NOTHING HAS HAD as dramatic an impact on modern-day communication as the advent of digital communication platforms. Conference calls, webinars, internet meetings and LinkedIn, to name a few, are highly effective and an integral part of the business world, but in terms of really changing the way we communicate, e-mail is still one of the most effective communication methods.
For most of us, though, it has become a love-hate relationship. No one disputes that e-mail is fast, easy to use, and allows us to stay in touch anytime, anywhere. Those are the positives.
But what about the vast number of unwanted messages we receive, the fact that managers now expect us to be online 24/7, and all those late nights in the office or at home just trying to clear out the inbox?
Like it or not, e-mail is here to stay. It will never replace face-to-face communication or a phone conversation as the preferred way of influencing someone, but it can still be put to good use in this context.
Whether to convince a colleague, persuade a manager or encourage an employee, an e-mail can support and enhance the message you want to convey.
Here are some tips to help you do that effectively:
Writing your message
In using e-mail, the first common mistake is failing to deliver a clear message. It is not the reader's job to search for meaning. As the sender, you must ensure the recipient can quickly understand the point, see why you sent the message, and know what you want to happen next.
Besides making the reasons clear, think about the structure and use a format that creates impact. Use separate paragraphs for different thoughts or topics and avoid at all costs a style that produces lengthy, unbroken blocks of text.
Opt for bullet points or a numbering system to clarify your ideas and, if possible, try to make the e-mail no more than one on-screen page. Reading something longer than that can be annoying.
Remember also that the recipient will probably not read every paragraph or word you write. They will probably scan the message, so get right to the point and make the relevance immediately obvious.
Take special care to phrase things, so there is no chance of misunderstanding or ambiguity, and because humour, sarcasm and irony are hard to convey in an e-mail and easily misinterpreted, it is best not to attempt them. Another tip is to avoid writing everything in capital letters; it creates the subliminal impression that you are shouting.
Finally, before sending the e-mail, read it through at least once. Check for spelling, proper use of language and conciseness. This is a basic courtesy to the receiver because there is nothing worse than trying to decipher a poorly written e-mail littered with mistakes. What you send has an impact on how people see you, so if your messages are slapdash or disorganised, other assumptions will follow. Therefore, allow others to perceive you in the best light.
Selecting your audience
You can do something constructive to reduce the number of messages your colleagues receive by carefully reviewing every list of multiple addressees.
Delete the names of people who will not think or do something different as a result of your message. Generally, fewer receivers mean greater impact for any e-mail, so do not assume you are achieving more by copying in half your address book “for information only”. Organisation- wide distribution lists allow you to communicate with a large number of people simultaneously, but someone should be nominated to create, control and update these lists.
If you receive an e-mail with a large distribution list, think very carefully before clicking the “reply all” option. In many cases, only the sender will need to see your reply, and the other recipients will not need to hear from you. Failing to show common sense in such matters can be a sure way of losing respect.
Managing your inbox
There may not be too much you can do to limit the number of e-mails received every day, but you can manage the workload more effectively.
One good way is to use the message preview option, which is sometimes known as split-screen. This allows you to preview the subject and content, and thereby prioritise or delete incoming messages. The same principle applies as for dealing with paperwork: handle each item once. Read each e-mail and decide whether to answer immediately, remove, file, or move it to a specified folder for action later.
When others notice that this practical and efficient approach works well, they are likely to copy it. To reduce the number of irrelevant incoming e-mails, work to get your name off the distribution lists of those that add no value. Colleagues usually react quickly and well-known companies may respect a request to be removed from a marketing list. However, spammers are not so considerate.
Also, do not become obsessive about checking your inbox. Decide to do this at certain times during the day and try to stick to that routine. Switch off the new message notification and its beep to reduce distractions.
You can make much better use of valuable working time if you focus on and complete one task before moving on to the next. Allowing e-mail interruptions limits overall productivity and, if you respond immediately, people start to demand immediate replies, and the volume of e-mail traffic often increases. They will expect you to be constantly online and always there to provide urgent, time-sensitive information. All the important business will still get done if you just check your inbox at regular times throughout the day.
E-mail is a great tool, but it is no substitute for face-to-face meetings and contact by telephone. The vital thing, though, is to think through the purpose of every message, consider the likely perspective of the receiver, and to write in a way that ensures quick and easy understanding. In the end, it is not the quantity of e-mails you send that counts, but the quality.
TIPS TO WIN
REDUCE THE NUMBER
E-mail may be great in principle but the sheer volume of messages sent is steadily eroding its overall effectiveness. Almost everyone complains about getting too many e-mails. If everyone in your own organisation cut by five the number of e-mails, they sent each day, the impact would be dramatic. As a start, you can reduce the number of acknowledgement or thank-you e-mails. Courtesy in business is important, but there is no need to go overboard by responding to everything.
USING THE SUBJECT LINE
Clearly state the subject of the message. Like in a newspaper, you should create a “headline” indicating the subject of an email in the space provided. This makes it easier for any recipient to know at a glance what priority to give it. It can also help if you include in the subject box basic details such as “action required by …” or “input needed from …” as a further means of clarification. Similarly, if you use a title clearly stating “update on …” or “FYI”, recipients will know straight away that they are not expected to take action and can read the full message when time allows. Only “flag” a message when there is something of special importance or urgency.
IDENTIFY YOUR PURPOSE
Before your fingers touch the keyboard, ask yourself about the purpose of the e-mail. Do you want the receiver to think or act differently, or is the intention to ·inform or persuade? Consider also if an e-mail is the most appropriate way of delivering the message. With a clear purpose, it will be easier to decide on and draft the content. Also, the more thought you put into preparing your e-mail, the better the chance of achieving your influencing objectives.
WRITE IT FIRST
A common scenario is having to update a number of people in the organisation about a product launch. After completing the list of recipients, you start typing away, but midway through you digress and include details of some sensitive areas of the project. Only after sending the message do you realise that this information should not have been shared with all the addressees. The mistake is easy to avoid. Draft your message, read it over and then decide who you should send it to.