email

1. Himanshu Dhaga (Manager Training)
Effective Email
Guidelines

2. Contents
 Email Has Become Ineffective
 Poor Usage Examples
 Use Smart Subject Lines
 Think Before You Click
 Write for Action
 Reducing the Load
 Quality Communications
 Recommended Standards
 General Tips
 Call to Action

3. Email Has Become Ineffective
 It’s a double-edged problem
 Too many messages are floating
around
 Half are unnecessary
 The other half are ineffective
 Fixing the problem lies on our
shoulders

4. Poor Usage Examples
No subject line

5. Poor Usage
Action required and key points are
hidden in the message

6. Poor Usage
-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 5:46 PM
To: IMS Operations
Subject: Information
I will be gone all day Tuesday/01-9-01 at an Operations Offsite Staff
Meeting.
I will be accessible via cell or pager listed below-
Thanks
Misusing the global distribution list

7. Poor Usage
Discussion that could have been done
on the phone

8. Use Smart Subject Lines
 All messages should have clear and
specific “Subject Lines” that
 describes the message content
 specifies if there are any actions required
& due dates
 mentions clearly who the message is for
 Subject Line Template:
TAG description [actions] [due date] [(EOM)]

9. Use Smart Subject Lines
 Good Subject Line Examples
 FYI ONLY: Meeting minutes from 3/14 discussion
 WSR: Joe Smith – Operations WW17
 ARs Included: Minutes from MRC, all ARs due Friday 4/1
 DISTRIBUTE: Program POR updated & related information
 Bob, Joe: need you at noon meeting Wed w/ your updates
 AGENDA: Staff meeting Thurs 3/12 10:00 pm
 Mary: I will attend the WW FTF & present summary. (EOM)
 Poor Subject Line Examples
 Weekly Minutes
 Here are the URLs
 Re: presentation
 (blank subject line)
 Unrelated subject line – sending an email with an old subject
line that does not relate to this message
TAG description [action] [due dates] [(EOM)]

10. Use Smart Subject Lines
 If you can type your entire
message in the subject line and
don’t need to write anything in
the body of the message - do
so!
 Type (EOM) at the end of the
subject line. EOM means “end
of message”

11. Think Before You Click
 Don’t automatically “REPLY TO ALL”.
 Take one last look at your distribution
list – is this email necessary for all
recipients.
 Once the email discussion goes
beyond 2-3 replies anyway, it’s time
to pick up the phone

12. Write For Action
 In the first 1-3 lines of your email,
specify what this email is about.
 Does it include action required?
 Does it require a reply back by a certain
date?
 What information is contained that the
reader will find necessary for their job?
 Use the To: and Cc: addresses
appropriately

13. Reducing the Load
 Overloaded – system & recipient
 Use text messages every time you
can
 Status Reports, Meeting Minutes, Trip
Reports, Simple Proposals
 Use formatted documents when
necessary
 Spreadsheets, presentations, formal
documents
 Stop replies before they start
 If a reply is not required, end your
message with “(Reply Not Necessary)”

14. Quality Communications
 Email is not the right communication
tool when “quick response” is needed
 Use email to convey non-sensitive or
non-emotional information

15. Quality Communications
 If an email discussion doesn’t
end in 1-2 replies and get the
results that are necessary –
STOP
 Ask yourself, are you sharing
expertise, or just venting
 Constructive confrontation or
disagreements do NOT get
resolved in email

16. Recommended Standards
Recommended Subject Line Tags:
 URG - Stop everything, read me
first
 HOT - Need immediate attention
 RSP - Need you to respond,
either way
 MTG - New/modified meetings
 FWD - Forward to your respective
group(s)
 HLP - Need information,
assistance with a problem
 FYI - Just for your information
 ACT - Needs action

17. Recommended Standards
Rules:
 No outlook templates or “pretty stationary"
when sending/replying messages
 Reply to sender only. Only "Reply to All"
when absolutely necessary
 PowerPoint Files: Zip all attachments. Large
files; use shared server or websites
 When possible, short messages should be
written in the subject line, with the EOM tag

18. Recommended Standards
Rules:
 No discussions in email. When people start
"talking" in email, please stop
 Carbon Copy your manager if you really
need to
 Do not use UPPER case alphabets unless
using it as a title. This gives a negative
connotation (looks like you are yelling those
words)

19. General Tips
 Use Follow Up Flags.
 If you find you are on a distribution list you
don’t need to be on
 send a note to the originator to be removed.
 If you get involved in an email discussion
that you don’t need to be in
 ask to be taken off the distribution.
 While forwarding the message delete the
list of email addresses if not necessary
 If you see someone else practicing bad
email etiquette
 send a friendly note and ask them to correct it

20. Incoming Email Tips:
 Process your email in batches
 Don’t overreact to nuance in email
General Tips

21. General Tips
Font:
 Use standard font throughout the message
content
 Avoid colored fonts in a professional email
 Be very specific with the use of bold, italic
or underline font style
 Keep the size of the font visible and
constant
 Paragraph and line spacing should be
legitimate and visually appealing
 Avoid short forms or slang (e.g. ‘u’ instead of
‘you’, ‘y’ instead of ‘why’, ‘r’ instead of ‘are’,
etc)

22. Examples
From: XYZ
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 5:46 PM
To: ABC
Subject: Information
Dear Sir,
With reference to the below mentioned mail, I would like to
mention here that the required action was taken long back and
hence there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level.
With reference to the below mentioned mail, the issue to a
higher level.
With reference to the below mentioned mail, I would like to
mention here that the required action was taken long back and
hence there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level
With reference to the below mentioned mail.
Regards,
XYZ

23. Examples
From: XYZ
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 5:46 PM
To: ABC
Subject: Information
Dear Sir,
With reference to the below mentioned mail, I would like to mention here that the
required action was taken long back and hence there was no need to escalate the
issue to a higher level. With reference to the below mentioned mail, I would like to
mention here that the required action was taken long back and hence there was no
need to escalate the issue to a higher level With reference to the below mentioned
mail, I would like to mention here that the required action was taken long back and
hence there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level With reference to the
below mentioned mail, I would like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level
With reference to the below mentioned mail, I would like to mention here that the
required action was taken long back and hence there was no need to escalate the
issue to a higher level With reference to the below mentioned mail, I would like to
mention here that the required action was taken long back and hence there
was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level With reference to the below
mentioned mail.
Regards,
XYZ

24. Examples
From: XYZ
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 5:46 PM
To: ABC
Subject: Information
Dear Sir,
With reference to the below mentioned mail, I would like to mention here
that the required action was taken long back and hence there was no need
to escalate the issue to a higher level. With reference to the below mentioned
mail, I would like to mention here that the required action was taken long back and
hence there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level With reference to the
below mentioned mail, I would like to mention here that the required action
was taken long back and
HENCE THERE WAS NO NEED TO ESCALATE THE ISSUE TO A HIGHER
LEVEL WITH REFERENCE TO THE BELOW MENTIONED mail, I would like
to mention here that the required action was taken long back and
hence there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level
action was taken long back and hence there was no need to escalate the
issue to a higher level With reference to the below mentioned mail.
Regards,
XYZ

25. Examples
From: XYZ
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 5:46 PM
To: ABC
Subject: Information
Dear Sir,
With reference to the below mentioned mail, I would like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level. With reference
to the below mentioned mail, I would like to mention here that the required action was taken long
back and hence there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level With reference to the below
mentioned mail, I would like to mention here that the required action was taken long back and hence
there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level With reference to the below mentioned mail,
I would like to mention here that the required action was taken long back and hence there was no
need to escalate the issue to a higher level
With reference to the below mentioned mail, I would like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level With reference to
the below mentioned mail, I would like to mention here that the required action was taken long back
and hence there was no need to escalate the issue to a higher level With reference to the below
mentioned mail.
Regards,
XYZ

26. Call to Action
 Implement these guidelines in
your own email usage
 It’s got to start with you
 Take this presentation to your
staff and request that they
implement the guidelines

27. Himanshu Dhaga (Manager Training)
Questions & Comments

28. Himanshu Dhaga (Manager Training)
Thank You