6
ways to ensure your email gets read
If you’re like a lot of us, 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.
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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 at a preview
of your message in Microsoft Outlook or 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 '05 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—Consolidate all department spreadsheets for FY '06
budget and return to me by June 15th."
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 Windows Live Hotmail,
you can use the Quick Add feature, which lets you search for and insert content
such as images, video, restaurant details, maps, and movie times into your
email messages, without ever leaving Hotmail. 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?
Bonus: Don't send junk email
One of the quickest ways to get onto your
recipients' "delete radar" is to overwhelm them with meaningless
email. Responding to email with "I got your email, thanks," or
sending out lots of irrelevant data that you think they might want to know
about is a quick way to create a track record of sending unproductive mail.
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 are able to keep focused on meaningful objectives and
don't create email overload.
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