Worldwide, it’s done about 2.8 million times per second, 294 billion times per day and 90 trillion times a year. It’s done badly far more than it’s done well, and sometimes it’s done quickly, just to get it over with so we can go to sleep or watch television.
We ask for it, we get asked for it often, and laws have been passed to prohibit the act while driving. We love it, we hate it and we’ve started and stopped (and started again) romantic relationships as a result of it. Britney Spears reportedly did it to her soon-to-be-ex-husband when she — Oops! Did it again! — filed for divorce.
By turns, it has made our lives better and worse, easier and more complicated. And, 16 years after “Disclosure,” the first blockbuster to use racy workplace electronic messages as a plot line, we simply can’t imagine our lives without it.
Email has revolutionized the way we communicate. It has changed the world.
Despite its relative newness to the marketplace — the White House, after all, didn’t set up a public address until the Clinton presidency — email has become an integral part of business and interpersonal communication. Its ease and speed has made it easier than ever to send and receive information. However, that also is why anyone who has a name attached to an email account should be aware of techniques to reduce the number of missteps that can be made as a result of ill-advised emails.
“So what is it about email?” ask authors David Shipley and Will Schwalbe in the book “Send: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better.” “Why do we need to send so many electronic messages that never should have been written? Why do things spin out of control so quickly? Why don’t people remember that email leaves an indelible electronic record? Why do we forget to compose our messages so carefully that people will know what we want without having to guess?”
Just think about it: How much email did you send today? How about yesterday? The numbers may surprise you. If you get and send 50 emails each workday, you’ve communicated via email 250 times in a typical work schedule. At the end of the year, if you maintain the same pace every week of the year, you will have sent or received 13,000 emails. If you’re a white-collar worker, according to Shipley’s and Schwalbe’s book, you deal with approximately 140 emails a day, which calculates to about 30,000 a year.
I cannot think of another work-related duty I complete with such frequency. With this in mind, I can think of few other tasks that are as important to do correctly. While the process of sending an email isn’t too taxing — open, choose a recipient, craft a subject line, write a few words and hit send— it’s vital to your personal success to write, well, right. To be remembered for all the right (or it is write?) reasons, here are a few artful email techniques and tips:
Technique: The Art of Restraint
Motherly wisdom for playground comportment holds true in the digital age: If you can’t write something nice about somebody, then don’t write anything at all. Let me recount this cringe-worthy incident as one of the most embarrassing and lesson-filled incidents of my career. I was using the company’s instant-message system to banter with a male colleague who was sitting roughly 10 feet from my computer terminal. Jovial light-hearted jokes quickly turned to blunt observations about various co-workers. In retrospect, it should have been immediately recognizable as an unsavory and unprofessional conversation by the simple fact that we were not willing to speak the words out loud in the newsroom.
Immediately after one female co-worker walked by on her way to the drinking fountain, my co-conspirator in this instant-message exchange mentioned in a note that, at the time of her hiring, this particular co-worker had been quite shapely. “Oh really?” I quickly typed into the message field. “I just assumed she’d always been a big-boned gal.” I hit send. Then I waited for the familiar ring of a digital bell that told us our computers had received a message.
In that moment, I heart a faint ring on the other side of the newsroom — at the computer of the female co-worker about whom we had secretly been gossiping. My heart sank as I realized my mistake: I’d sent her the message. The look on her face said it all. “I wasn’t supposed to receive that, was I?” she responded. All I could do was apologize. Even flowers didn’t salvage that relationship. What this taught me, obviously, is to carefully choose my words in any message I send that has my name attached to it.
If you’re ever faced with a scathing email from either a colleague or client and your first reaction is to fire back, do yourself a favor and simply wait for 24 hours before responding. Let it marinate. Let it simmer. Let cooler heads prevail. Take the emotion out of it. You will be glad you did. It will lead to more effective communication.
Or, if the email is particularly uncivil for no apparent reason, you could do this: hit delete. Just because you have an email address does not mean you need to use it. You don’t have to respond to every bonehead who sends you an email. Sure, a smattering of emails may come across as rude unintentionally because it just isn't written very well, but the uncivil and crude are a different, class-less class. All of us at one point have received or will receive email from someone with the sole agenda of tearing someone else down to make themselves feel better. If that's the case, ask yourself: what will be accomplished by responding? Will it just lead to another fiery email? Do you really want to spend that much energy on something so unproductive?
But by either giving it a cooling off period or not responding at all, you’ll be in a good position. You won’t have to explain to the human resources department why you used company e-mail to tell a colleague to stick her head in a bucket.
So remember: If you’re ever tempted to fire off a wicked response to an email, think about the story of the “big-boned gal” and slowly back away from the keyboard.
Tip — How to apologize over email: One of the beauties of email is that you can employ it to help build relationship bridges that may have been scorched as a result of a badly worded email, careless off-hand remark or a forgotten birthday.
In those cases, a quick “So sorry. Can I make it up to you?” will likely suffice. But email should not be used as a manners crutch. Some apologies require a phone call, a hand-written note or a face-to-face meeting. Gentle reader, if you’re attempting to mend a friendship after accidentally starting a fire, consider it best to not send an email with the subject line “Cigarettes and gasoline” and a message containing the words, “Gee, Ricky, I’m sorry your mom blew up.”
For more on how to apologize over email, see:
- http://www.netmanners.com/email-etiquette/apology-by-e-mail/
- http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/27/send-etiquette-for-apologizing-in-an-email/
Think email isn’t political? Think again. Email is one of the most political forms of communication. Subtle but powerful and important messages are being sent in the first three lines of every email: The To, CC and BCC lines. You can learn a lot about the power structure of an organization — and pinpoint the power brokers — by paying attention to the people who are included on important communiqués from the C-suite. Most telling, however, is the order in which they are listed.
“More people than you think care about hierarchy,” say authors Shipley and Schwalbe. “Make sure you put the names in the To field in the proper order, generally according to rank.”
Think of the unintended messages (or perhaps not) that are sent in an email from a high-ranking boss. In the To field, who is listed first? Fifth out of 10? Last? Are they ranked in order according to the organizational chart? If not, what does that say? And what does it say about the person who leapfrogged to the front of the list? The same examination and analysis could be given to the emails that include supervisors in the To field.
What messages are you sending to your bosses and supervisors if you don’t list them according to rank in the organization? If you don’t include them, what does that say? What if an email about one your department’s projects was forwarded to the boss without your knowledge? What does the boss infer when she sees your name isn’t included in the team’s communications? Does she think that it’s an inadvertent slip — or will she think that the team is trying to send her a message about your contributions?
If she responds to the e-mail and CC’s you, is it a public rebuke for not including you? Or is she simply pointing out that you need to be included? If you weren’t included for a reason, has she now violated trust with your co-workers? If that’s the case, how should you respond when you see the email string?
Indeed, it’s enough to induce constant paranoia.
When faced with such an issue, ask yourself if you’ve ever inadvertently left someone off an email communication. If you have, then you realize how easy it is to do. Chances are it was never meant as an intentional, passive-aggressive slight, anyway. If it was, then the boss, with her CC to you in her all-reply, has made it clear she’s aware. Perhaps a casual face-to-face meeting would help sort out any misunderstandings with your colleagues. But the incident will lead everyone will pay more attention to the folks listed in the To and CC fields.
Tip — How to send to multiple people:
Consider this email, which was sent to four people:
To: Justin Hansen, Judy Taylor-Clark, Daniel Davis, Eric Charles
From: Mary Chavez
Subject: FW: General Question
I received this email today (see below). I wanted to send you all a copy before I answer — any guidance from you as to how you would like me to approach this email would be greatly appreciated.
Unfortunately, Mary didn’t get a response until a week later, when one of the recipients was deleting old e-mails and realized he hadn’t seen a response from anyone in the group. Chances are all four people in the To line assumed someone else would respond. This is tricky because Mary needed to address and solicit advice from all four people. As a general rule, if you’re listed in the To line, understand the sender is seeking a response and the group should be included. However, if you are listed in the CC line, assume you’re being included just to keep you in the loop on the information.
However, take great care with the To line. According to a 250-person survey by The Creative Group, a creative-professional staffing service, nearly eight in 10 advertising and marketing executives say they’ve made mistakes by hitting “send” before thinking.
Asked to name the worst blunder, the responses ranged from sending an employee’s salary to every worker in the organization to accidentally forwarding a saucy email to management. Others include sending a job offer to the wrong person, forwarding a resume and a job application to a boss instead of a competing agency and passing along an internal memo about company restroom etiquette to a prospective client.
For more on the To, CC and BCC lines, see:
- http://email.about.com/od/emailnetiquette/a/cc_and_bcc.htm
- http://bccplease.com/
- http://www.businessemailetiquette.com/to-or-cc/
How many times have you opened up an email from a colleague and recoiled at the length of the correspondence? Emails that aren’t succinct cause eyes to glaze over. If it’s not something that demands immediate attention, the emails are closed and sent to the to-do-later pile. Problem is, if the recipient doesn’t have time to do it now, will they have time to do it later? If you don’t capture a reader’s attention in five seconds, you’ve lost your window of opportunity.
If it takes a minute to read an email that isn’t mission-critical — and the average American can read 200 to 300 words a minute — chances are any requests for information will languish. To avoid the pitfall of too-long email, take some notes from the journalists. That is to say, write your emails in the “inverted pyramid” style of writing. Important facts are listed first, followed by the next important and so on. The first paragraph of most newspaper writing is usually less than 40 words and answers the 5 W’s and the H — who, what, when, where, why and how. Such writing usually follows a subject-verb-object sentence structure and is short and to the point. Fluff and fanfare is eschewed in favor of brevity and clarity.
The advent of the telegraph is credited for the invention and widespread use of this style of writing. Before the inverted pyramid, writers used a flowery, leisurely style to convey messages to the masses. While the arcane telegraph and other slow-moving methods of news distribution have gone the way of the dodo bird, the world has still evolved into a place where more messages than ever have a chance of being interrupted.
We’re bombarded with texts, phone calls and Facebook updates. Twitter users alone are averaging 27.3 million tweets per day, according to Pingdom, a company that specializes in the uptime capability of Web sites. And those messages all contribute to keeping readers from finishing your messages. Be brief, clear and concise, and you’ll be sure to see a higher return on the email requests you’re sending.
Tip — How to write a good subject line
Treat the subject line as if you were writing a headline. Tell the reader exactly what the email is about. Give them a reason to want to open the email. If there’s a call to action, and they are interested in the call, then your email will be given top priority.
Let’s say, for example, a company security officer receives word from police dispatchers that a man with a gun has been spotted near a remote location. Before he dashes out the door to the site, he sends a quick email to executives on the must-notify list. In the subject line, he writes: “Issue at warehouse.” True, the message is about the warehouse — but does it really tell the recipients what they need to know? Not even close. A much better subject line would be “Man with gun near warehouse” or “Urgent message from police.”
For more on subject lines, see:
- http://www.web-source.net/web_development/email_marketing.htm
- http://email.about.com/od/netiquettetips/qt/et_good_subject.htm
Technique: The Art of Knowing When Not to use Email
Email is notoriously absent of tone, which leads to all sorts of misunderstandings. Imagine, if you will, a note from your supervisor that made you needlessly swirl. It could have been something like this:
To: Joe Six-Pack
From: Big Boss
Subject: Investigation
Starbucks at 7:30 a.m.? Before the meeting with our attorneys. I’d like to talk.
Joe Six-Pack, poor guy, likely didn’t sleep that night. He was probably rolling in worry. What’s wrong? What happened? Am I in trouble? Is the company in trouble? The questions are endless.
While the boss very well could have wanted to reward Joe Six-Pack with some coffee and one-on-one praise about Joe’s work, there’s nothing in the short message that would belie that intention. Such misunderstandings typically don’t happen when folks make engagements over the phone. That, to be sure, is because we can ascertain from verbal cues what kind of meeting it will be. No matter how many emoticons you place after a sentence, there still is room for misinterpretation. The medium isn’t conducive to building and strengthening relationships, which are necessary for success in any type of business.
Yes, email is easier. It’s less confrontational and rejection seems easier to give and take. It’s less intrusive. You never have to say, “So sorry to bother. Did I catch you at a bad time?” when you send e-mails. Phone calls, on the other hand, require attention. Unlike e-mail, which is quite impersonal, no matter the context, there’s nothing quite as personal as connecting with another person on a telephone call. It’s called dialogue for a reason, and while knowing how to write is a vital skill, it’s equally important to know the art of small (and big) talk.
A quick phone call not only produces immediate results, but you can usually solve problems or misunderstandings in their infancy before they whip out of control. If you’re having difficulty composing an email because of the complexity of the issues, perhaps it’s because it’s not the best medium for the message. A 10-minute conversation may yield far more information than you would have received in five back-and-forth emails — and through pleasantries you may find a kindred spirit who will be a valuable contact in the future.
Tip — How to say hello and goodbye
Knowing how to start and end a conversation on a telephone is easy. When it rings, pick it up and say hello. When the conversation is over, say goodbye and hang up. But how to start and end email correspondence? To begin the email, simply state the recipient’s name and add a comma, a dash or a colon. (I usually use a dash; personal preference.) Hit return. Start the body of the e-mail on the next line.
At this point, if you’re introducing yourself, simply say “Greetings.” Then, explain who you are and why you’re writing. When you’re done writing, simply say, “Thank you.” Or “Best.” Then, write the name you would want them to use in future email or telephone correspondence.
Now, let’s talk about the signature. We’ve all seen the signatures at the end of emails that list name, title, the company, contact information and perhaps a legal disclaimer. Many people have taken to listing the favorite movie quotes, political leanings or their collegiate affiliations. Yes, they are helpful. They give all sorts of information — but they also can become overbearing if included in an email string. For example:
Patricia Patterson Van Patten
Sugarbaker and Associates
1521 Sycamore Street
Atlanta, Georgia.
Phone: 901-867-5309
Facsimile: 901-867-5310
“A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.”
— Robert Frost
“My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.” — Inigo Montoya
Go Wildcats! Proud graduate of Weber State University
Weber State, Weber State, Great, Great Great!
This electronic mail message contains confidential information intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above and may be protected by the attorney client and/or work product privileges. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you do forward to another party, it is punishable by death. You have the right to remain silent if you’re an unintended recipient. However, anything you say about it can be quoted and used against you in the court of public opinion. Our advice before we release the hounds: destroy the original message and any backup copies from your computer system. It will self-destruct in 30 seconds.
The best advice: Stick to simple. Use your name, name of the organization, your title and how you can be contacted. Use legal disclaimers if required by company policy. Any more is clutter.
For more on salutations and signatures, see:
- http://webfoot.com/advice/email.sig.php
- http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue2/waldvogel.html
- http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/02/04/the-art-and-science-of-the-email-signature/ http://www.sitepoint.com/creating-an-effective-email-signature/
A Man of so Many Words: Interview with Jim Thalman
Ask Jim Thalman to tell you his favorite story he’s written in a 30-year career and it takes nary a second for an answer: The one that nearly didn’t get told.
It wasn’t that an editor wanted to put the kibosh on the story for fear of legal repercussions. Or that government forces were working in cahoots to stop an expose of dastardly deeds.
It was the subject of the story himself, Utah’s oldest person, an American Indian who lived on a remote part of a reservation. He did not want to be interviewed by an English-speaking white man who had seemingly swooped in from the big city with his cars and fancy clothes.
When Thalman, on assignment for the Salt Lake Tribune, queried about the man’s secret to a long and healthful life, the far-past-the-century-mark tribal leader said only this: “Don’t die.”
“Boy, this old dude — he didn’t want us there,” recalls Thalman, an award-winning journalist who also has worked at the Logan Herald-Journal, Eugene Register-Guard, Standard-Examiner and Deseret News. The result of the visit to the reservation was a featured story on the cover of the Tribune.
It didn’t matter the notebook wasn’t full of juicy quotes from a salty sage.
What mattered was that Thalman was there, soaking up details about the environment, jotting down details and paying attention to what the story was really about —a clash of cultures. The first clue: While arranging the interview with the man’s family, Thalman and the photographer, in typical tick-tock, rush hour, time’s-a-wasting mentality of corporate America, tried to pin down an exact time when they could meet on the reservation.
“Oh, just come tomorrow,” Thalman recalls being told by a granddaughter who served as a translator. “And I would say, ‘OK, what time?’ She’d say, ‘Just in the morning.’ You could feel your whole culture, your whole circadian rhythm, just crashing.”
Thalman, who now writes Web site copy for Northcentral University, an online school based in Prescott Valley, Ariz., also recalls fondly the story he wrote about President Ronald Regan’s visit to Hooper Park and a feature about the annual high school cheerleading workshops at Utah State University. “I wrote it as if I was one of the cheerleaders at the camp,” he said, chuckling. “Funny how I remember the ones that aren’t huge.”
Like, for example, a story that turned into national news. In the days following the discovery of Elizabeth Smart, Thalman and fellow writer Elaine Jarvik broke the story about Brian David Mitchell’s intentions when he abducted the Salt Lake teen. The story revealed that Mitchell believed he’d received a revelation to make the then-14-year-old Smart the first of seven young wives.
Thalman says the daily churn of a deadline teaches a valuable skill useful in all other professions: The ability to boil complex issues down to the basics. “Over time, you just learn to wrestle it down, and your mind goes to the most important thing.”
Writing teaches “economy of thought,” says Thalman, who also worked as a magazine editor at Utah State University and a speechwriter for former University of Utah President Mike Young. “It makes you figure out what you know. It forces you to say what you know.”
One tip Thalman freely gives about writing, even in business communications such as emails and memos: Find balance in your words. “Not meaning ‘balance,’ like a journalist would use the word, but balance of sentence,” he said. “You sentences have to have a sort of cadence, a rhythm.”
All parts of the sentence, he said, have to carry equal weight. “There has to be a sense that the words are all in the right order on each end.”
Good writers, he said, instinctively know “where not to go” with their words. They know “where the dead ends are.” They are the kind who illicit a “How did they do that?” from readers. They know, he says, when the end is the end.
Those kinds of writers are born writers, he said. “It is like magic,” he said.
So are writers born or are they made? “I’ve wondered that,” he said. "Writing is hard, but it’s more of a craft than a skill. It’s an art but you can have certain skill with it. Writing, really, is saying what you mean. That can be taught. But if you get a kick out of it, then you’re a writer.”
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