I had a funny moment today. I either stumbled upon an odd Aussie swear, or maybe my home state has engendered some Web backlash. In an attempt to post a comment on a blog down under about my employer’s environmental efforts, my comment was initially rejected because I used the word “Texas” 
It led me to think how often a poor choice of words can lead to confusion, or worse, a message not being heard. I continually see endless chains of dialogue by email (death by email?) back and forth that could easily be avoided. Add in the fact that most of us are overloaded with email, and the potential for confusion grows (sorry David Allen, my inbox never seems to get completely emptied).
With that, my thoughts on effective emailing – unlike others I don’t hold hope we will get out from under email in buisness anytime soon so we might as well make it work for us:
- Make your subject line as clear as absolutely possible – but in as few words as possible
- Scan for the small screen — your formatting, color of text and special characters can all get lost on a blackberry – so be sure your words are clear without those tools. And don’t forget the visible subject line on a PDA is rather short.
- Tone doesn’t transmit — though it’s human nature to read tone into incoming messages. Make your words carry your message clearly and succintly. If it needs more massaging than that, deliver a message in person or on the phone.
- Brevity is beautiful – make an ask at the beginning of a message – it’s much more likely to be read. If a reader sees only the first paragraph of your note will they know what you need?
- Context counts – without sacrificing brevity – I most often see email chaos that would have been avoidable if the sender had added one sentence about why he or she needed something.
- The 5 W’s can always help. If your message answers the who, what, where, why, when that your recipient will ask – you have an effective message on your hands.
I’ve certainly been guilty of bad email before but continually trying to address bad habits. What about everyone else – has social media helped address email overload at all? What’s your best email horror story?
