Geeky Thinking An "email Guideline"

Geeky thinking an “Email Guideline”

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Geeky Thinking an “Email Guideline” SUMMARY: What’s this doc about?.................................................................................................................... 1 Assumptions.................................................................................................................................. 1 Organize & manage ........................................................................................................................ 1 Folders ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Flags ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Frequency................................................................................................................................. 3 Internet behavior....................................................................................................................... 4 General rules................................................................................................................................. 4 Reading .................................................................................................................................... 4 Writing ..................................................................................................................................... 5

What’s this doc about? Should provide guidance to employees on how to best make use of email within their professional conversations, no matter if it is about colleagues, subordinates or clients. It refers to mandatory rules, but also best practice or niceto-have, especially focused on efficiency and intelligibility of the communication. This is not about writing nicer emails, this is about writing efficient and clear emails. Assumptions 1. The company is using only Microsoft Outlook as emailing tool, eventually published as web Exchange Server version. 2. Employees work with email, therefore executing office work. Organize & manage Folders 1. Not keeping everything in Inbox. As soon as email becomes obsolete, move it into a special folder. Do NOT leave everything in Inbox. 2. Categorize. Make full usage of “Categories...” option on right-click (within Outlook). Create categories for various projects, departments, internal initiatives, main clients, etc. Place each email within one or more categories. This will help a lot when filtering information. Don’t categorize if you don’t plan on filter your information or if you don’t have much information. Once you categorize, don’t skip emails. A rule is for everything. 3. Classification. Classify the emails you are about to send depending on various areas. Here’s a suggestion but it certainly can differ from one business to another: • Importance i. High ii. Medium Copyright GeekyThinking 2009

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Geeky thinking an “Email Guideline”

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iii. Low Addressed to i. Peers ii. Subordinates iii. Providers iv. Management v. Clients vi. Personal • Type i. General Info (GI) ii. Info that requires special attention (SP) iii. Technical info (TH) iv. Confidential info (HC) v. Response to critical question (RE) vi. Decision (DC) vii. Request for Decision (RD) viii. Task (TK) ix. Meeting request (MR) x. Funny, other... (OT) Once established, apply it rigorously to all emails. Communicate to everyone or form a company policy on how to label emails as part of their title, eventually using shortcuts GI-general info, SP-special attention, etc... If not communicated as internal methodology, then not known and inefficiently applied. •

4. Suggested folders structure. Structure folders per business meaning, for example, per project, per client, etc. Generate more hierarchical levels within folders, but the suggested number of levels is 3. For example we can use the following structure: • Client o Project ! Year Make sure that if you use the above structure you don’t overclassify by using “Categories...” feature for the same values. It will just duplicate information. 5. Organize “Sent Items”. Follow same structure for Sent Items. This is a folder that tends to be ignored but it is critical for business continuity. 6. Backup frequently. Outlook has a feature named “Import and Export” that lets you export all email data to a file named personal folder and open it later with Outlook. Create personal archives monthly. 7. Keep archives safe. Do not keep them all in same place. Archive them, password them and write DVDs. Make sure they are safe and available for long term. This should also be a company policy that gets emails saved at server side.

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Geeky thinking an “Email Guideline”

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8. Remove old data. When getting to an year of email, remove most of it (leave the last month of data there, for example). Make sure you already backed up everything so you don’t lose it. By applying this rule you help Outlook applying it’s indexing and you can find emails better. Flags 1. Don’t use Flags. Flags are confusing unless used consistently. We suggest to use Categories instead: there will be no room for mistake. 2. Don’t use flags. Really! Usage of flags is efficient when you mark top priorities with Red. Any combination of colors and meanings seems not to be efficient in either personal or corporate culture. Frequency 1. Focus on work, address email in batches. Leave your Outlook connected to server and automatically getting emails but do NOT read / respond unless highly critical emails are showing up. If you can afford to leave it disconnected and check every couple of hours or so it would be great. Develop a list of priorities that you have to perform for the day and follow up that priorities. 2. Don’t skip emails, just manage them correctly. Allocate sufficient time for emails but read them in batches. In case you are performing a task that requires your attention and you are not in charge of real-time processes, equipment or teams, then better turn automatically check off, so Outlook will only bring emails on manual request. 3. General rules of thumb on email timing. Email sending and receiving is one of the most non-productive and non-efficient tasks within the internet days. Extensive communication using emails will always lead to inefficiency in task execution. More than 3 hours a day for email management should be a productivity warning sign. Therefore plan to: • Reply to emails 3 times a day, for no more than 30 minutes each. • Read emails 3 times a day for no more than 20 minutes each. • Generate to-do for writing long emails as documents with a clear purpose: project specifications for example. • Call! • Meet! 4. Answer! All emails have to have an answer no matter their topic. You are supposed to answer all emails that have you in the TO address. When it is informational and there it is no need for you to provide feedback then it is accepted to ignore it. If you are Copyright GeekyThinking 2009

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Geeky thinking an “Email Guideline”

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requested to supply information or take any action, then you should answer depending on the priority of that email. You basically have to answer: • During next hours to very urgent issues (if it would require an answer faster than “next hours” that person would be calling already) • During next hours to emails that request you to do something and you know that you will NOT be able to do it (or at least not in time) • During next day for most of the emails • During the given period of time to emails that specify that period of time. Even if you don’t have an answer and you are requested to say something (even implies that you have to say something even if not especially appointed) then please provide back a reason or the simple fact that you are not able to answer. 5. Don’t use reminder. Make sure you follow up your actions and also other people requested actions by checking out frequently your tasks (at least once a day). Suggestion: for your To Do, use “Tasks” section of Outlook and for the assignments you generate for others, use “Notes” section of Outlook.

Internet behavior 1. Use email only for office. Do NOT submit your email to ANY professional (or not) website that requests it. Use a separate email, created especially for this need (eventual subscriptions or validations), then forward the emails on your official business address it if needed. Business email address is only for internal usage and also to be communicated to peers, providers and clients. 2. Use only Outlook and official tools. Do not use other tools than company ones to check your email account, same for most of the web based email tools. Never submit your account information on any external website, no matter how trustful. General rules Reading 1. Keep emails unread until all required actions are taken. Mark emails as read only when it is about an informational email. If actions are required from your part, either leave it un-read or mark it somehow. Do NOT read an email that needs follow up and leave it as it is. It will mainly go to “History” in most of the cases. If you mark it as read and actions still to be taken, you either generate a Task or you generate a Note. Copyright GeekyThinking 2009

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Geeky thinking an “Email Guideline”

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2. Setting up reminders is not recommended. Usually generating tasks and to-do lists is more efficient. Setup tasks that you monitor frequent. This way you should be able to see task among others, therefore establish a list of priorities. Setting up reminders without a task will only remind you about the due date, not giving an overview of priorities, therefore not efficient. It might lead to resolution for urgent tasks but not for the important ones. 3. Generate To Do Lists. Every time you read an email, extract out of it your (or your team’s) To Do! Hint: one of the simplest actions when reading such an email is to drag it into your “Tasks” bar and drop it into the “Tasks”. It will automatically prompt you for a To Do. You can just parse the text right there and leave only the “To Do”. 4. Manage properly the automated emails. Since there are various systems that generate emails to notify specific events, make sure you are either configuring them to notify critical events that really require your action or you don’t subscribe to them. If you subscribe to a system that notifies very frequent events, don’t place them into inbox and don’t review them unless you do it with a certain frequency and you really need to take actions on them (Yes, there are situations when you receive notification and information that you can’t refuse but no actual constructive action required from you). 5. If it takes a few minutes, just do it. Some of the emails require you to answer and you already know the answer. Don’t generate a task if the answer is a simple Yes or No. Chose the shortest option always: either generate a task if it takes less time or just write the email if it takes you less or close to adding a task in Outlook. Writing 1. Write short emails. Emails are efficient only if short. This is the only way you benefit of online communication. Short emails means a very focused message, usually no longer that 10 to 20 lines. 2. Split and place titles. If you have more than one clear message per email, split the email in clear, small paragraphs and place a title for every paragraph. Sometimes the receiver will only read titles. 3. Separate in attachments long details. An email should be no more than one page, no matter the message. If bigger (2 pages for example), then write e document and email as attachment and within the email body describe briefly what the document is about. 4. Bold significant ideas. Select out of each paragraph (10 lines for example) the most significant word and then bold it. You can bold various words or an expression but only if words are part of same expression. Otherwise, make sure you only bold the minimum Copyright GeekyThinking 2009

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Geeky thinking an “Email Guideline”

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words needed. Most of the people would like to get the message out of email in about 5 seconds after they opened it. If you bold the most important words, you will get your message across or get the attention further. 5. Single text style. Do not use various text style. Bold is the only one permitted. 6. Single color: black. Do not use font colors ever. Black is the only one permitted. 7. Single font. Do not use combined fonts. One font is permitted, usually one of the most common fonts (Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman, Courier, ...) Try to stick to default. Most of the other persons will do the same. 8. No backgrounds & other “art”. Do not use backgrounds or schemes unless emails are generated for special occasions. 9. Behave according to email type. When writing an email, place it within one of the email types before even beginning. This will allow you to be sloppy or be meticulous, depending on email type. 10. Do not try to send out emotions. They never work through office email. Stick to the subject, never be sarcastic, funny, mad, etc. 11. Start with the core, honest, plain message – add wrapper after. When you have to communicate a lot, start the email DRAFT with the very short message as you would tell it to yourself. Build then around the core (truly honest and short) message a layer of minimum required details so the core message is understood. Don’t start the email with a story, don’t start it with the beginning. Start it with the core message, then add the rest. With some experience, you will reach on sticking to the core message only. 12. Subject is critical. Subject is very important, therefore address it with full attention. Remember we established you only open critical emails while you are focused on something else, therefore make sure your subject communicates exactly what the email is about. If you define all emails as critical or use titles of high impact, the other party might start to ignore your future messages since he will classify you as the “high priority person” and consider you just email everything like that. 13. Don’t use high priority when emailing. Do NOT abuse the strong wording, the priorities and the red flags, etc. You should never send an email with high priority unless the other parties are usually not paying attention or they proved already that they are not responsive enough. Consider that each message is already important for the other part, therefore marking it on purpose as important might only influence him/her negatively. Copyright GeekyThinking 2009

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14. Don’t request reader’s confirmation. Never request the respondent to confirm he read your email unless you need to know this fact. Your emails will always be read; forcing user to confirm places him/her in the state of mind of an executive just receiving a task from you. Unless you usually have issues or doubts that your emails are not read by that person do not enforce the confirmation. 15. Instead of priority be accurate in your request. For every email that needs to be addressed in a timely manner, place in the subject the word URGENT. Make sure you specify the due-date and the reason within email body, otherwise the URGENT word will be interpreted along with the other 10 “urgent” words that the other part might have already received from other senders. He should be able to priorities and always consider that the other party might already have 10 urgencies. 16. Apply classification: use email type in subject. Label all subjects with the email type but ONLY if emailed within . Receiving an email where title says “URGENT (12/08/2000) [Request for decision] – Agreement on project XXX estimate” might seem a busy title but it certainly gets the attention required. Same for “[General Info] – Usage of elevators” 17. Do not over-label. Labeling emails is very efficient and every email should be labeled / classified as only ONE type of information. This works well with human capacity of receiving, parsing and organizing information. Mixing various subjects and email type within same email might work only in special cases when such an email is requested and expected. Still, it is much more efficient to group subjects of same class in one email and label it. 18. Do not assume, instead describe briefly. Do not assume anything unless very clearly previously established. Make sure that, for example, when you request something, you always post yourself all possible questions on the matter (who, when, what, how...) and only where not clear, add some short details. 19. Include significant conversation elements. When replying do not assume the initial email writer will remember very clear what are you talking about. Make sure you include the significant conversation and also you remove nouns so he/she knows what it is about. Not always carry with you the entire thread of emails. Sometimes when various sections are obsolete, you can cut sections of it. If writing to a manager or even a receiver that was not in the beginning of the entire discussion, write a very brief summary of the problem, then only attach full conversation, don’t just forward emails. 20. Provide full URL. When typing in web URL (links) always type full text to make sure the respondent gets the full URL. Some tools allow you to define a hyperlink with a different text. It is not Copyright GeekyThinking 2009

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efficient to use this feature. Make sure the web URL is placed on a single line, not combined within text. 21. Describe attachment within email body. When using attachments ALWAYS place a small description of it within email, something to let the user know the importance, the basic content and even size / complexity. Most of the attachments are going to be addressed at a later time. In order to have your peer estimate that “other time” you need to provide him/her some info. 22. Small attachments. Attachments should always have a decent size. Everything bigger that 2-3 MB should be hosted and sent as a link / ftp. 23. Split in separated paragraphs. Break up email content in paragraphs even if addressing one clear message. Reading is difficult when all text comes in one place. 24. Wrap text. Hit the Enter key and organize text already wrapped. Sometime it is very important that your peer will see the text exactly as you see it, do not let it to his screen resolution and email application decision. 25. Don’t use Caps Lock. Usage of Caps is allowed only when yelling. Interpret by yourself caps letters as yelling to the other part. If email has to send this type of message, then write it using Caps. Otherwise don’t try to send out emotions such as yelling or anything similar within emails. We will let the yelling for phones or face-to-face meetings. Email is quiet and objective. 26. Do NOT use smiley. They are indeed common but they do not express your objective reaction and they can be very easy interpreted wrong. Are you laughing at me, with me, about me, are you just sarcastic, .... etc... 27. Message structure should easily lead to resolution of issues presented. Whenever posting a question feel free to suggest options for answers and even your favorite / suggested answer. Emails should follow the “don’t make me think” rule: do not assume the respondent has any idea about what are you describing or even the time or even interest to consider it seriously. Therefore the emails should contain a brief description of the problem, the question as clear as possible, the list of options, the suggested option. If you do that, in most of the cases you get your suggested option as feedback, especially from people that trust you or from lazy ones that will not take it serious, or from incompetent ones that cannot assume a resolution anyway. 28. Clear assignments. Readers tend to confuse generic questions with questions addressed to them. Make sure when typing a message that every reader knows the question is addressed to him especially and that you expect an answer from hum by that date. If Copyright GeekyThinking 2009

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you can briefly describe what should answer clarify then you did the job of efficient communication: you will bet the response in one email and not waste a long thread of emails. Readers tent to interpret and assume things, this is why you should leave no room for interpretation. 29. Spell check your message both automatically and by yourself. Writing a correct email message as grammar is mandatory. Most of the people will not see the true value of your message if misspelled. Some will have a poor impression on you, some will even feel offended. 30. Read it once before send. Before sending a message always read it again. Only once and fast, but you have to read it, even for spell checking sake. 31. Verify that it gets sent. It often happens that we write an email as a reply to an urgent issue and then we run away to another high priority. Sometimes due to technical issues, the email does not get sent. Excuses like “I wrote it but it didn’t got sent” are only making things worse. Check that your email is no longer in Outbox, but it is in Sent folder. 32. Carefully address important issues. Write very important emails in advance. When done, let a few hours to pass then read them again. A “second set of eyes” could help (if you involve a peer to validate your message). 33. Sign emails. Make sure your email is signed, either with your official title and contact information (outside vendors or clients especially) or basic name (internal, colleagues) but avoid nick names. Short names, other names are ok, but not nicknames. 34. Structure your email and always consider all components. A message might have, besides its basic components, the following attributes: • Objective (what are you trying to achieve with it) • Cause (why do you have to write your message as an email) • Wrapping (additional information that surrounds “the core message”) • Task assigned (you request something from somebody) • Questions to be responded (same as task assigned but it only involves communication) • Decisions you take • References to previous information (make sure everyone knows what are you referring at) Make sure you consider each one of these attributes and review the email message so it contains the basic information about them. 35. Salute but simple. Always start your message by saluting the other part. Avoid usage of “dear” and other opening words. “Hello Copyright GeekyThinking 2009

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AAA” will just do it. Do not use timing references since you cannot count on your email to be read in the morning or afternoon. When multiple parties receiving the email do not salute everyone, use just “Hello”. 36. Make full usage of punctuation. This is extremely important when you try to make a point or communicate critical messages. 37. Type the full words. Do not use shortcuts or anything that suggests the meaning of a word. 38. Careful with recipients. Before hitting “Send”, always check the “To” and “CC” and “BCC” fields. Otherwise you might have critical issues disclosed to undesired recipients. 39. Always mark the confidential information and make sure the level of confidentiality is known. Make sure the other part understands what is he/she supposed to do / not do with the message. Specifying “high” or “top” might not be understood by users. 40. Email is for communication related to work, it is NOT work. Don’t use office email as prove of your work, of your decisions and meetings. This is not efficient, company business processes should not require email usage for validation and also not count on email for sharing information, etc. Email is strictly related to communication and getting your activities organized but not at all related to business processes. Task assignments, status reports, etc... should be developed outside email system or else you reach to inefficient processes, based on communication instead of focusing of execution. 41. Do not rely processes on emails. Statistically all processes that involve frequent emails lead to inefficiency especially because emailing process is not standard, involves human input, etc. Even if during processes email is tolerated (such as Client requesting changes or Project Manager altering plans, etc...) the process itself should not rely on emailing such as, for example, having email as a required step (if PM did not sent an email with approval on specs, users cannot execute tasks according to specs). Even if the example sounds extremely well justified from business perspective, having “email” involved in this just adds extra work. Instead, use a versioning system, a document manager or a business processes management that leads only to a click or an upload from PM, this takes certainly 5 minutes less than writing an email. Sometimes removing the “email” out of business processes phases reduced Project Management activity with 30%... with no additional costs since it was used open source technology for document management. 42. Resolve problems with the active resources, do not escalade unless directly. Do NOT add in the email TO, CC or BCC anyone else than the ones that will take some action after the email is Copyright GeekyThinking 2009

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sent. Avoid at any cost possible CC to higher ranks as prove of your work or as forcing the other part to execute or be aware of importance. Always address only to the parts that will react and that are contributing directly to your objective. If: • You need to prove it to your boss, just FWD to it after or, even better than that: mark some task completed on your project plan. • You need to address the email to higher ranks on the other part: address a second short email to the parties involved, describing that the “higher rank” has to do. Remember the “do not make me think” rule: the bosses might not know / not have the time / not guess the required reaction and this will either turn on bad or will require a lot of time from “the boss” to parse and decide. This is again bad and inefficient. Remember to escalade an issue by attaching it to an email and communicate clearly about it to the NEW targeted recipient, since you have a new objective: the escalation of the situation itself. 43. Minimum recipients – the less you use, the less you explain, the faster you get feedback. You should be very carefully on selecting the persons in TO and CC. Always add the minimum. Various rules apply here, depending on email content and various other, focus on minimum recipients so you don’t have to add too many details. 44. Never escalade to more than one hierarchical level. Once the problem reported, involve both your direct manager and the recipient’s direct managers. Never go further to escalade the issue: it is already other people’s job. There it is an exception to this rule: if business critical issues are in place and the first layer of management does not take action, write down a memo and discuss it with both direct management layers, suggesting escalation. 45. Avoid loops – get involved. If an email is addressed to you and you are not supposed to be involved in that issue, then don’t leave it as it is. Identify who is the rightful resource to be involved and forward the message with the information on it. If you just ignore it or reply to it in order to deny your action, then you will generate loops. 46. Use email groups. Create email groups in case of support or frequent addressed topics and use them. Do not place individuals in front of support and helpdesk systems. 47. Don’t mix official with personal. In the TO field, make sure you don’t mix up office email with personal emails of some recipients. They should not be visible to other recipients. Do not assume they all know about each other. When writing an official email, do not mix the content with personal content, write two separate emails for that.

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48. Use simple but constant email structure. Basic email body should contain: 1. Salutation. Use “Hello” 2. Briefing. Explain what are you talking about in a very simple line. Laconic. 3. Message core / objective. As clear as possible. 4. Reference to previous actions. 5. Who in the email is supposed to do what, when and how? 6. Enclosure with confidentiality or other info. 7. “Thank you”, “Best regards”,... 8. Signature, as simple as possible. Your full name, website and email are already known from the FROM field. Use short name and phone/mobile. Address just in case of client or any possible official communication. 49. A picture is a 1000 words. Instead of describing complex processes or other details, sometimes drawing a picture either using a tool (MS Visio, PowerPoint) or by hand and scan it as an image will work a lot more better. Draw your ideas on paper, scan them and email with brief description. It will work faster and have a much larger impact and outcome. Never mind your drawing skills, we are all the same here. 50. Use versioning. In case you email documents and images and you generate sequential versions of the same document and email it back and forth to participants, make sure you always have a document header referring at version, log of dates and authors modifying document’s content. 51. Take it aside. In case you debate various ideas and you generate a communication thread, then you better start summarizing the main ideas into an attached document and start it al over. Don’t circulate on and on a thread of more than 10 emails, users will not read that information again and again. 52. Don’t use bullets, use numbering. Bullets are ok when you organize presentations but numbering is more efficient since you can always refer back at special ideas within emails. Best is to number your main ideas and reference them if needed. All next conversation threads can just point out something like “Agree with 1, really having issues with 2” removing all referencing and clarifications that might waste time. Prepare your recipient for efficiency.

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