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E-mail has been around for a while.
And even though we have augmented e-mail communications with newer technologies,
like team rooms, and chat and video teleconferencing, e-mail remains, for most
businesses, the primary communications mechanism. It has become such a powerful
and pervasive component of our communications toolbox that people who sit so
close to us that we can hear them type use it to communicate with us.
And the average knowledge worker
receives LOTS of e-mails each day. In fact, most of us receive so many that we
feel overwhelmed and almost paralyzed when we look at the screen showing how
many new mails we have received. Yet despite e-mail's ubiquity and popularity,
users, in general, are not proficient at its use. So here are a few tips to help
you make the most out of this critical business tool... without letting it
consume you.
1. What's my objective, anyway?
As with any business correspondence, before you put finger to key, you should
really ask yourself, what is my objective in sending this mail. Is it to inform,
persuade, motivate, request action, etc.? Knowing this up front will help you
craft an effective e-mail.
2. Make the subject clear, direct
and accurate.
The Subject line can be the most
important part of the mail. It can be the factor which helps the recipient
determine if he/she is going to open it. So, make it clear and as descriptive as
possible.
3. Set the scene.
Few people would open a meeting
asking colleagues to share their opinions on a key topic without providing
enough history to ensure all participants have the same background information.
Yet many of us don't take the opportunity to use e-mail in the same way. As with
any communication, what you say upfront can dramatically impact the
effectiveness of your e-mail.
4. Get to the point.
Get to the point in the first few
sentences. Have you ever noticed how effective newspapers are at conveying key
information in a small amount of space? You can achieve the same results by
putting key information up front in catchy wording. Tell them the "who," "what,"
"when," "why," and "how." The result: you quickly inform your readers about key
information and give them the queues to easily determine if it's worth their
while to read on. They'll appreciate it.
5. Use power tools.
Another way to ensure that your
communication is clear and accurate is the appropriate use of text styles and
fonts. But be careful not to create an e-mail that combines too many font types
and colors; there's a fine line between using formatting options to aid your
reader in negotiating content and creating a document that's more suitable for
the wall of your daughter's kindergarten classroom. |
