Speaker: Debra Hamilton, President and CEO of Creative Communications and Training, Inc.
Email is the dominant form of communication today and it is also one of the major causes of work-related stress. According to Debra Hamilton, this is because over 60% of email messages fail to communicate a complete message. And poorly written email can affect profits. When email messages are unclear, it results in a chain reaction of needless follow-up emails and corresponding responses. Much of the way email impacts productivity and profits is through this rework - rewriting to clarify a message, obtain more information, correct a misstatement, and so on. One study reveals that a company with 100 employees can expect to lose more than $450,000 a year because of email blunders and rework. Add to that dilemma a reader who is angered by an insidious tone and the casualties keep coming: impaired working relationships, breakdown of trust, and the need for damage control.
You give your readers a complete message in 30 seconds or less by using a simplified email writing template to focus your thinking. This template includes:
o an explicit subject line that clearly states why you are writing (to update, educate, persuade, inquire or make a request).
o An opening sentence which reiterates why you are writing and states the context and purpose of the email.
o The body of the email which should explain who, what, why, when, where, how.
o Finally, the closing should give a quick recap and clear call to action
Ms. Hamilton wrapped up her presentation by encouraging us not to respond to angry emails online. She suggested that we use the phone or set up a face-to-face meeting in these situations.
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I was also at this program with Casey (thanks for taking the notes Casey!). While the subject seems pretty innocuous and secondary in importance, we were really taken with how powerful the speaker's message was and how her tips and techniques really transformed the way people can communicate through email. She urged us to be annoying clear in our email.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tips had to do with the subject line. As Casey mentioned, simply putting in a tag word in the beginning of the email like Action Needed, FYI, or No Action Needed, makes a huge difference in the effectiveness of your message and radically increases the changes that someone will pay attention to it. Make sure your email has a purpose or statement that says, this is why I'm emailing you; a call to action - here's what I want you to do; and explain what you will do. Tell people if they should reply to just you or the whole list. Leave lengthy or negative topics for in-person or phone converations and watch the tone of your email. A negative (and sometimes even a neutral) tone is deadly in an email and SHOULD NEVER BE USED. Oh ya, don't ever use caps. :)