to you asking for information, whether
it is a supporting document or a link to a file on a shared website. You can
include supporting information in the body of the message, in an attached file,
or in an attached email. In addition, if
you want recipients to fill out a form, it's a good idea to attach a sample
copy of the form that shows how it should be filled out.
4. Send the
message only to relevant recipients
Target your message to the appropriate audience. Only people
who have to complete an action on the Subject line should receive your message.
Be thoughtful and respectful when you enter names on the To line. People
observe your thoughtfulness and the results are more effective. Here are two
simple questions to help you filter the To line recipients:
- ·
Does this
email relate to the recipient's objectives?
- ·
Is the
recipient responsible for the action in the Subject line?
5. Use the
CC line wisely
It's tempting to put loads of people on the CC line to cover
your bases, but doing so is one of the fastest ways to create an unproductive
environment. Here are some things to consider when using the CC line:
·
No action
or response should be expected of individuals on the CC line. The recipient
needs to only read or file the message.
·
Only
those individuals whose meaningful objectives are affected by the email should
be included on the message. If you are not sure
That the information is related to a co-worker's objectives,
check with that person to see if they want to receive your email on that topic.
6. Ask
"final questions" before you click Send
The final thing you want to do is check your work to be sure
you are supporting meaningful actions. Sending clear, well-defined messages can
reduce the volume of email you send and receive, encouraging correct action,
saving time, and limiting email trails. Make sure you ask the following questions
before you send the message:
- ·
Have I
clarified purpose and actions?
- ·
Have I
included supporting documents and written a clear Subject line?
- ·
Did I
write the message clearly enough that it does not come back to me with
questions?
- ·
Am I
sending the message to the correct recipients?
- ·
Have I
run the spelling checker and edited the message for grammar and jargon?
To summarize, it is incredibly easy to create an unproductive
culture using email. Follow these guidelines and you can be sure you and your team/colleagues
are able to keep focused on meaningful objectives and don't create email overload.
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