Saturday, September 08, 2007
Write a perfect email
Wired How To's: "Popular as it is, the web is not the most-used Internet application by transaction volume. Email is. It’s also the most misused. Since it’s such an important and often overlooked component of our online lives, I’m going to step away from preaching about the web for a moment and focus on simple steps to make your email discussions more effective."
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18 comments:
My favorite rule of email not directly mentioned in this article is the 5 sentence guideline. When a five sentence paragraph is written and read in the MS Outlook reading pane, it has a respectable length but is not intimidating to read. It sounds stupid, but 5 sentences is a comfortable length to get a complete thought across and read in less than 30 seconds.
Often time emails that are too short seem brash and project an image that the writer does not have time to take a moment to collect their thoughts and arrange them in an artful way.
Wow Rico, I had no idea about the five sentence concept. I am probably one the of the worst offenders when it comes to lengthy emails. Then again, same when it comes to talking aloud. For some reason I feel like I just need more words, when all I do is make things more confusing and sound even worse, haha. So in response to this, I'll end this comment right about here....
I find that I write in a very formal way when sending emails. I have to present a certain level of respect towards my recipient. It then starts to annoy me when I recieve emails where the writer doesn't even address me or open with anything like "Hi Candace", etc. I don't know if that is now considered old fashioned, but I feel that the internet/email is already so distanced from who we are interacting with that there needs to be some personal connection in their somewhere.
everyone, i say everyone in the school of drama should be required to read this article! it provides several good ideas to keep in mind when wanting to write an effective email. in addition to reading this article, i feel that Boevers should give the lecture from Basic PTM on messaging to the entire School of Drama in a Conservatory Hour. i know that both the lecture and the article have helped me to write more clear and concise emails. and we all know that there are those in the SOD that need this help.
I disagree with this article, I feel that formality should be used when writing a formal e-mail. This doesn't mean e-mails have to be long, if you are a good writer you can state your case succinctly. E-mail seems to be just another case where manners, decorum and personability have been pushed aside in favor of advances in technology.
The 5 sentence guideline sounds like something I already follow. The secret to writing a good e-mail is to get straight to the point, and no dilly dallying. The 2 sentence e-mails never seem to be enough, so there is a balance to aim for.
One of the things I need to work on in terms of e-mail etiquette is actually responding to the lengthy ones. I have a terrible habit of briefly reading the e-mail and then never sending a response acknowledging that I got the e-mail.
I found a lot of valueble points in this article, however, I agree with Laura that, formality has its place in email. For example, when emailing professors and admissions councelours while applying to schools, I made a point to email more formally. After all, these are not casual contacts, they are not my friends, or even coworkers.
This having been said, do believe that formality in email takes on a different image than it does in a letter. Obviously there is not the same formal header found on a buisness letter and sometimes Dear..., is a little awkward in email format, however it is important to address people formally and structure the message formally.
With regard to lengthy emails, i am also a major offender. As demonstrated by the length of this post, I feel like I have a lot to say. I never considered the length and subject as competing with the rest of the inbox, but at the same time long emails are really tedious to read. But at the same time emails that are less than 2 sentences tend to be equally annoying, somehow that tiny amount of information seems inadequate to justify sending out the email.
The same should probably apply to comments...
The 5 sentence rule is a great idea, I know I can ramble on for quite awhile. I'll be honest that I much prefer a phone call if the message needs a reponse quickly. I check my eamil at most twice a day, once in the morning and the once in the evening, if that. Often people expect a close to immediate response and emails really arent the most efficiant way to get them. Well thats my pet peeve.
I agree that emails should have structure so that you don't have to send emails back and forth, if you're going to do that just pick up a phone. Emails represent you so you should take the time to at least put a little bit of effort in to make a presentable looking statement. If the email is just a quick question and not something important I think it's okay to just send a sentence or two.
Another good reason to always have a subject is that there is a new spammer going around that sends subject-less emails. Apparently it makes it harder for your web provider to filter the spam out. It seems stupid, and maybe you haven't run across it, but perhaps the person you are sending the email to has. Being concise and still getting all the necessary information across is hard, but much appreciated; I couldn't agree more.
what an interesting thing to discuss. i find that this happens a lot, people don't write clear concise emails and the point gets lost. it is an art getting the short email sent, yet it is also something that often overlooked is much appreciated by the unknowing reader. everything seems easier with a short email that is straight to the point.
In every literature or writing course I have ever taken, I have been taught that explanation and attention to detail reigns upon all other elements in creating a thesis. In some ways, I feel this article teaches us to consider the absolute opposite when writing an email! Most likely because when someone is checking their email, they are being exposed to several or even hundreds of different ideas and voices; rather than hearing one voice and opinion when we sit down to read a piece of literature. One must be able to comprehend all forms of conversation, so if it means we must be concise in our ideas electronically, so be it.
My email etiquette is definitely not as good as it should be. Most of the time I'll hit send on an email and then realize that it was only one curt sentence making a request, no greeting or parting words. but once it's sent it's sent. Maybe I should work on that...
There are different types of e-mails needed for different situations. Obviously, if you are sending an e-mail to a friend that you wish to approach like a handwritten letter, it will most likely be long, and probably be read, and receive and equally long response. And then there is the extreme opposite, where it is just more practical to send a short, curt, one sentence e-mail. Of course with something like that, I certainly believe that if you replied - leave the previous e-mail text in the message, it will help the person receiving the message to refresh their minds and know what it is you are referring to, without needing it to be restated. And then the middle ground - probably what most e-mails SHOULD be. If you're writing about something specific, be specific, get to the point, but still have the hint of a personal level. Put the recipient's name at the beginning. Throw in a sentence that maybe even just says "Have a nice day" or "Thank you for your time" and sign it with your name. Still keep it short, but pleasant at the same time.
I'd have to agree that e-mail should fit to these guidelines. I know way to many people that get too lengthy with their content, which can be fine in some cases very rare cases that are normally not business related. I would agree with the addition of the 5 sentence rule rico mention, that and a stress on the idea of knowing who you really need to send this information to, a.k.a. do I really need to hit the reply all button to the most recent Dick Block SoD announcement, because more than likely you don't. kthnxbai
I enjoy the concept of the brass spacing blocks as a theory, yet some how I feel like I would loss them in the shop due to the hustle of building. The digital rangefinder seems as though they have added some nice features, yet they still haven’t put together all the things that would make it a perfect tool for theatrical riggers. I wish someone would come out with a range finder that has three axis of measurement (a laser level meets a range finder). In theater we could use this to find distances from the plaster and center line by simply placing apple boxes on the plaster and center line (or any object you wish to catch the beam). You could find your point on the deck and shoot a laser up to the grid all in one step. No more tape measures. How did people rig without lasers?
WOW I need writing the perfect Blog Comment
This is a very helpful list of advice. It is all written form the managers’ point of view though. It acts as though you are always dealing with employees or people who answer to you. It’s all very demanding. Does this mean he feels the same when he is sending and E-mail to someone he needs a favor from or when he is asking for a person’s permission?
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