 Bringing E-mail into the New Age of Communication
By Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts
Although many companies are turning to instant messaging, texting and social networking to communicate the written word, e-mail remains
an important communication vehicle among geographically dispersed teams.
Bringing your e-mail messages into the 21st century will accommodate members
of younger generations who want just snippets—as well as older generations who are accustomed to certain courtesies.
Deliver your message in the subject line
Imagine how informative your e-mails would be if you delivered your critical information in just a few words, just as newspapers do through headlines. Communicating through the subject line is a very realistic, simple and practical way to deliver information at a glance.
Just think of how people communicate through Twitter, the popular online tool that limits messages to 140 characters.
Here are a few examples of how to turn vague subject lines into straightforward subject lines that deliver the message quickly:
- Team meeting → Team mtg moved to 7 May @ 2:30
- Profit report → 15% profit expected for Q2
- Contact you requested → Contact is Jane Brown at Mellows Co.
- 5 June → Deadline for ABS project moved to 5 June
- Possible dates → Would 6, 7 or 8 July work?
- New hire → Brad Jones joining IT team on 5 April
If you don't need supporting text, let the subject line be the message by ending it with your name, your initials, END or EOM for the end of the message. The first bulleted item above can be the message when you write: Team mtg
moved to 7 May @ 2:30—Tom.
When you abbreviate, be certain the recipient will understand your abbreviation. For example, in the United States, 5/6
is recognized as 6 May. In Europe or in the military, 5/6 is recognized as 5 June. Be attuned to other abbreviations as well.
Write for people reading on handheld devices
Many handheld devices display only a few words in the subject line. This very valuable
space will determine whether the intended recipient understands your message. With such a limited field of view, it becomes a matter of
knowing what to skip, what to abbreviate and how to start.
For example, if there's a critical action item, consider emphasizing the expectation of the message. Start the subject line with the words: Action needed, Action requested, or
Action.
If something is truly critical, consider using the telephone as well.
Look beyond the snippets—the courtesies
Many members of younger generations think of e-mail as their parents' or grandparents' means of using electronic tools. They want immediate gratification and sometimes refer to e-mail as lame. They want snippets, not niceties. Courtesies, however, can't be ignored. Here’s a perfect example of what happens when they are.
A U.S.-based client asked me to facilitate an e-mail workshop after having had a major misunderstanding with an Irish company it had purchased just a few months earlier. The Irish company complained that those from the U.S. company were rude.
Many complaints boiled down to a failure of the U.S.-company's staff to write please or thank you or use a salutation or closing. Messages were as abrupt as: Need your answer by
tomorrow.
Insert niceties such as please and thank you (when appropriate) and include a salutation and closing in the body of the message. Additionally, think of the who, what, when, where, why and how questions your recipient will want answered and condense the answers in the first sentence of the body of the message.
Communication is an essential aspect of project management. Knowing your
audience and using the tools to communicate appropriately is one way to master
this skill.
 For 25 years,
Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts has been the Principal of Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts & Associates, a business-writing firm that helps clients maximize productivity and profitability through the written word. Ms. Lindsell-Roberts coaches
co-located and virtual teams to help them communicate effectively. She's also the author of 24 books, including Strategic Business Letters and Email (which has been translated into Chinese and Polish), 135 Tips: Email and Instant Messages and several books in the Dummies series. Her latest book, New Rules for Today's Workplace: Strategies for Success in the Virtual World, will be released in March. To learn more, visit Ms. Lindsell-Roberts online.
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