Email is where is most of my critical decision making data is stored, so when a colleague several years ago introduced me to “Nelson Email Organizer Pro” (aka NEOPRO) I was hooked immediately.
Within 2 days of loading it up on my system (it rides on top of Outlook, it doesn’t replace it), it took away one to two hours PER DAY of looking for information.
With the popularity of Tweeting on the rise, I’m becoming increasingly aware of the power of short messages. As a result I’m increasingly focused on writing my emails so that the core of the message is visible in the Desktop Alerts. I’m talking about those temporary email pop-ups near the lower right-hand corner of the screen.
I currently use Microsoft Outlook and I have the Desktop Alert feature enabled which will show you very briefly part of the subject and first line of any incoming emails. Other email programs have a similar feature.
I know most everyone else leaves this feature turned on, so I’m taking advantage of it. I do that by making sure the action is in the first line of the message so the recipient is immediately “pinged” as to the relevance of my message.
Ideal if the person I’m reaching is heads-down on a spreadsheet or sitting on a long conference call.
I put my request for actions at the very beginning of email messages.
I used to think it was best to build the case for a specific action request. But in practice, it would force the reader to guess what exactly I was asking them to do next. So I changed my ways and started placing my requests for actions first – with the explanations or reasons for doing so AFTER the request.
And I follow the same format when replying.
Although it was awkward at first, I soon discovered that as I became more and more clear on what actions I was requesting, the words and the flow became natural and unforced.
Ever get tired of getting emails from colleagues where you spend minutes trying to read between the lines if there's a specific action needed from you? I know I get frustrated with the confusion and anxiety this creates, so I've decided that I will not do the same to others.
What's my trick to being clear? I always rename subject lines when replying to emails.
I rename emails especially when there is some kind of new action or change in action that is requested. It took me a little time to get used to the boldness of doing it when I first started practicing renaming other people's subject lines, but I've never gotten flack for it.
Whenever possible, I do this:
* Tag the beginning of the subject line with a reference to the project or broad subject under consideration (e.g. "email")
* Append the tag immediately with the next action that you are requesting to be undertaken (e.g. "rename the subject line to reflect the new action")
As a result of aggressively renaming subject lines, you will make it easy for your recipient to quickly determine what action to take and guard your message from being lost in the sea incoming messages. The other benefit is that you can quickly scan subject lines of an old email thread to find that critical decision point without a moment's hesitation.
Clarity built right there into that incoming email header - imagine that!
