I should make it clear I’m not writing about anyone in particular.
In fact, I make most of the mistakes I will be writing about today. So I wouldn’t read this and say, “OMG, he is referring to my emails.” I’m probably not (but you never know?), but if you find yourself saying, “OMG, I do that!” then you just might be an emailing boob.
Email revelation…
I have had several items come to me via email over the past few days which caused me to reflect on my emailing habits.
I have concluded I send way too many emails, they are way too long, the subject lines are poorly crafted and I seldom take the time to review them to make sure the message is clear so others can effortlessly respond if need be.
I am an emailing boob.
*****
Email has become such a prominent part of our lives. In fact, depending on your line of work, it is easy to spend a few hours a day just trying to manage and respond to email.
I alluded to this in an earlier post, but we do a very poor job of understanding what is going on with other people, especially those who will be receiving our email.
Most of our emails are impulsive by nature and we whip them off and ship them out without a moment’s notice.
But we need to become more mindful of those we are sending email to so we are NOT contributing unnecessarily to the stress they encounter trying to manage their emails in general.
We can do this by identifying some of our own bad habits when composing, forwarding or sending email.
Here are seven tips that will make a huge difference to those on the other end.
1. Stop using dumb subject lines like, “Hey”
I have to say I have been tried and convicted on this crime countless times, but there is nothing more idiotic then just simply writing “Hey.” Think about it. Hey what? It could mean any one of a million things.
- “Hey, looks like someone is going to tow your car.”
- “Hey, I think I just ran over old man what’s his face next door.”
- “Hey, my neighbour’s house is on fire. You should get someone out there soon.”
Use subject lines that capture exactly what the email is about to ensure it gets read and attended to in a timely fashion.
2. Stop sending email that has no subject line at all.
That’s like internet dating with no picture profile. It makes people suspicious (and for dating with good reason; it leads them to the conclusion that you must be hideous).
No subject line either suggests you sent the email accidentally (I do that a lot), or you are just too damn lazy to tell people why you are bothering them in the first place.
My thinking is, if you can’t take the time to tell me what the email is about, I shouldn’t have to take the time to read it.
Bye bye email. Delete!
3. Change the damn subject line if you change the subject in an email response
This one drives me crazy. If you change the subject then change the subject line to reflect the importance or urgency of your subject so people like Harry can respond appropriately. Ron could have single-handedly destroyed the Potter franchise if that email was real.
Changing the subject line is easy to do. When you hit reply, simply click in the subject line and change it. In most email programs it will be saved automatically when sent.
4. Show some email courtesy
If you get an email you know you won’t be able to attend to for awhile, simply respond back and tell people. At least they will know you got it and will now know when you will attend to it.
Emails do get lost from time to time, so it is good practice to give people a heads up to the fact you will respond in X number of hours or days.
5. Delete FW when forwarding and change the subject line
Sometimes I get emails that have been forwarded like 25 times and reads more like some global initiative petition.
And that thing in question I am susposed to lmao at (laugh my ass off for those who don’t know internet speak ) requires me to scroll down for eternity +1 to try and find the dang thing.
Do 3 things to make life easier for everyone..
- Don’t send it at all if it is crap (most of the time it is.)
- When you hit the forward button, go to the subject line and delete the FW, and change the subject line to something more specific if need be.
- Delete all the forwarding emails and simply send the item in question.
6. Add a command to your subject lines.
Have words like urgent, action, help etc. precede your subject line. It immediately lets people know how to handle the email in question.
7. Use email subject line only
Sometimes a message is only a few words. Respect the time of those you are sending emails to by simply using the email subject line only to send your message.
Of course, if it requires more info then add to it, but there are times when the subject line says it all.
To ideas worth quitting,
Add to the conversation…What email blunders do you encounter or, if you are honest, what blunders do you make? Click below to leave your comment. Thanks!
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