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Tips to fit Emails to suit their Purpose

Emails as a productive Means of Project Communication

Project Communication binds International Teams

Productive and effectual email correspondence networks international teams. Working to employ well-constructed email communication contributes to streamlining team processes and decreases employment time. It improves understanding of tasking and meeting team demands.

Make the Purpose of the Email clear to the Reader

What makes emails a productive means of communication for the author and the recipient? They should have a lean structure and clearly fulfill their purpose. Lean means that they only cover what is necessary and focus on the points necessary for task fulfillment. Determine what needs to be said before writing. Asking questions sets a critical position to trim down the writing possibilities to limit them to the essential. Before writing ask - What is the purpose of this email? - What should this email accomplish?

If the answers do not readily present themselves; then wait until they develop. Colleagues receive large numbers of emails and these emails compete for attention. Logic declares that the concise, well-developed emails get priority, attention and processing. The recipient acknowledges the respect shown for his attention by emails crafted purposely and streamlined.

View the situation from the perspective of the recipient and determine what the problem consists of from his point of view, and what he or she needs to progress. Build these factors into a meaningful framework/ points for communication. A lean email contains the problem, solution, and deadlines clearly identified.

How should the email be written to carry the purpose?

Consider the last Blog session that showed the basic email components include:

1. Providing information- “Installation will continue starting at 10 AM on Mon. June 10.”

2. Requesting information, drawing attention, reminding - “Please provide the needed installation plans before the preceding Fri.”

3. Requesting action or expressing urgency - “Will you provide all your requirements by Wed. at the latest? Otherwise there may be delays in starting.”

4. Making proposals. Past experience has shown that discussing the installation procedures before starting saves time and avoids duplication of effort. So I suggest that we talk about the joint effort during the week of June 10. What is your opinion?

5. Confirming action or results- “Summarizing the meeting or phonecon from 17.1.2008”.

Write the email to make it clear what the purpose is and what requirements need to be met. Pack this need within the first two lines of the message. Within these two lines define the expected response.

Example: Completion by June 17 requires precise planning and co-ordination. Costs must be minimized to ensure profitability. We should discuss the necessary measures to accomplish these project goals. This email outlines the essential actions for preparation. I also need to know what your requirements are so I can prepare ahead of time.

Keep it short and simple. Nothing catches the recipients’ attention like hitting the nail on the head and addressing the points important to him. Use short sentences with preference for the active voice. Do not assume that anyone has time to read any more than the necessary one or two first lines of the paragraph. When the recipient understands the purpose and need of the message and how it relates to team activities; his interest elevates the message priority. It contributes to the motivation of processing.

Write a precise Subject Line that captivates the Reader

In competition with the other emails in the inbox; the Subject Line decides the “pole position”. Compose a short and sweet Subject Line summarizing the purpose and response. How the recipient understands the need of action decides the treatment.

Avoid: standard Subject Lines. Make each one individual and fitting to the email purpose and action. Don’t simply repeat the Subject Line but adapt it to reflect the additional information. Or don’t send the email if it only repeats.

Use: Write the Subject Line as if the reader will pay attention solely to this line. Use all of the power of the active and choose suitable verbs that transform into reader attention and action.

Here’s a tip to save you time in writing the message and let the recipient get on to other matters efficiently. Use the Subject Line to convey the entire message. Write a concise one-liner containing purpose and reaction in the Subject Line Field. End it with EOM; meaning End-of-Message so that the recipient knows that’s it. Practice shows that numerous messages can skip the greeting, closing and the entire message fits in the rather long space provided for the Subject Line. It requires some practice and planning the message ahead of time. But think of the pleasure of the recipient when he discovers that the whole message fits into the Subject Line. That’s it; He checks off this message by reading and actioning the Subject Line thereby getting on to the next one.

KISS. Keep it Short and Simple to get a Response

Make it a goal to write the complete message in the “white of the screen space”. Think of the pleasure and ease of the recipient when he reads the complete message without scrolling. Think of all the emails you’ve received that tell a novel. You don’t know where to start and even less how to make an orderly reply. Think of the insecurity that rises as you ascertain that you don’t know if you have hit all the points, if it was adequate and the targets met. Consider the sense of security knowing having done everything properly.

Use short paragraphs that target the purpose you planned. Identify the problem, solution and deadlines with individual paragraphs ordered one after another. List important points (outline) or list one after another in the order of occurrence or importance. Write these paragraphs so that they fit in the screen without scrolling. Making these points orderly and intelligible saves the reader time in planning. He simply takes the planning points and incorporates them into his project plan.

What’s the Action here?

Any tasks and deadlines should be clearly stated and recognizable. Attach priorities where needed. Also relate the tasks to the responsible authority and deadline.

More….

Make it easy to list. Keep the paragraphs short and focused. Let the reader copy and paste them for specific points to reply to or to make his own action list.

Wait your turn. Everybody trying to talk at once often disrupts meetings. As in the disruption where everyone tries to talk at once; not every message requires a reply from each team member. There’s usually an authority that adequately handles the routine. Let him do his magic. Wait your turn until you are really needed and your contribution progresses the project.

Use Urgency or escalation. The last session pointed out the use of urgency and escalation. Use a remainder and copy/ paste the urgent items framed with urgent treatment.

Don’t Mix and Match. Remember the one liner in the Subject Line. You get more attention when the email covers only one topic or the essential topics. Responses improve when different topics fit into successive emails. Handle each topic separately. Sort the emails according to the completion status. Process the topics as they complete and send the completion report for comment. Leave the uncompleted topics to be handled in a status report or as they finish. The recipient benefits from the receipt of emails for completed actions, because the unfinished actions don’t repeat in the project communication and reside by the responsible authority. They don’t clutter his inbox.

Thanks but no Thanks. Is it necessary to send thanks? I personally like to use the polite convention, but often stop when I think of the overflowing inboxes. It may be nice to get a little attention, but in the end it may end in your emails getting ignored. Think about using the one line Subject Line often works nicely.

Writing Exercise

Here’s an overview of the work we have accomplished on increasing productivity in writing business English emails:

- Tips to fit Emails to suit their Purpose. Emails as a productive Means of Project Communication

- Communicating Urgency in writing Emails

- Tips to improve the Efficiency of Project Email

- Improving Email Writing increases daily Productivity

Take a moment to consider the questions:

- How did you succeed in improving the productivity of completing your daily pile of emails and project correspondence?

- Where did you succeed in improving your style? How did you succeed?

- How did these changes make themselves apparent in project communication with your team and business contacts?

Now that you have started- consider how do you want to continue in the future? What are the major stumbling blocks? Make a list of the steps and prioritize them.

If you identify improvements that we have not covered, I would be very interested to receive your valuable inputs. Write me an email informing me of how I could be of assistance. Please be specific identifying the problem and what solution would contribute. Just as we have discussed.

I would also be interested in any tips or critiques you may have. Please be free in sending them to me.

Thanks-

I appreciate your inputs and will consider them in future sessions. We will have one more session next week and then retire into a summer period where everyone can enjoy themselves and get a change by turning to other favorite activities.

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Online Help. If you want “public” help or discussion in the text or exercises, feel free to use the blogger as your medium of choice. If you have questions, or need help in using the collaboration platform at Google Docs [Google >> Mehr Text und Tabelle, send me an email at: mailto:Gary_Gabriel@web.de?subject=Online Help

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23.07.08 Global English Project. © Copyright 2008 G. Gabriel. If you decide to use this material please quote the author and site. SessG21