Manage the Noise

Team:

In response to the boss's request for tips to help us communicate thru email better, I Googled and searched the Net but couldn’t find anything beyond the common sense “1.) Be Concise 2.) Don’t Spam 3.) Spell correctly” kind of article. So I wrote my own and would enjoy hearing any tips that you all might have.

Manage the Noise: Conciseness in emails


When writing emails:

· Do not “cc” someone without taking the time to summarize and say WHY they are “cc” ‘d. (If you can’t at least do that, how can you expect them to take the time to read it?)

· Never say everything that comes to mind

· First ask, "What is the bottom line that I want this person to hear from me?" (If you can't phrase the bottom-line concisely (1 sentence), then the thought is not clear in your own mind. Make it clear to yourself first.)

· Then ask "What do I expect him/her to do with it?" (If this question leads to the answer "nothing" then you shouldn't really be talking.)

· If you need to brainstorm and flesh out ideas to get clarification, then call that out so other person knows that this is "bouncing back and forth" time.

· When you are trying to get clarity for yourself, you are consuming someone else's time and brain power. Do your homework first and then ask for help.

· Prioritize your thoughts for the person you are talking to. (Don't make small things sound big, and big things sound small.)



When reading emails:

· Help your speaker get to the essence of the idea and the decision that has to be made.

· Never fear missing some minutiae. We live in an age of over-information. If it’s important, it will come back to you.

· Accept your responsibility to control your own time.

· It is not rude to politely say, "I'm sorry, I don't have time for this right now." (Even in an email reply. It is rude to let the other person assume that you've heard them.)