2. Session Objectives
To review pro’s and con’s of e mail
To look at ways we can deal with incoming e
mail more effectively
To look at ways we can improve the
effectiveness of the mail we send
To consider how e mail is changing
To look at some specific Outlook tutorials.
Ray Roberston
4. Blame this
man
Ray Tomlinson
In 1971, he developed the
code that enabled him to
send an e-‐‑mail between
two computers for the first
time.
Ray Roberston
5. Quick Survey
Do you feel stressed by e mail?
Do you check work e mail at home?
Do you check work e mail when on holiday?
At work how often during the day do you check
your e mail.
Does dealing with e mail distract you from your
‘real’ work?
If you are unable to check your e mail how do you
feel?
Ray Roberston
9. A recent survey, conducted by legal
information firm Lexis-‐‑Nexis, found
information overload was a widespread
and growing problem among white
collar workers around the globe.
Six out of ten workers said the
constant flow of email distracting them
from concentrating on the task in hand.
Ray Roberston
10. More
34 % of workers feel 'stressed' by
the sheer number of emails they
receive and the obligation to
respond quickly
and a further 28 % feel 'driven'
because they see them as a source
of pressure.
Source The Observer
Ray Roberston
11. Research undertaken by Glasgow University found that employees
working on a computer typically switched applications to view their
emails as many as 30 or 40 times an hour, for anything
from a few seconds to a minute. While half the participants said
they checked more than once an hour and 35 per cent said they
did so every 15 minutes, monitoring software fitted to
their machines for the experiment showed it was more
often.
Ray Roberston
12. 62% of workers check business
emails while at home or on
holiday.
Ray Roberston
13. Workers distracted by
email experience a 10
point fall in IQ (more
than twice that found
in cannabis studies)
Ray Roberston
14. Each day the average office
worker spends 49 minutes
managing emails.
Ray Roberston
15. 4 hours is spent
each day managing
emails by senior
managers.
Ray Roberston
16. E mail should be a tool that
improves communications
Not be
A constant interruption to your
workflow and a creator of stress
Ray Roberston
21. Do not
continually
check your e mail
Ray Roberston
22. Switch off alerts
Switch off email popup alerts on your
desktop
Switch off email sound alerts on your
desktop
Don’t set up email alerts on your smart
phone
Ray Roberston
23. Check e mail no more
than once an hour
(urgent matters)
Ray Roberston
24. Each time that you do
check your email,
process it
immediately
(more on this next)
Ray Roberston
28. Working Next
Folders Folders
Actions
for filing • Answer
Task /
mail
• Read
List
• Follow Up
Ray Roberston
29. Process
• That requires no action
Mail
• That you can deal with in under two
Mail
minutes
• That needs more than two minutes
Mail
• Mail that you need to keep
Ray Roberston
30. CC’d or BCC’d
You may choose to ignore these messages
altogether. If they weren’t intended for you are thy
important?
Delete them or file them in a CC/BCC folder.
Ray Roberston
31. Don’t give into
paranoia i.e. I must
read everything to
make sure I know
what’s going on.
Ray Roberston
33. E Mails that • Delete
require no action
E mails that you • elete
D
have acted on
within 2 minutes
E Mails that • Put in your working
require longer
responses or
folders (Answer,
further actions
Read, Follow Up)
Ray Roberston
34. To reply or not to reply?
Ask yourself, does this mail need a reply?
If you can reply quickly,(under two minutes)
then do it straight away it will save time.
If it needs action that will take longer, file it in
your answer, read or follow up folders.
This also helps avoid situations where you
forget to take action because you've briefly
looked at an email, and it has been marked
as read.
Ray Roberston
35. -‐‑ Reply
Clear out
working -‐‑ Act upon
folders once a -‐‑ File
day
-‐‑ Delete
Ray Roberston
36. Think before forwarding messages.
Ask:
Ø Why am I forwarding this?
Ø Is the information important to the people
I am forwarding it to?
Ø Am I simply passing it through?
Ray Roberston
37. Choose the time of
day that you’re least
productive to focus
on responding to
and clearing e-mail
Ray Roberston
38. Deleting Mail
Deleting from your Inbox is not sufficient
You must also empty your “Deleted
Items” folder
You should also empty your
Sent Items folder
Ray Roberston
39. Use the ‘out of office’ message
when on holiday to reduce
email volume from
colleagues.
Ray Roberston
43. Email is a good way to communicate, but it isn't
an immediate medium.
Don't assume people will read and act on your
email straight away. If something is urgent, ring
them or if possible go and see them.
Ray Roberston
44. Keep it brief.
Think about what it is like to be in receipt of long
emails.
Ray Roberston
