Taming Email

Approximately 80% to 85% of people in developed regions like North America and Europe report using email. The percentage for 18- to 25-year-olds is greater than 98%. Love it or hate it, it is definitely big part of our everyday lives. Within our council, the email lines are constantly buzzing. There are staff to staff communications coordinating actions and solving problems. There is a constant stream of communication from volunteers to staff and there is also a fair amount of communication volunteer to volunteer as we try and coordinate our actions with one another. Like any tool, email works best when used correctly. Let’s explore some email etiquette and tips for managing it.

I posed a question to the Communications Group about a generally accepted schedule for responding to email. It is:

• Within 24 hours: Shows strong professionalism and good manners.

• Within 48 hours: Still considered acceptable for non-urgent messages.

• After 48 hours: Usually requires a polite apology for the delay.

There was general agreement from the group that these expectations are reasonable in most instances. It was the “instances” where the conversation got interesting. Several of our group members indicated that they get so many emails every day that it is difficult to meet these deadlines all the time. Our paid staff are also encouraged to take a break, if they can, on the weekends and not check their email.

Council related emails end up in the same inbox with all of the family business,  business business, requests for cash from Nigerian princes and more political fundraising requests that I care to mention.   This hodgepodge of messages is a management task all its own. So, if we accept that the response expectations above are reasonable in most cases and something we should strive for, then let’s look at some techniques and strategies for managing our unruly inbox. 

Before I go on, I do have to share a question that I was asked when I started talking about email. “How can we enforce good email etiquette?)  I had to chuckle because, to me email etiquette is kin to good table manners. It’s enough that people just know the minimum that’s expected and then whether or not they abide by those expectations is out of our control. So, no worry. The Communication Group will not be policing your inbox. 🧐🤣

Here are some tips and techniques that you might consider to help with email management. 

·         If you have a very busy inbox maybe the first thing you can do is quickly go through it and mark for deletion everything that you don’t plan to look at all. That will clear the clutter. 

·         Although the temptation is to look at the top of the inbox list (and maybe that really is the first place you should glance), don’t forget to work your way up from the bottom. Those people and those issues have been waiting the longest for your answer or resolution to a problem they have. Working from the top of the list takes care of the urgent, time critical things, but it could very well leave larger more significant issues festering down below.

·         Another technique that many people use is to create a separate folder for council related emails. Moving those messages into that folder means that when you sit down to work on it, it’s all right there in one place in the order it arrived. (Just don’t forget to check this folder now and then.)

·         If you’re like me, many of the items that pile up in the inbox are there because I don’t know or haven’t decided what to do with that one. To keep my inbox from beginning to look like a desk covered with Post-It notes, file folders and yesterday’s sandwich that I forget to eat, I try to dispense appropriately with each message: answer it, indicate that I’ll have to get back to you, move it to a folder, delete it if no action is required, etc. At a minimum, acknowledge receipt of the email. All this is easier said than done but can help keep your inbox from becoming your worst nightmare.

Let’s take a look at some practices that can increase your skill in sending effective emails.

·         Here’s one I bet most of you have not thought of. Wait until the very end to put in the To: line. That way you don’t risk accidentally sending the email or forgetting to attach a document before you’re ready. Just so you all know, I personally will continue to send emails missing the attachment because that’s what you have come to expect of me. 

·         Make the purpose of your email obvious from the subject line. Remember that this is as far as many people get before they decide to keep or delete an email message. If it’s urgent, say so in the subject line. Be judicious with this, however. We all know the story of Chicken Little and the sky is falling.

·         Don’t beat around the bush. State the purpose, ask the question, or whatever in the first sentence or two. Beyond that, try and keep it brief and to the point.  We all know how tiresome it can be to read an email message that scrolls on and on like a runaway roll of toilet paper.

·         Proofread the darn thing. It’s your reputation on the line.

·         How about the CC and BCC lines for your message. Obviously, if there are other others that need to know about this conversation, include them in the carbon copy line. Whatever you do, don’t use these lines in a passive aggressive manner to communicate that I am also telling your boss. Remember we are talking about proper etiquette. The blind carbon copy line used properly can hide email addresses of recipients. It can also be used to deceive or create distrust among coworkers. Don’t do it.

·         This one is a little more subtle. If the email is for a request for help or clarification, putting multiple people in the To: line makes it confusing who’s supposed to respond. Address the email to the person that you expect to answer and if others need to be in on this discussion use the CC line for them.

·         Remember that the device in your hand is also a phone. If what you need to ask or say is extremely complicated or urgent, consider a phone call. I know it’s old fashioned, but sometimes it’s the best choice.

If you have other thoughts or techniques, please consider sharing them in the comments section. Till later,

Fred