The 6 Rules of
Email: How to Eliminate Email Anxiety and Take Control of Your Inbox Today PART
II
3. Use the 5 sentence rule
Research conducted by McCormack and
his team at the Brief Lab, discovered that approximately 43% of people who received
long-winded emails either ignored or deleted them. McCormack explains that when
a point isn’t made obvious by email:
“You feel you can’t
deal with this right now so you put it aside. A brief email, on the other hand,
with a strong subject line that explains the purpose of the email and grabs the
reader’s attention is more likely to be read and taken seriously.”
One of the best ways to avoid
sending emails that get ignored or responded to in an untimely manner, is to
use the 5 sentence rule. The 5 sentence rule is simple:
All email responses
regardless of subject or recipient will be five sentences or less.
Less is more, even more so via
email. Treat all email responses like SMS text messages by keeping each message
brief and straight to the point. By doing so, you’ll save more time, prompt
quicker and more useful replies and prevent confusion over the intention of
your emails.
4. Use the email batching technique
As humans, we have an internal
clock that determines our energy levels throughout the day — this is called the
circadian rhythm. In essence, there are different periods of the day when we
have more energy than other time
periods. Typically, our energy levels are highest in the mornings and begin to
decline after lunch hours i.e. 2 pm.
The implications of this is
straight forward.
To achieve maximum productivity, we
should schedule, prioritize and match the most important tasks that demand the
majority of our attention with our periods of high energy levels. On the flip
side, our least important or less demanding tasks should be matched with the
lower periods of energy.
Writing or responding to emails
typically falls into the latter category and as such, should be scheduled or
“batched” when you’re not in periods of high energy — since this is reserved
for your most important task of the day.
Here’s how in three simple steps:
Step 1: Pick three periods during the
day — aside from the highest energy periods — when you can set aside
30–60 minutes of your time to focus on emails.
Step 2: Batch your responses to
emails during these time periods only.
Step 3: Add an additional fourth
period on days when you’ve got an abnormal high volume of emails to respond.
The email batching technique is a
powerful strategy that will help you take control of your time, alleviate
stress and set proper expectations of your email usage.
5. Use emotional intelligence.
According to Daniel Goleman, a
psychologist and expert on human behavior, our brains have a ‘negativity bias’
towards email.
Goleman argues that if the sender
of an email feels positive about their message, the receiver will think the
message has a neutral tone. When the sender feels neutral about their message,
the receiver tends to think it’s negative. Even worse, if the sender of an
email feels negative when sending a message, the receiver tends to think it’s
even more negative.
If you’ve ever drafted a message or
email to someone, which you thought was perfectly fine, but the receiver took
offence to your message, you’ve experienced the negative bias effect.
During normal face to face
interactions, we have the ability to easily interpret and decode social cues,
body language and words for good communication. But, on digital devices like
email or text, this ability can be significantly stunted.
As a result, during digital
conversations, careful use of emotional intelligence is crucial for clear and
efficient communication, especially if you’re a leader or manager who is
required to deliver feedback or criticism via email.
Here are some tips on how to use
emotional intelligence with email:
·
Avoid
sending messages or emails when you’re angry or frustrated.
This will prevent miscommunication, wasted time and regret over words
used in your email. Instead, save the message as a draft and only revise or
send the email once you’ve calmed down.
·
Show empathy
and encouragement in your emails.
Replace imperative words like “do this” with conditional phrases like
“could you do this?”If you need to deliver feedback you can also begin the
message by expressing appreciation using words like “thank you” or “good work
on….”
·
Provide
specific, actionable feedback.
Instead of vague or broad feedback like “this document is too long,”
you could provide more details like “This document is looking good. Let’s
remove the last page and reduce the total number of pages to 20.”
By carefully using positive words
in your emails, you’ll minimize the effects of the negativity bias, improve the
efficiency of your emails and build good will with your clients and colleagues.
6. Prepare email response scripts
Typically, there are reoccurring
patterns in the type and timing of emails we receive on a weekly basis. One of
the best ways to manage your email, save time and reduce anxiety is to prepare
email scripts ahead of time as a guideline to respond to common email queries.
Here are some examples you can use:
If you’re presented
with a task or proposal:
Dear [Name],
Thank you for your
message.
I’ll need to spend some
time to review this with the team and respond to your proposal.
I’ll revert back to you
shortly with the final decision.
Kind regards,
[Your Name]
If you’re asked for
updates on a project you haven’t completed:
Dear [Name]
Thank you for your
email.
We’re currently working
on the [NAME OF PROJECT] project, but due to [INCIDENCE], the team has fallen
behind schedule.
We’ll make sure to get
it to you at most by [Date].
Thank you for your
patience.
Please let me know if
you have any additional questions.
Kind regards,
[Your Name]
If you’re asked about
your availability for a phone call, meeting or event:
Dear [Name]
Thank you for your
email.
I would be happy to
discuss this with you. Are you free for a phone call on either [PROVIDE THREE
SEPARATE TIMES AND DATES]?
Let me know which one
of these works best for you,
Many thanks,
[Your Name]
Note: In the example above, we’re
providing three separate options because this prevents unnecessary email
threads and wasted time spent trying to arrange a time slot that both parties
agree on.
Feel free to use and tweak these
email scripts, or create yours. By treating email like chess — anticipating and
responding to familiar emails — you can save time,
reduce stress and get more work
done.
Email is Your Servant,
Not Your Master
When used properly, email is a
useful tool that can save time, improve the speed and ease of communication and
improve productivity. But, if it’s role is abused and email is treated as a
master, it’s use could lead to addictive habits that reinforce anxiety, stress
and unproductive behaviors.
In this modern era of technology,
those people who master their emails will thrive and succeed.
The six rules of email are useful
guidelines to ensure that you master your email and keep it as your servant
Mayo
Oshin
https://medium.com/the-mission/the-6-rules-of-email-how-to-eliminate-email-anxiety-and-take-control-of-your-inbox-today-backed-b57d8ea278f2
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