HumpDay Email RULES RANT

 WHO: 

• Know exactly who you are sending to.    
• For every addressee on the list. 
• Who will read it?   Who can read it?  Who will they send it to? 
• Ensure that everyone who needs to know is included.  
• Recipients in the TO: line should represent those with a must know, action required level of involvement.  Best to provide context in the subject as to what is expected. 
• Recipients in the CC: line should be those who “should be aware” only… no action required. 
• BEWARE:  Recipients will notice who is not included.  Omitting a stakeholder is equivalent to exclusion. It is offensive and will be noticed. If you make a mistake and do not include someone, there will be consequences. You will likely face them regardless of your intention.  

WHY: 

• Why are you sending this?  Consider this carefully.  Email is a one way “sermon” and not a conversation or dialogue.  Even though recipients can respond, the asynchronous nature is volatile if ANY emotion is involved.  

 
WHAT: 

• Email should never be more than a few sentences at best.  
• Communicate facts, and information… cleanly and succinctly.    
• Any email involving emotion should generally be saved and then discussed real time.. on telephone, live in person, or in video conference. 
• Email is a one way conversation associated generally with an expectation of reply. 
• Use attachments for ancillary information. notes, minutes, pictures, plans.  
• Always have an ask and clear action. 

HOW and WHEN: 

• Be very careful when you send as to time and your expectations for reply.  Do not assume that those are clear. Do not assume that they will remain clear.  
• Timing of reply is a natural social construct. Too short, too long.. all influence the nature of the messaging. 
• Scroll rule applies. If a reader has to scroll, they generally will not do it.  Anything that is important must be in the top of message or it is likely to get ignored.  
• Your readers are overwhelmed with information.  The onus is on you as the communicator to put the time and effort and respect into crafting a message. 
• Too many emails will be ignored.  Too much in email will be ignored.  This fault is on you not the reader. 
• Use formatting to clean it up and make it clear.