Twelve major email mistakes and how to avoid them.
Email, like writing a good book, is much harder than it looks.
Here’s the common email messaging mistakes we see made by managers and how to fix them.
Mistake One – Forgetting email lasts forever
History is littered with the carcasses of managers (and celebrities, see Tiger Woods) who forgot what is written is permanent and subject to publishing by others. Don’t forget, what you say may be used against you.
Mistake Two – Writing a novel
People have short attention spans and are pressed for time. A mini-novel in their in box is the last thing they want to deal with. At best, your email will receive a cursory glance. At worst, it’s trashed or forgotten. Keep it short and simple, one or two subjects only.
Mistake Three – Including inappropriate threads
Ever get the email where three people before you called you called the boss a jerk? Always clean up the email thread before adding your comments. Many will be glad you did.
Mistake Four – Answering emails as they come in
Imagine for a minute snail mail being delivered by the post office as it came in. Wouldn’t be a very efficient use of time and resources, would it? Do you open your regular mail throughout the day, or all at one time? Handle your email at one or two times each day, and only then. You’ll get more done, trust us.
Mistake Four – Terrible subject lines
Be clear and concise about the subject of your email. Vague and exceptionally clever subject lines lead to confusion and mis-understandings.
Mistake Five – Failure to update the subject line
OK, so the email started about daily activities for February 22…what does that have to do now on March 7th?
Mistake Six – Hiding behind the BCC feature
There’s nothing better you can do to teach your people to cover their ass than by you using this email feature. And don’t forget that one of your BCC line people is BOUND to reply to ALL, bringing your little secret out in the open.
Mistake Seven – Using poor grammar
There is a reason you were taught English while in school. It’s for situations exactly like these. Use what you’ve learned as it makes quite a difference as to how you are received.
Mistake Eight – Failure to use lists or bullet points
People hate reading straight text in paragraph form, especially online. Make your material easier to read by putting it in list (bullet point) formats.
Mistake Nine – Always using email
Email is not the best communication medium in all situations (remember that thing called a face-to-face conversation). Sometimes it’s wise to “reach out and touch someone,” as the old commercial tag line so aptly stated.
Mistake Ten – Using email to criticize people
Use email to praise, save the criticism for more private forms of communication.
Mistake Eleven – Not being polite
Common courtesies apply to email. A simple “thank you,” “please,” and “it’s appreciated,” go a long way.
Mistake Twelve – Burying the topic
There’s an old rule in journalism: most important things first. Yet too many managers try to “frame” there message with elaborate build ups. Just get to the point instead. People will appreciate the brevity and your message will come through loud and clear.
