SMJ Solutions

Savvy Email User

December 4th, 2005

A savvy email user knows how to write an email and write it well, knows how to squeeze every last drop of energy out of those electrons to make the email as effective as possible. Here are a few tips that can make you email savvy:

• Keep it short

Long, rambling emails are rarely read thoroughly; most people skim or totally skip over them. If you want someone to read your email, make it short. If you want someone to read the email and do something, make it even shorter. Proofread your emails and edit liberally; take out any verbose verbiage — emails should be fluff-less.

• Mind your tone

Emails don’t have context. Don’t be sarcastic or try to use any type of tone because it will inevitably be read differently than the way you wrote it.

• Reply with original text

Most email applications automatically do this, but I have received several replies where the sender has not included my original email. This is especially frustrating if I can’t remember what my original request was and the reply is along the lines of, “OK, let’s do it.”

• Use only one space

Spaces are like exclamation points — you only need one to make it work. Using more than one is unnecessary; it simply takes up more space and makes it harder to read.

• Choose descriptive subject

Don’t get too clever with your email subject line. Use a good subject that summarizes the body of the email. Having a well-written subject line is extremely beneficial when digging through old email archives.

• Keep it topical

If your email contains more than one major topic, break it up and send as many emails as there are topics. It doesn’t take much additional effort and makes it much easier keep it short and choose a descriptive subject.

• Respond promptly

This can be taken to an extreme, but just don’t let your emails sit around and get stale. Promptly may mean different things for different emails. Prioritize what you need to reply to and take care of them. Don’t let unread messages accumulate in your inbox.

Learning and practicing these simple principles will make your email life much easier, and your savvy email readers will appreciate it too.

Entry Filed under: Software,Web