11 questions

about e-mail

e-mail question # 1

How short is your e-mail?

If you need to write an e-mail, make it brief.

http://hbr.org/tip?date=052013http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/4438.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/technology/25apple.html?ref=technology

e-mail question # 2

How relevant is thesubject line in your e-mail?

Use the subject line to summarize the e-mail.

Sourceshttp://hbr.org/tip?date=052013http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/4438.html

e-mail question # 3

How can you avoid using abbreviations?

The e-mail recipient might not be aware of the meanings of the abbreviations.

http://www.emailreplies.com/

e-mail question # 4

How can you avoid writing in CAPITALS?

IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS

AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING.

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eikh45femi/all-caps/

e-mail question # 5

How is your language in your e-mail?

Further inspiration

http://www.slideshare.net/frankcalberg/dialogue-vs-discussionhttp://issuu.com/frankcalberg/docs/languages

e-mail question # 6

What about sending a linkinstead of an attachment?

e-mail tip # 7

How can you avoid using the ”reply all” button

Every 100 people needlessly copied on an e-mail results in 8 hours of lost productivity, when accounting for the time it takes people to read, delete and return to work.

Jonathan Spira, chief analyst at research firm Basex.

http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2012/12/28/the-productivity-crushing-power-of-reply-to-all/

e-mail question # 8

Do you know where the recipient of your e-mail is?

http://www.timeanddate.com/time/map/

Before writing ”have a good afternoon” in an e-mail, consider in which time zone people, you send the e-mail to, are

e-mail question # 9

How often do you check your e-mails?

Example of e-mail auto-response

http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/07/14/autoresponse/

A study shows that regaining our initial momentum following an interruption can

take, on average, upwards of 20 minutes.

https://hbr.org/2014/07/the-cost-of-continuously-checking-email/

Further inspiration

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/769046140

e-mail question # 10

How good are you at keeping your inbox clean?

# 1: Delete.Delete any messages you don't need to read or keep.

# 2: Respond.Reply to messages that can be handled immediately.

# 3: Archive.If it’s a task for someone else, archive the e-mail.

Sourcehttp://blogs.hbr.org/hmu/2012/02/stop-email-overload-1.htmlhttp://blogs.hbr.org/silverman/2009/05/how-to-keep-your-email-under-c.htmlhttp://www.good.is/posts/clean-up-your-inbox-pro-tips-from-a-gmail-insider

3 actions to keep your inbox clean

When executives at a London-based firm reduced the number of e-mails they sent, subordinates followed suit.

http://hbr.org/2013/09/to-reduce-e-mail-start-at-the-top/ar/1

e-mail question # 11

What about using chat and/or other social media

instead of e-mail?

A 5 minute chat may be more efficient than crafting a message that adequately explains the situation.

http://hbr.org/tip?date=011713

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People, who work for Automattic - the company that runs Wordpress - rarely use email.

Instead they use internal blogs, chat rooms, and Skype.

http://blogs.hbr.org/berkun/2013/03/how-wordpress-thrives-with-a-1.html

Sourceshttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204452104577060103165399154.htmlhttp://bc.pcworld.dk/art/204243/her-er-aarsagen-til-at-vi-har-lagt-e-mailen-for-hadhttp://epn.dk/teknologi2/computer/article2745851.ecehttp://atos.net/en-us/about_us/zero_email/default.htm

The companies Atos, Klick, and Exformaticsstopped using internal e-mails.

Email stifles transparent dialogues and discussions.

http://www.managementexchange.com/hackathon/contribution/big-enemy-good

The most damaging cost of thoughtless e-mail: It prevents us from doing our best work.

http://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2014/11/09/quitting-email-helped-company-team-communicate-better/http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2012/10/25/i-banned-all-internal-e-mails-at-my-company-for-a-week/