Email: sometimes it’s how you use it that counts
Email: sometimes it’s how you use it that counts
Email Management Training Solutions’ head of corporate training, Sharon McNevin has helped many corporate email users get more out of email. She shares some useful insights to empower IDM’s email users.
Actionable Subject Headers
An actionable email requires a subject header that contains a topic, possible detail, action and responsible time frame for a message to be responded to. If a message is urgent then another means of communication is needed. Urgent sets a culture up to be reactive not responsive. The goal is to create fewer emails and to respond to the request of others in a timeframe that suits you.
Information only Subject Headers
Information-only type emails require a subject heading beginning with FYI (for your information) and NRN (no reply necessary) at the end of the message. This immediately alerts the recipient that the message is of low priority and can addressed at another time. Is the message that you are creating necessary and is it correctly targeted?
Forward and Replying to Emails
Replying and forwarding email always requires a new subject heading. The subject may stay the same but a detail, action and time frame might change. This conveys new information and in some circumstances enables the author to send an email without body text. Body text must be written if there is any possibility of misinterpretation. If no body text is required in an email then conclude the subject heading with END.
Structuring Email Body Text
Structure email body text in a business format. Use headers that correspond to the subject header, numbers, and plenty of white space. Avoid formatting when sending email outside your organisation as there is a possibility that it will be stripped out by another organisation’s firewall.
Organising and Finding Email
Use the FROM icon in the in-box and sent-box to view in the authors names in alphabetical order. This helps to drag multiple emails from into folders. Use the Find functionality built into your email platform to help find email.
Creating Rules to Automate Email
Use rules to automate incoming email. Rules can be applied to automatically file email into folders and lessen the overload. Rules can help you prioritise email.
Email Management Solutions is a Sydney based corporate training company dedicated to culturally changing the way email is handled.