Marie in the Media

Using Email Efficiently for Clear Communication
by Therese Droste

Monster.com, April 2002

STICKY SITUATION: I was in charge of a project that involved five people. Everyone worked offsite, so I decided the best way to organize it was via email. The project turned into a disaster, because according to my boss, I didn't handle the email communications properly. Is there a right and wrong way to communicate via email?

WHAT THE EXPERT SAYS: If you're going to manage a project via email, never hesitate to pick up the phone first and clarify the key points with someone. Sometimes you just need to communicate verbally with another person if you're going to get things right.

There is a right and wrong way to communicate via email, but most people either haven't learned it or have become too complacent to put it into practice, says Stacy Brice, the Baltimore-based chief visionary officer and founder of AssistU. While you can do whatever you want via email, if the goal is concise communication, learn how to use it properly, says Brice.

Proper etiquette is important, because the medium doesn't give you the advantage of voice tone or facial expressions. Therefore, emails can easily be misunderstood.

How can you email more effectively?

Be Careful with Quick Replies

Most people hit the reply button and quickly type out a response on top of the original email. The problem? It's like holding a conversation backwards: Your response appears before the other person asks the question.

Carefully edit out any information you don't need from the original post. Then, pay attention to how you position your answers. For example, if someone sends you a three-paragraph email, but the main point is to ask if you want to meet at 8 a.m. or 9 a.m., delete all information except the question regarding the meeting times, says Brice. Then, typing under the original post, respond.

Reasons for this format include:

• Email systems are designed to read like conversations, says Brice. They are constructed to use angle brackets, the greater than (>) or less than (<) signs, in front of every line. The further back you go into the email conversations, the more layers of brackets you'll find.

• It's efficient and helps the person you're responding to sort through email faster.

• It takes up less space. If you continue to return emails containing layers and layers of messages, it slows down the Internet system, says Brice.

Only Include What's Necessary

Don't put anything in an email you wouldn't put on a postcard, says Marie Schulz, a Rumely, Michigan-based virtual assistant.

Write a Clear Subject Line

With so many Internet viruses going around, many people now delete email before opening it unless they know the purpose of the email or its sender.

Email Systems Aren't Created Equally

Because of this, everyone may not be able to see the stylized colors or bold marks you've made. To be on the safe side, send your email in plain text format, says Brice.

Email Programs Handle Line Wraps Differently

You've probably received an email in which the words literally went off the page, thus making it difficult to read or print out. "Keep line lengths to about 76 characters to the line," says Brice. This may require you to insert hard returns, but some programs do allow you to change the settings.

Priority Level

"It might be a high priority email to you, but before labeling it that way, ask yourself if it will have the same urgent meaning to the person you're sending it to," says Schulz.

Never Convey Anger or Bad News Via Email

"If you've ever opened an email containing bad news, you know it feels like you're being slammed face first into a wall going 60 miles per hour," warns Brice. Avoid this passive-aggressive solution by trying to visit someone in person if you have bad news to convey. If face-to-face interaction is impossible due to geographical differences, use the phone but warn the person upfront that your message is negative.

Write the Email, Check It Twice

"Maybe even three times before you send it. You don't want to make any mistakes," says Schulz.

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