Do we pass the test for "quality content" in emails?
Given the reliance we have on the email tool and how much corporate memory is tied up in messages, it can be thought provoking to step back for a moment and consider the quality of the content we entrust to it. Aside from quick text messages and email exchanges with trusted colleagues - where we assume the margin of forgiveness is wide - are there risks associated with our emails? Plenty, as the many articles about email etiquette illustrate - and we may be grateful that it has become the cultural norm to give an email writer the benefit of the doubt. Consider:
5a. On the naked screen, brevity may appear brusque - but lack of brevity may hinder reading and understanding. It could be a good idea to include as a matter of course "call me if you would like me to fill in more background" or something to that effect.
5b. Long chains of previous mail soon become very difficult to follow - and much good intentioned content may be effectively lost. A concise summary of previous commentary would be a courtesy to readers - though admittedly potentially time consuming to prepare.
5c. Given the lack of control over a message's further life, are we confident its content will stand up to unintended distribution? (As it's sometimes said, "let's not put in an email anything we wouldn't want to see on the front page of the national newspaper with our names attached".)
5d. Is there sufficient context that the thrust of a message will still be clear months from now - in other words, could the lack thereof lead to misunderstanding down the road? (As in, "Yes but that comment was made before it was known how …")
5e. Do we take the time to edit our messages for clarity and logical flow? The "best" element in a message may not have occurred to me until I was almost finished … by not pausing to reconsider how to take the reader along my thought path, I could make it much harder for him or her to follow along. If the less important items clog the first screen and my golden nuggets are hidden at the end … it wouldn't be surprising if the reader got an impression different from the one I wanted to convey.
5f. Do we take advantage of the opportunity not to commit an exchange to email? "Your message gave me much to think about and I wonder if we could discuss the matter over a coffee" may be the wisest and most productive reply!
5g. If time doesn't permit a thought-through reply, do we ensure senders that there will be one later? Letting someone know when to expect a response is common courtesy, and it relieves the sender of any concern "Did the message not get through? Why am I not hearing back?
Next in the series: Records
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