you suck at email

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You suck at email.

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Page 1: You Suck at Email

You suck at email.

Page 8: You Suck at Email

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What we’ll cover today1. Email is Permanent2. The From Field3. The “to”, “cc” and “bcc” fields4. Subject lines5. Main points up front6. Close the loops7. Bullets, numbers and choices8. Signatures that work9. Q&A

Page 11: You Suck at Email

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“When I send an email to one person, there’s a 95 percent chance I’ll get a reply. When I send to ten people, the response

rate drops to 5 percent.”- Patrick Lencioni

Author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Page 13: You Suck at Email

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like stone-tablet permanent

1. Email is permanent

1. You can't recall an email you didn't mean to send. Some software makes you think you can, but you can't. Not reliably.

2. Email lives forever, is easy to spread and can easily show up in discovery for a lawsuit.

3. Never email angry.4. Double-check the “to” field.

Page 14: You Suck at Email

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because you should send email as...you

2. The “from” field

Make sure the “From” field is your real name; first and last. You can test this by looking at the email you sent on a friend’s computer. Test from sending from all your devices, including mobile.

Page 15: You Suck at Email

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how to write subject lines that make doves cry

3. Subject lines

The subject line of an email is the first chance you have to tell the reader why you need their attention. Lots of people waste the subject line. They put “hi” or “Meeting tomorrow” or “an idea for you” or worse, nothing at all, the dreaded “no subject”. None of these are useful enough.

Page 17: You Suck at Email

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examples of great subject lines

3. Subject lines

You have approximately 10-15 words to use to convey the main message:

DECISION NEEDED: Picking the new PajamaConf logo today

SCHEDULING: Check Tues. or Wed. 5pm for meeting with Fabi at Chipotle on Broadway

PROMOTION HELP: Looking for some blog and Twitter love for PajamaConf

[www.pajamaconf.com] seems offline. You might want to check.

POPTECH ACQUISITION DEAL: Should we take it? (from [email protected])

In these cases, I’ve ALL-CAPPED the major point or action required, and given you a sense of what you’re going to do next for me. It’s prepping you for what comes next. Just like scary music in a movie means the killer is in the closet, you know what’s coming next, and so you mentally prepare for it.

Page 27: You Suck at Email

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Be a journalist. Not a novelist.

4. Main points up front

Unlike writing a novel, where you build up to the important stuff, most emails would be better if you put the main points up at the very top, the way newspaper stories are written.

Start with the lead, and then flesh out the details, only as needed. This way, someone who’s busy gets the main thing you’re telling them or asking them right away up front.

Let’s look at some examples...

Page 28: You Suck at Email

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Be a journalist. Not a novelist.

4. Main points up front

“We’re going ahead with the deal. To close it, I’ll need you to gather three years of financials, and have them ready by Friday.”

“I’m looking to meet with you while you’re in town. I’m available at the following times.”

“My new blog about NYC real estate launches tomorrow, and I’m looking for some link love.”

“I’ve got a client who wants to launch a social media strategy. Can you fly to Phoenix for a Thursday meeting?”

In these examples, the recipient understand that an action is requested, and can even understand what comes next in all cases without reading much more. The supporting info is great, but they can guess most of what’s necessary right there. One line in, and they’ve got the gist.

Page 29: You Suck at Email

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Coffee is for closers. Loop closers.

5. Close the loops.

We leave open loops in email all the time: places that can revolve back and forth in email circles for five or seven spins. For example, try to plan a lunch with seven coworkers. If you have eight restaurants, it will take something like 30 emails if people follow the average paths. Too many open-ended questions, and too much up-in-the-air to nail down. Look at these two examples:

Page 30: You Suck at Email

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Coffee is for closers. Loop closers.

5. Close the loops.

Open Loop: “Let’s get together for lunch. What day is good? Where do you want to go? Should we invite other departments or keep it a team meeting?”

Closed Loop: “Let’s get together for lunch. I’m thinking Thursday at 11:30 (to avoid the rush) at Chotchky’s. Let’s keep it just a team lunch this time, but maybe next time, we’ll invite others. Work for you?”

The differences are obvious. Know why people don’t send the closed loop type email? They’re worried that they seem bossy. Here’s the truth: most times, most people don’t really care about the details. If you recommend, it will come out quickly that Michael is off Thursday so Wednesday is better, and Samir is allergic to seafood, etc. Closing the loops early helps everyone.

Closed loop email means to me that you’ve taken back-and-forth cycles out of the process.

Page 32: You Suck at Email

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Make it easy for people to reply to your email. If there are summary points from a meeting, use bullets (not just new sentences) to differentiate the points.

If a decision is required among a set of choices, make it easy by numbering them.

Examples:1.End all negotiations and terminate contract.2.Respond with counter-proposal3.Execute contract. (If this is chosen, please also email signed contract.)

6. • Bullets• Numbers and • Choices

Page 33: You Suck at Email

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Short but functional. Like Christina Ricci.

7. Signatures that work.

Make sure that the critical signature information (phone number, not logo) is in your reply.

This can have different nuances via platforms like iPhone & BlackBerry

Page 36: You Suck at Email

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When should you do it? Almost never.

8. Reply All.

Ten questions to ask before you hit reply all:*

1) Someone transmits good news to ten people.  Do the other nine people really need to hear you say "Great news!"?

2) Do you need information from one member of the group before replying?  Is there someone in the group you should probably check with before you agree to something?   If so, take the conversation off-line.

3) Does this really need to be a group conversation in the first place?

4) The organizer of a block party asks if anyone has a folding table they can lend.   Does the whole block need to know that you can't? (No.)  If you have one, would it be useful for everyone to know that the problem is now solved. (Yes.). Does anyone else need to respond after that? (No.)

5) The organizer of a meeting asks if everyone is available Weds at 10 am.  You have a conflict, but can suggest some alternatives.  Does the whole group need to see those, and start weighing in?  Or can the organizer collect the responses, and propose a new time he thinks will work?

6) The Golden Rule: Do unto others.  Would you want all those useless (to you) messages in you already cluttered inbox?

7) Multiply.  The number of people on the list x the number of times you reply-all = the number of annoyances you have sent into the world.  With your name attached.

8) A harder one: everyone else has replied all to say congratulations.  The group does not need to hear you say the same, but you worry that you'll be the only one who didn't.  Do you chime in?

9) Rule of thumb: Do not reply all to anything sent to a mailing list.

10) Last: Notice how much you've eliminated from your inbox, by preventing all those unnecessary replies?

* This list compiled by former WorkHacks client and world-class literary agent Stuart Krichevsky (@skagency)