Summer 2016

Effective Emails

Systematic steps to support system-wide changeThis newsletter series is sponsored as a service for the value analysis, contracting, and materials management professionals by C. R. Bard, Inc.

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Dear Reader:

How many emails do you send in a day? Twenty-five? Thirty? One hundred? And how many do

you receive, not counting spam? If you’re like most Value Analysis Professionals, email is your

primary mode of communication, as your inbox can attest. With all that info zipping through the

ether, ever wonder if there’s a way to make sure your emails stand out from the rest? To get them

read, understood, and acted upon? To make them more effective?

There is. Which is why the focus of this issue of the newsletter is Effective Emails. Inside, we take

a look at the email phenomenon, then dissect the process from start to finish, paying special attention

to what makes the recipient read – or not read – incoming emails. Of course, there’s a section on

email etiquette, as well as some guidelines as to when email may not be your best choice of

communication. Weighing in with their perspectives are members of our Editorial Board who, in

addition to their insights, have a couple of announcements of their own. (See Page 4.)

Ever on the lookout for ways to help you with your daily workload, we think you’ll find this issue

particularly useful. As always, if you know of others who might enjoy this issue -- and subsequent

newsletters on a regular basis -- please email me at carol.stone@crbard.com and we’ll add them to our

mailing list.

Carol StoneVice President Corporate MarketingC. R. Bard, Inc.

Survey This! Like the presidential parties, we’re polling for input - with our 2016 Website Survey!

Our goal, as always, is to better understand you and your business needs. Why? Because we want to provide the best possible information and experience for the institutions, healthcare professionals, and patients we serve. We are in the process of doing a major redesign of Bard websites and your perspective will be very valuable in helping us to shape our approach and ultimately serve you better. It only takes a moment. The survey is short with only five “check the appropriate box” and one open-ended question to answer. An electronic version is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/BardWebsites. As always, please be assured that the survey will be confidential and that no response will be attributed to any one individual.

Hail and Farewell!Two members

of our Editorial Board are on the

move!See Page 4.

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Effective Emails Practical PersPective

“W . hether a reader is high on the corporate ladder or nearer to the bottom, he or she wants

and needs a document that can be read and understood quickly.” Jane Watson, Business Writing Basics

“All successful business documents are the ones that answer the reader’s questions. Readers live by the law of the easiest decision.” Ibid, above

As a Value Analysis Professional, you probably email dozens of people every day; busy people like yourself with overflowing inboxes and pressured by time and circumstance. Your mission, then, is to construct your email so that it will actually be read, understood, and acted upon without annoying the receiver by taking up too much time to decipher.

While email exploits a basic human instinct to search for new information, we are drawn to those that are the fastest to answer or process. [Su] When presented with an email that is overly long, poorly formatted, or with no clearly stated point, our gut reaction is to close it until “later,” which given human nature, may never come.

Basically there are four types of emails:• Self-fulfilling, to convey a compliment or information• Inquiries, seeking information or advice

• Open-ended dialog, to keep communication lines open• Action, to get the recipient to act and not just reply

Most email readers prioritize their emails by personal relevance. First they check the sender, next the subject line, and third the opening line to see if the email applies to them. This means paying close attention to the three major parts of the email: the “envelope,” the subject line, and the message itself.

The envelope This is the place for the address. Not just the “To:” and “From:” fields, but also the “cc” and “bcc.” CC is useful for updating supervisors or other team members and allows all recipients to read their email addresses. BCC can be useful when you don’t want to share those addresses; beware, though, anyone hitting “reply all” reveals all to everyone on the list.

The subject lineThink of these as headlines, designed to catch the interest of the reader by briefly conveying the main point of your email. Be as specific as possible, for example, “VA stent review meeting Dec. 2” or “Survey response needed by June 6.”

The messageThis consists of the greeting, the opening lines and the body of the email. In the U.S., “Dear”

is viewed as a formal greeting and reserved for letters; “Hello” followed by the name of the recipient has become the standard, with “Hi” for close colleagues.

Opening lines are make or break. Readers determine their interest in the first paragraph. Therefore, introduce yourself (if necessary), and state your reason for writing and your action requests up front. Be sure to provide context, for example, “In the VA team meeting Tuesday Dec. 4, you indicated…”

Format refers to how the body of your message is presented. Most people will immediately read and understand a 10-sentence email so make your writing clear and concise. Keep your sentences short and your paragraphs no longer than four or five lines and separate by a double space. Use paragraphs to separate thoughts or unrelated points. If you have many points to make, employ bullets. Use boldface or italics for emphasis. You may find that if you have many unrelated points, a separate email may be more effective.

Closing is as important as in a letter. Reiterate the action or response required and expected benefits. Say please, thank you, sincerely, or regards and include a signature or signature box.

Effective Emails theoretical PersPective

“I .t is essential when communicating a message that you give serious thought to the medium you choose.” Heller &

Hindle, The Essential Manager’s Manual

“The medium is the message.” Marshal McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man

Remember life before email? When communicating with Value Analysis colleagues meant crafting a letter, getting it typed, signed, sealed, sent off, then waiting, waiting, waiting for the response? If it was urgent, there was always the phone – remember phone tag? If a document was involved, that new-fangled fax machine. Or Fed Ex. Or a messenger service. (Those of you under 30 probably have no idea of what we are talking about.)

Not, as Jerry Seinfeld would say, that there’s anything wrong with that. Those mediums still exist, and in some cases are appropriate in

today’s business setting. But with the advent of the digital age, email has become the medium of choice for most of our communications. In fact, in a 2010 study, 83 percent of U.S. knowledge workers reported that email was critical to their success and productivity at work. This is especially true for Value Analysis Professionals who rely on email in dealing with various and often far-flung groups of individuals on a regular basis.

Actually pre-dating the internet, email burst onto the business scene in the early 1990’s. Since then it has become the medium we love to hate and, to be honest, hate to love. It’s quick, relatively easy, and now with the smart phone, accessible anywhere you can get a signal – not always a good thing. It is a ready channel of communication regardless of location or time zone and can be especially helpful when communicating with non-native English speakers. [Heller & Hindle]

However, with an estimated 300 billion emails sent each day – and the average business person receiving 80-100 of those on a daily basis – it’s small wonder that a 2013 survey showed that email also delivered tension, confusion, or other negative consequences for 64 percent of working professionals. [MindTools]

Like a ringing phone, email by its very nature demands our attention. The medium itself cries immediacy. Crowding the inbox, it is an insistent reminder of the things we have left undone that we ought to have done. Why, then, do so many email messages go unattended that experts now recommend other avenues if an urgent response is required? And how do you, the Value Analysis Professional, make your emails stand out among the other hundred in the inbox?To find out, scroll down, and keep reading!

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Bard Summer 2016

continued on back ...

by being specific and getting them to be specific as well.Beth: Here’s where you need your coaching skills. It’s all part of the job.

Q: As a VA professional, what is the value of using email over other forms of communication? Downsides?Dylan: Everything can be tracked; that’s the biggest advantage for me. I can get tons of information and easily store it without killing trees and having to file it away in a cabinet. All of the information can be easily shared with the people making the decisions. The biggest downside has been the leaking of my email address to folks that don’t need it!! Cold calls and such now occur via email; this is probably an advantage if you are in the sales business.Terri: It’s quick, especially if you’re handling a lot of projects at the same time.Beth: But you never know if the people you’re sending to have understood you. It’s not like a face-to-face exchange. On the other hand, it gives you great insight into how to improve your communication skills!

Q: Did you receive any training in business writing, email included? Was it helpful?Gina: Yes and yes.Dylan: I had a class in the Army at CAS3 (Combined Arms Staff Service School). It was a great help in developing a process in managing my emails. It has stuck with me ever since and helped me stay organized. Terri: When we launched Outlook, we had classes; also the Advisory Board had a great webinar on effective email.Beth: I had to learn on my own. Now with Google, it’s really easy; there’s lots of support.

Q: Any tips you might have to share?Dylan: My process: 1) Don’t open an email unless you have time to work it. 2) Working an email is either responding, deleting, moving it into a to-do bucket or file folder or reviewing what is in the email. 3) If you need to follow up, immediately take the time to schedule it in your calendar! 4) Don’t write it unless you are willing to back it up!!Beth: Outlook has a lot of functionality you can tap into.Terri: Don’t use “request receipt” if it’s not necessary. Beth: Or “reply all.” Don’t add to the clog!Gina: Read everything you write out loud for sense and tone, especially if you’re sending to someone you don’t know well. Proofread. And spell check!!

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VA PeoPle

Viewpoint

Bard Summer 2016

A RoundtAble on effective emAils

As with most of our readers, members of our Editorial Board have been users for 20, even 30 plus years, now sending and receiving up to 200 emails a day. Below, Dylan Lawlor, Terri Nelson, Beth Potter, and Gina Thomas share their views on effective emailing.

Q: How has email replaced ways in which you communicate?Dylan: Based on the number of meetings I have daily, email has become my primary source of communication with vendors and end-users. In some cases it’s preferred because I have an electronic trail of what was communicated!Beth: It’s a good way to keep track of data. It’s not only a good record; it allows you to give the same information to a bunch of people at one time. You can’t do that by phone.Terri: I still do a fair amount of phone calls, but follow up with emails. I also see a lot of staff in meetings send emails to themselves as notes or reminders.Beth: It’s key to the work we do in Value Analysis. Often someone I’m sending to will look at the list of recipients and note that so-and-so needs to be included too.Gina: And when you combine it with Outlook, you can see if someone is in the office and able to respond – especially helpful if you need an answer fast.

Q: When sending, how do you decide what is appropriate for an email and what is not?Dylan: Usually the length of the message or degree of explanation that may be required in the message. People do not want to read a book, nor will they read the entire message if it is too long. In these cases, I pick up the phone.Gina: After three email exchanges, it’s time for a conversation.Beth: Or if I’m trying to get comments from seven or eight people, I’ll just get on a conference call.Terri: And never for conflict!

Q: Do you have any guidelines you follow regarding tone, length or format?Dylan: Tone is based on the interpretation of the reader; I tend to stay as factual as possible. I do often reply with an apology if the tone was misinterpreted. An apology never hurts. As for the format … BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)!Terri: Short, not wordy. Bullet points. Put what you need up front. If there’s a complaint, call!Beth: Audience is important. For my boss, if I can’t get it in one paragraph, I’ll go talk. For guidelines or scoping a project, I’ll direct readers to an attachment.Gina: Be specific with the ask. You do learn that with some people you ask only one question. And you have to be specific, right in the subject line. I also use bullets and numbers, and boldface for things like “Next Steps.”Beth: I use color to draw attention to follow-up or action items.

Q: What seems to encourage a prompt response?Dylan: If/when I need an urgent response, I ensure that I have “URGENT REPLY NEEDED” in the title as well as in the body of the email. That way people can see it in the list of topics.Gina: Putting their name in the subject line. For example “Dan, agenda item affecting patient care—need your input by June 12.”Beth: Capture their attention with the use of space, for example, between thoughts or sentences.

Q: How does this vary according to groups or individuals?Dylan: I think it varies user to user, not necessarily on the type of position held by the end user.Terri: Staff nurses are hard; they’re busy with patient care and don’t always have immediate access to email.Beth: That’s where you use their managers.Terri: You have to educate people on how to give you what you need,

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Bard Summer 2016

*Terri Nelson, RN, BS, MAValue Analysis Manager, Supply Chain ManagementMayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

*Beth Potter, RN, BS, CVAHPDirector, Clinical Value Analysis Unity Point HealthUrbandale, IA

*Dylan Lawlor, MT (ASCP)Manager, Value AnalysisGreenville [SC] Health System

*Gina Thomas, RN, BSN, MBA, CMRP,FAHRMMSenior Vice President Population HealthVizient, Inc., Irving, TX

Carol Stone Editor-in-Chief Vice President, Corporate Marketing C. R. Bard, Inc., Murray Hill, NJ

Wendy Lemke Editor Manager, Corporate Marketing & Communications C. R. Bard, Inc., Murray Hill, NJ

Katherine Hause Editorial Services, Hause & Hause

Laura BellGraphic Illustrator Corporate MarketingC. R. Bard, Inc., Murray Hill, NJ

* These healthcare professionals have been compensated by C. R. Bard, Inc. for their time and effort in contributing to this publication.

This newsletter series is sponsored as a service for the value analysis, contracting, and materials management professionals by C. R. Bard, Inc. Comments or suggestions on newsletter format or topics of interest may be forwarded to Wendy Lemke, wendy. lemke@crbard.com or (908)277-8491. CORP 16-37

EDITORIAL BOARD

Sources for this issue include:1. Derosa, Darleen & Lepsinger, Richard. Virtual Team Success, John Wiley & Sons Inc., San Francisco, CA, 2010.2. “Effective Email Communication.” The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, www.writingcenter.unc.edu.3. Friedman, Nancy. 8 Tips for Effective Email Communication, www.telephonedoctor.com.4. Harrow, Susan. Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, Harper Collins, New York, NY, 2002.5. Heerkens, Gary. Project Management, McGraw-Hill, New York NY, 2002.6. Heller, Robert and Hindle, Tim. Essential Manager’s Manual, DK Publishing, New York, NY, 1998.7. Su, Tina. “15 Tips for Writing Effective Email,” www.thinksimplenow.com, 2015.8. Waldrop, Sharon Anne. The Everything Human Resource Management Book, Adams Media, Avon, MA, 2008.9. Watson, Jane. Business Writing Basics, Self-Counsel Press, Bellingham, WA, 2007.10. “Writing Effective Emails.” Mind Tools, Ltd., www.mindtools.com, 2016.

Effective Emails continued

Finally, a few words about etiquette* Always ask before sending a large attachment. And when you do, referenceit in your message. You don’t want it to be overlooked.

* Don’t forward to a third party without asking permission.* Never chew anyone out online.* Only send copies to those who need one.* Avoid humor or sarcasm; they’re easily misunderstood.* Proofread out loud for meaning and grammar. Your email reflects not onlyyour own professionalism but also how you regard that of the recipient.

Practical PersPective

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viewpoint on the topic of one of our upcoming newsletters, please contact Editor Wendy Lemke at wendy.lemke@crbard.com.

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Hail and Farewell!Board Members On the Move!

All our good wishes go out to Editorial Board members Beth Potter and Gina Thomas as they go on to new challenges in 2016.

For Beth, it’s retirement after 42 years in the healthcare arena, most of them with Iowa Lutheran Hospital (now Unity Point Health) in

Urbandale, IA. There, after a career in nursing, she’s served as Director of Clinical Value Analysis and Pharmaceutical Contracting for the past

11 years.

Now she plans to divide her time between grandchildren, travel, and her ongoing commitment to the Association for Healthcare Value Analysis

Professionals (AHVAP). A past president and longtime member of AHVAP, she is most proud of helping to develop the

credentials curriculum for the Certified Value Analysis Healthcare Professional (CVAHP) program. She says to look for her at future

meetings.

Gina’s move is into a new role, that of Senior Vice President-GM Population Health for Vizient, Inc., which recently combined the Spend

and Clinical Resource Management and Sg2 business of her former employer (MedAssets) with VHA, UHC, and Novation to form the new

company. As the largest member-owned healthcare company in the country, Vizient’s goal is to serve members and customers through

“innovative data-driven solutions, expertise, and collaborative opportunities that lead to improved patient outcomes and lower costs.”

In her new position, Gina will be meeting with healthcare executives and clinicians to develop strategies that reach across the systems of care. You

may be seeing her as well!Good luck to both, and thank you for your service.

To E or not To EEmail is easy, but it’s not always your best

choice when it comes to communicating.

When is it good?• When you need to communicate with someone

who is hard to reach by phone, you do not seeregularly, or is not in your physical location.

• When your message is not time sensitive. Ifyou need it right away, pick up the phone orwalk down the hall.

• When you need to send an electronic file, suchas data or a document.

• When you need to get a message to a largenumber of people.

• When you need a written record for proof,review, or your own future reference.

When it is not?• When the message is long, complicated or

requires discussion.• When the information is sensitive, confidential,

or proprietary. Email is never private!• When the information is not relevant to all

recipients.• When it involves criticism of employees or

peers.• When the message is emotionally charged

or the tone could be easily misconstrued. Don’tsend it if you wouldn’t say it.