Does the constant stream of internal e-mail leave you with more work than information? It’s a common complaint and an unsurprising outcome of ad-hoc business expectations. Long chains of forwarded e-mail, long expired Subject lines, and non-obvious action items buried like forgotten bones.
If you want to change your corporate e-mail culture, then begin with yourself. Practice these simple tips and you’ll notice a change in the e-mail streaming into your inbox.
Pick up the phone or use instant messaging
Ask yourself if you’re trying to get something done or just trying to get credit for piling onto an e-mail thread. A quick phone call or an instant message can often accomplish a resolution versus the gamesmanship that internal e-mail becomes.
Use a [Prefix] on the Subject: line when originating an e-mail
Don’t go crazy with dozens of prefixes. You need very few.
[Action Required] – Means you’ve alerted the recipient to something that requires their attention and you’ve explained the action needed in the first sentence. Overuse this powerful prefix and you’ll find yourself in the penalty box of ignored senders.
Used effectively, it lets the recipient know that you have turned the “possession arrow” pointing to them. They can point it back to you by completing the action, or explaining why they can’t complete it so you can assign it to someone capable.
[Summary] – Means you are summarizing a meeting or drive-by encounter in the hall. Summarize Agreements, Actions, or Discussions to improve communication. You’ll be surprised to learn that most people take communication for granted. So improve yours with coherent summaries.
Filter all of your internal e-mail and read it after external e-mail
Is your next big order coming from an internal source or externally? Setting up a rule to place all of your @company e-mail into a second inbox frees your attention to focus on external events. This simple change produces huge results and keeps you from being one of those people always apologizing for responding late to potential customers and their opportunities.